“Who’s there?” she asked, sitting bolt upright in the moonlight at the sound of the creaking door. I had no doubt her knife was already in her hand.

“Just me.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“No, I can’t blame you. I’m not feeling exactly at ease myself right now.” I climbed into the bed beside her. It was familiar. When I’d first left court and was being sheltered by the Eastoffes, it was Scarlet’s room I shared. Those were comfortable days—us crammed into a bed that needed about as much repair as the rest of the house, waking up with someone’s slow and sleepy breathing to let us know we weren’t alone.

We’d sing songs in whispers and laugh at old stories and rumors of court. I’d been an only child my whole life. Being swallowed into a family with older siblings and younger siblings and, most important, a sister was a dream come true.

The mood was decidedly different now.

“I keep thinking about Quinten’s visit to Keresken and trying to remember anything he might have said or done that we could use as proof . . . nothing’s coming to mind, and it’s pushing me to madness.”

“Ah, well, you’ll fit in here perfectly,” she said as I settled under the blankets. “We probably should have asked to share a room. After living in that tiny space in the castle, I realized how much I liked having my family nearby. It was a treat that we needed to share back at Abicrest.”

“I had the same thought. I just didn’t want to be rude. Your aunt and uncle have been so generous.”

“They really like you,” she said. “Aunt Jovana keeps saying you have an uplifting presence.”

I chuckled humorlessly. “My parents had other words for that, but I’m glad she appreciates me all the same. If only Etan would stop glaring at me.”

“Just ignore him for now.”

“I’m trying, I swear.” I sighed and gave the one real question I had a voice. “Do we have a chance here, Scarlet? You’ve been in this since birth, so you’d know better than I would.”

She swallowed. “Our support runs deep. For years we’ve all but had an army ready to go. I know Aunt Jovana told you about the law . . .”

“She did. I can’t say I don’t understand, but these seem like extenuating circumstances.”

She replied, her tone low and serious, “If we were wrong, it would mean death for everyone involved. And if we didn’t act fast enough, the Darkest Knights could come and wipe us all out before we even began. I want to see him pay . . . but we have to do it right or it’s all for nothing.”

I sighed again. In my eyes, it was hard to imagine that there was a right way to fix so much wrong, but if this was what the family said to do, then I’d follow.

“Do you know why we left Isolte?” Scarlet asked.