I pull it out while I sit. It’s a folded parchment, sealed with a bright blob of red wax, which is stamped with the imperial crest. I break the seal. My heart begins to race when I recognize Rosario’s handwriting: characteristically rushed and marred with a few small ink blots.

come to the place we first met

at the second hour

let no one see you

bring Iván

I shove the note back into my pocket, finish my business, and pull up my pants. As Valentino and I rush to catch everyone else, my thoughts are a maelstrom of worry.

When I spoke to Rosario, he was afraid for his life. Has something gone wrong?

The place he and I first met is a hideout located beneath the city district known as the Wallows. The prince mentioned that he might spend some time there. I can reach it through the catacombs, but no one is supposed to know about it. I hate the idea of sharing it with Iván.

We’ll have to sneak out of the bunk room and hope everyone is sleeping too soundly to notice. I really picked the wrong bunk. I’ll have to traverse the whole room just to get out the door.

Rosario knows I understand this vast palace better than anyone, except maybe Hector and the spymaster. Once I’m in the latrine, I can get us almost all the way to the catacombs using secret passages. So, by ordering us to arrive unseen, the prince fully intends for me to reveal some of the palace’s most ancient secrets to Iván.

My muscles burn from working all day, and I need rest more than anything, but I won’t dare let myself fall asleep even for a moment, lest I miss the second hour. I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow. If we have any training exercises, I won’t be able to perform creditably.

I’ll have to worry about that later. Rosario is my friend, and my future emperor, and he might be in trouble. If I could leave right this second, I would.

But if it turns out he’s just lonely and frightened, I’m going to whack him upside the head with my baby rattle. No, no, that can’t be it. Rosario isn’t an idiot, and he’s no stranger to peril or intrigue. If he’s summoning me, he has a good reason.

In the dining hall, I make a point of sitting next to Iván, which turns out to be easy because no one else wants to. He glares at me when I settle beside him, but says nothing. His knuckles are scraped raw. While I was mucking stalls, he spent the whole day mending the thatch roof and patching mortar in the walls.

When everyone is distracted, I slip the note out of my pocket, just far enough so that he can glimpse the imperial seal.

I whisper, “The prince wants to meet with us tonight. Just you and me. We’ll have to sneak out. I’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”