Thero’s messenger spell found Seregil, Micum, and Alec talking with Sedge and a few of the watch guards in front of the palace entrance. The little light hovered a few inches in front of Seregil’s face, and he heard Thero’s voice say, “Mika has had an accident. I’m going to stay with him. See you in the morning.”

“Shouldn’t we go back?” asked Alec when Seregil told them what the message was.

“No, it sounds like he has matters in hand. Let’s go to work, shall we?”

The three of them split up and interviewed various soldiers on guard duty around the grounds. From them they got solid reports of comrades who’d gone missing since Toneus’s death, and vociferous denials that their friends would have run away. A few claimed to have seen dark figures, like shadows in the night, and this gave Alec further pause, amulet or no amulet.

The braziers had been lit; shadows jumped and danced in all directions, and flashes of light flickered eerily from distant windows. Sedge and his people invited them to share their simple supper with them at their nearby encampment, and they accepted.

A circle of small tents stood a little way off from the entrance, in an open space where a building had once stood. The outline of the foundation was still visible. They sat around the fire and the cooks laid out a cold meal for them.

“Sorry about the provisions, my lord,” one of them said to Seregil. “We haven’t had supplies in a couple of days.”

“I’ll speak to Princess Klia, your new governor, about that as soon as I see her again.”

“Much obliged,” said Sedge.

“Thanks,” said Alec, accepting a thick slice of cold mutton on a slab of bread.

“I’d like to spend the night in the royal suite,” said Seregil, nibbling at the mutton.

“My lord, do you think that’s wise?” asked Sedge.

“We’ll keep him company, won’t we?” Micum gave Alec a wink. “Captain, you’d best keep an eye on things out here for us.”

Alec thought he saw a fleeting look of relief on the man’s face as Sedge nodded, and who could blame him?

Lamps had been lit in the palace corridors. In spite of all the renovations, the place still had a dead, unlived-in feel at night. As he followed Seregil and Micum back to the royal suite, Alec couldn’t help thinking of all the hundreds of unoccupied rooms stretching out around them—rooms where anything could be lurking. The memory of their nocturnal visitor at Mirror Moon sent an unwelcome chill up his spine.

“I’m sure it will work,” Seregil said as they paused outside the chamber door.

“What?” Alec realized he’d pulled the amulet from his shirt and was fingering it nervously. Tucking it away, he squared his shoulders and pushed the door open, leading the way inside.