Her eyes landed on Carat, a hand went to her mouth, and her eyes started to tear. “He was such a help to us,” she said. “Someone said he was a thief, but he proved himself a hero today. Who would have thought that thieves would stick out their necks? I saw their leader, Polish, shoot the sheriff.”

Hadrian smiled. “If you ask him, he’ll tell you you’re mistaken.”

“Thieves with hearts, who’d have thought?” she said.

“I’m not so sure I would go that far.”

“No? Then where are the vultures?”

Hadrian looked up at the sky, then, realizing his own stupidity, shook his head. “You mean the looters?” He looked around. “You’re right. I didn’t even notice until now.”

She nodded. Hadrian’s medallion reflected the sunlight, catching her eye. Miranda pointed. “That necklace, where did you get it?”

“My father.”

“Your father? Really? My older brother has one just like it.”

Hadrian’s heart raced. “Your brother has a necklace like this?”

She nodded.

Hadrian looked around the square, suddenly concerned. “Is he …”

She thought a moment. “I don’t think so,” she said. “At least, my heart tells me he’s still alive.”

Hadrian tried to control his racing thoughts. “How old is your brother?”

“I think he’d be about forty now, I guess.”

“You guess?”

She nodded. “We never celebrated his birthday, which was always kind of strange. You see, my mother adopted him. She was the midwife at his birth and …” She hesitated. “Things didn’t go well. Anyway, my mother kept an amulet just like yours and gave it to my brother as his inheritance the day he left home.”

“What do you mean things didn’t go well with the birth?” Hadrian asked.

“The mother died—that sort of thing happens, you know. Mothers die all the time in childbirth. It’s not at all uncommon. It just happens. We should probably look for other wounded—”

“You’re lying,” Hadrian shot back.

She started to stand but Hadrian grabbed her arm. “This is very important. I must know everything you can tell me about the night your brother was born.”

She hesitated but Hadrian held her tight.

“It wasn’t her fault. There was nothing she could do. They were all dead. She was just scared. Who wouldn’t be!”

“It’s okay. I’m not accusing your mother of anything. I just need to know what happened.” He held up his amulet. “This necklace belonged to my father. He was there that night.”

“Your father, but no one …” He saw realization in her eyes. “The swordsman covered in blood?”

“Yes.” Hadrian nodded. “Does your mother still live in the city? Can I speak to her?”

“My mother died several years ago.”

“Do you know what happened? I have to know. It’s very important.”