She didn’t realize how loud she was until her door opened. Bella didn’t ask any questions, but simply knelt down next to Kyra and cradled her head in her lap. And Kyra let herself be held, as if she were once again the lost child who had just come in off the streets, plagued by nightmares and suspicious of the world. She clung to Bella, and Bella patted her back and stroked her hair until her sobs finally subsided.

Later, after Kyra had quieted, rinsed her face, and accepted a cup of water, Bella finally spoke.

“You’re losing yourself, Kyra. Is it worth it?”

Somehow, it didn’t really surprise Kyra that Bella guessed the heart of her situation, even if she didn’t know the specifics.

“Lettie and Idalee,” she objected halfheartedly.

“They got along fine before you started helping them, and they’ll be fine now. They’re smart girls. Between the two of us and Flick, we’ll figure something out.”

Kyra didn’t argue. She was exhausted, and Bella was right. Her days with the Guild were over.

Sixteen

S I X T E E N

Would the setbacks never end? First, stolen armor. Then, leaked patrol schedules. And now, a successful raid of the Palace itself. When was the last time this had happened? Certainly not in his lifetime. Tristam pushed down his frustration as he and his fellow knights listened to the storehouse keeper’s report.

“They didn’t take much,” the keeper, a plump man named Finley, said to Malikel. “But they knew what was valuable. Rare herbs and medicines, only the best. But even those, they didn’t take much of. They seemed to be in a hurry.”

Tristam suppressed a bitter chuckle. So even though a group of unknown men had snuck into the supposedly impenetrable compound, past the best-trained guard force in the region, and carried off a fortune in medical supplies, they could at least take comfort in the fact that the thieves had felt the need to hurry while doing so.

A Red Shield rushed in, breathing heavily. “Sirs.”

“Yes, soldier?” said Malikel.

“We’ve found a body.”

The Red Shield led them behind the building to a pile of rocks, recently gathered for some building repairs. The guards had removed the top layer, revealing the victim hidden underneath. The body looked to have been hurriedly disposed of, still in the clothes he’d been murdered in, and clearly showing a neck wound.

“That’s my missing man.” Finley’s voice shook as he turned away. “I’ll have to speak to his family.”

Tristam didn’t envy him that task. “Who will be organizing his funeral? I’d like to contribute to the arrangements.”

Finley gave him a strange look. “The Palace doesn’t pay for memorial services for servants, sir. Just knights and other nobility.”