She eased out her door, then crept along the dark hallway. At the top of the staircase, she encountered two soldiers.

“Can we escort you somewhere, Lady Reid?” the one on the right whispered.

“No. I’m just going to get something to eat.” Thankfully, they didn’t insist on accompanying her. She slowly made her way down the steps, her ribs not nearly as painful as yesterday.

On the first floor, she headed to the library. With none of the hallway candles lit, odd shadows filled the corridors. Someone had propped the library doors open. Pressing against the wall, Reid listened but didn’t hear anything, so she peered around the corner. Two figures headed right toward her. She hid behind the door, hoping neither had spotted her. Were they sentries on patrol? Or could it be Dexter and Colbert?

The pair exited the library and turned left, walking away from Reid’s hiding place. She poked her head around the door, watching them retreat. Based upon their heights and body shapes, she believed it was Dexter and Colbert. At the end of the hallway, they made a left. Reid hurried after them, unable to run because her torso hurt too badly. At the corner, she peeked around the edge, watching as they exited the palace.

Taking a deep breath, she considered her options. Follow them or go back to bed?

She smacked her head against the wall. The Knights had tasked her with discovering where Dexter went at night. This was her chance. So why was she hesitating? Well, for one, her ribs hurt. Two, the last time she’d tried spying, it hadn’t worked out so well. She could just ask Dexter about his nightly escapades, but he probably wouldn’t tell her what he was doing. And did it matter whether she got the information the Knights requested? Was she truly loyal to them above all else? Especially when she was only going to continue being a Knight for a short time? Most importantly—to her, at least—did it matter to Reid if Dexter was the leader to a group of revolutionaries seeking to make Axian its own kingdom?

Cursing, she exited the palace and hurried across the lawn in the same direction the brothers had gone. Looking at the situation objectively, if she’d been on her way to the kitchen for food and saw Dexter leave the palace in the middle of the night, she would have followed him out of curiosity. So, in actuality, she was doing this for herself and not the Knights.