“I can’t say too much. I shouldn’t even be here talking to you. But know that while not everyone supports the king, they might not support the removal of the king, either. No one does anything without having an end goal in mind. Figure out the end goal, and you can circumvent their plans. If you don’t understand what they’re doing and why, you’ll never be able to stop them.”

Reid had no idea if Harlow meant herself, the king, the dukes, or the Knights. What she said could apply to anyone. Reid would have to think carefully about everything the queen had said and revealed to decipher the meaning.

“Navigate carefully, Lady Reid. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself drowning with no one to help.” After issuing that last warning—threat?—she touched the wall. A door sprang open. The queen left, the door closing and seamlessly blending in behind her.

“Did you know that was there?” Reid asked Gytha, gesturing at the invisible door.

“No, I didn’t.”

Neither had Reid. And she’d spent a week with Nara learning how to navigate through the servants’ passageways and the subterranean tunnels. Not once had the princess said anything about this door being in Reid’s suite.

“Did you hear anything the queen said?”

“I didn’t hear a word. I was too busy making sure she didn’t pull a knife and stab you.”

Reid supposed she needed to discover Harlow’s motives in order to figure out why the queen had felt the need to warn her. Once she did that, maybe the warning would make sense. For now, Reid wanted to crawl into bed. Her eyes were too heavy and her brain too foggy. In the morning, she would dissect her conversation with the queen.

Gytha shook Reid awake. “A letter from Dexter just arrived for you.” She plopped on Reid’s bed, handing her the letter.

Reid sat up, then rubbed her eyes. She opened the envelope, finding a single sheet of paper.

Eldon is leading the foreign army. He’ll arrive in three or four days. Tell Gytha to prepare for a full-scale invasion.

Gytha cursed. She went over to the vanity, grabbing her weapons.

As Reid slid out of bed, she contemplated why Dexter had sent the letter to her instead of his mother or brother. Or even Gytha. Reid’s conversation with the queen haunted her thoughts. What were Dexter’s motivations?

“Let’s go, Lady Reid.” With one leg on a chair, Gytha strapped a dagger to her thigh.

“Where to?”

“The military compound.”

“Let me change first.” Reid removed her nightdress.

Gytha hissed. “You are still bruised up.”

Reid examined her ribs. “It looks worse than it is. It’s not as painful as it used to be.”

“You shouldn’t have done sword work with me. The commander should have told me you can’t adequately defend yourself right now.”