Tristam didn’t return before Kyra went to sleep, though he was sitting at the campfire the next morning. There were circles under his eyes, and Kyra wondered if he had slept at all. He handed her some dried plums for breakfast. Their fingers touched briefly, and Kyra wanted to ask him where he’d been. Would he really be safe returning to the Palace? What had happened between them last night?

“Will you leave soon?” she asked instead.

“Right after breakfast.”

Under James’s and Czern’s watchful eyes, neither of them said any more.

Finally, Tristam stood and dusted off his tunic. “It’s time. I’ll pass along your message.”

Kyra nodded reluctantly. “Do you think they’ll come?”

“They will. Give them a day, two at most.”

If she were braver, she would have said more, but the words wouldn’t come out. Impulsively, she took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, all the while aware of the others watching. Tristam’s eyes widened in surprise, but then he squeezed back.

“We’ll speak again soon,” he said.

Then he turned for the road.

She followed him at a distance. Two squires tended their steeds at the guardhouse, most likely readying for the morning patrol. They looked up at his approach, and their expressions quickly grew alarmed. The one in back reached for his sword, but then relaxed at something Tristam said. He opened his hands, and the squires searched him for weapons. They were treating him like a criminal. But Tristam looked like he had expected this, and after the squires’ search turned up nothing, he let them lead him toward the city.

Kyra trailed them for a while, mostly to assure herself that he wouldn’t be harmed. Then she returned to the meeting place they had chosen. They’d found a clearing close by, where it was easy to see approaching horses. She found a decent vantage point in a nearby tree and settled down to wait.

Late in the afternoon, she heard hoofbeats, followed soon by glimpses of red livery between the orange leaves. Willem and Malikel rode in front, followed by a small contingent of shieldmen. Kyra wondered if she’d have to flee after all, but then the Councilmen ordered their soldiers to wait on the road. Willem and Malikel entered the clearing alone, as she had requested.

It was hard not to be intimidated by the two Councilmen awaiting her. Even though they wore plain riding cloaks, they carried themselves like men who ran a city. Malikel, though stern, didn’t show any overt signs of hostility. Willem, on the other hand, barely even looked at her, as if she were not even deserving of a straight glance. He was the one she would have to be careful of.

“We’d given you up for dead,” said Malikel.

“Not yet.” She was tempted to ask after Tristam, but it would have made her look weak.