“Good night, my dear,” Rhazat said, all sweetness now. “Pleasant dreams.”

Klia went into her room and closed the door, then stood there with a hand over her mouth, trying to blot out the memory of that kitchen. Which is the real one?

She went to the bed and lay down for no better reason than she couldn’t think of anything else to do. Something was different here, too, though it took a moment to figure it out. The drapery at the window was faded, and she could see where bits of it had rotted away in the sun. The coverlet she lay on was threadbare, the sheets full of holes. The carpet was missing, the stone floor bare.

Is this an illusion, too? she wondered. Was she being punished with poor accommodations? It seemed petty and halfhearted revenge at best.

She and Mika had taken everything with them when they’d tried to escape. There was no sign that he’d ever been here. For the first time since she’d been trapped in this hell, Klia felt truly alone. She gave way to despair for a brief moment, then sat up and wiped her eyes. It didn’t matter if she was alone or not; she still had a duty to destroy her enemy.

She hadn’t taken off her gorget since the day she’d used it as a mirror to see Rhazat’s true form. Unhooking the chain, she turned it over in her hands: carved side, smooth side, carved side, smooth side … She ran a thumb along its curved edges. Rhazat couldn’t touch it. If a harmless gold object caused her distress, then what would a golden blade do to her?

Going to the window, she opened it and began rubbing the curved outer edge of the gorget on the angle of the stone sill, using it like a whetstone. If it didn’t work on Rhazat, she could always use it on herself.

Seregil and Micum arrived two days after Micum had gone, riding into camp as the sun was dipping behind the glistening peak of Mount Erali.

“Where have you been?” Alec demanded, walking with them to Thero’s tent.

“I’m feeling much better, thank you.” Seregil threw an arm around Alec’s shoulders. He was sporting another green head scarf today. With that covering his shaved pate, he looked quite well.

“Any news here?” Micum asked.

“Mika’s doing well, and we’ve been busy.” Alec told them of the fruitless search in the palace, and what they’d discovered in Zikara.

Thero was sitting at the desk when they came in, and Mika was leaning on it, watching his master work on another amulet.

Seregil took out the golden seal Gora had made and placed it on the desk in front of Thero, then put the rolled chamois containing the stone beside it.

“Oh, and this, too.” Seregil presented him with the golden arm ring.