“They didn’t scream,” Ehri said, a tremble in her voice. “I was the only one who cried out as they burned.” When she opened her eyes they were wet with tears, silver in the moonlight. “Would you have done it? If you hadn’t been in the infirmary and my sister had given the order?”

Yes. If not for Reyem. If not for the debt she owed him. Even now, she knew she was betraying the oath she had taken and that she had lived by—to protect the Taban queen over all others. She was in Ehri’s service, had lived in her household, but ultimately, Queen Makhi was the woman she was meant to serve. Mayu had loved that simplicity, that certainty. She would never have it again.

“I would have died with my sisters,” she admitted.

“And would you have sentenced me to death as well?”

“I don’t know.” Mayu thought of the confusion in Isaak’s eyes when he’d realized what she’d done. He’d tried to tell her he wasn’t the king. But it was too late by then. “I thought I understood death. I’m not so sure anymore.”

They heard a soft thump and a moment later, Tamar jogged back to them.

“Did you kill him?” asked Ehri.

“I just dropped his heart rate. He’ll stay unconscious and wake up with a headache.”

Mayu saw what Tamar was wearing and gasped. “Where did you get that? You have no right to wear—”

“I can’t enter this place as a Ravkan soldier. And I have every right. I am Grisha. My people are being tortured behind those walls.”

Mayu tried to push aside her outrage. Tamar had dressed in the black uniform of the Tavgharad, her short hair hidden by the tilted black cap, the carnelian falcon at her shoulder. Mayu knew these things, these symbols of honor and tradition, shouldn’t matter to her anymore. But they did.

She tried to peer past Tamar in the dark. “Are they in there?”

“Queen Makhi’s messenger arrived about fifteen minutes ahead of us. He’s already gone. The lights are on, but there are no windows on the ground floor. They may be mobilizing the khergud for action or they may wait until morning. I don’t know what we’ll be walking into. Ehri, we may be headed into a combat situation—”

“I was trained to fight.”

“I know,” said Tamar. “I sparred with you myself, and I know you can hold your own. But the khergud are a different kind of soldier, and if something happens to you, all of our plans will come to nothing. We’ll have no leverage against Makhi. So stick to the plan and if something goes wrong, get out. Get away and get back to Nagh and Zihun.”

Ehri nodded. “All right.”

Tamar gestured to Mayu. “Let’s go.”