Ilan grabbed her just as a group of six deacons left the chapel. He pulled her back into the shadow. She watched as the deacons sorted themselves. Two carried about ten platinum torques each and the other four formed a defensive circle around them.

But it seemed odd that they were worried about being attacked. Or were they just trying to hide the torques from view? Did the priestess suspect the Invisible Swords would be very interested in her operations here? It was almost as if they were putting on a show. Did the priestess want them to know they were making more torques?

Then the group disappeared. Not gone as in around the corner or down a tunnel.

No. They literally disappeared.

Ilan sucked in a breath. “They’re gone.”

Shyla recovered from her shock. She knew only one way to disappear from sight like that. Magic. Concentrating, she located the chanting rhythm of a magical command pressing on her. She shoved it aside. The group of deacons reappeared.

Scorching hells. The deacons had wielded magic. Somehow the Heliacal Priestess had figured it out. Somehow she’d recognized the magical potential in her conscripted deacons and had taught them how to direct it.

How in the seven hells did the priestess learn— Shyla almost groaned at the depth of her idiocy. Someone in the Invisible Sword had passed that information on to the priestess. She’d suspected a traitor all along. So why hadn’t she done more to find the person? She hadn’t wanted to upset Jayden. And look at what happened.

They were cooked.

“Can you explain your logic?” Jayden asked after she’d filled him in on all that she’d learned.

They were in her room at Orla’s commune.

“I shouldn’t have to, Jayden,” Shyla said in annoyance. While the cane helped, her leg still throbbed.

“How do you know the traitor’s one of us and not one of the vagrants or deacons? You’ve been telling everyone about us. Maybe you told one of them your theories about cracked deacons.”

She clamped down on a nasty reply. Instead, she drew in a breath. “I only told trustworthy people, Jayden.” She held up a hand. “Trustworthy, because I read enough of their souls to know their intentions.”

He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “All right. Say you’re right and the priestess found out about the potential magic wielders in their midst. Then why did the deacons wield magic at that moment? They could have just hidden the torques under their robes or in a basket. There was no need to use magic to hide from the prince’s guards or any other watchers.”

“It almost seemed rehearsed, as if they were performing for an audience. I think they knew we were watching.”

“How? You were well hidden, right?”