“That does sound better than just lobbing a torch over the rail,” Marcus said. “But do you think we can trust her?”

“I think so. She seems to . . . have a lot of respect for you.” Raesinia looked slightly embarrassed, for some reason, and shook her head. “She certainly has no reason to help Maurisk or the Guard. And she was working with the Preacher before I was even attacked, so she can’t be a plant—”

“All right.” Marcus held up his hands. “Will you talk to her?”

“I can.” Raesinia fixed Marcus with a hard stare. “I also talked to Cora. She said you asked her to come along.”

Marcus took a deep breath and blew it out. “I did.”

“You know that’s crazy. She’s not cut out for this.”

“It won’t be dangerous if the plan works,” Marcus said, knowing as he spoke how weak that was. Since when has a plan ever gone perfectly? “We need someone who knows what to look for. We’ll probably only have a few minutes once we get in.”

“You can’t bring her,” Raesinia said flatly. “She’s my friend, and I love her, but she needs a book or a banknote in her hand, not a pistol.”

“No one said I was giving her a pistol. Besides, you were the one who got her involved in the first place.”

“She’s been involved the whole time. She was with us from the beginning, before the revolution. You saw what she did for the refugees before we even got there. It’s not that she isn’t brave, but she’s not a soldier. You can’t take her into danger like this!”

“I don’t have a choice,” Marcus said. “We’re shorthanded as it is. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d leave Andy and Cora here with you, but—”

“You . . .” Raesinia paused, and cocked her head. “You’d leave Andy and take Hayver? Hayver would trip over his own foot even if he only had one leg!”

Marcus had to admit that, if push came to shove, Andy would probably be more useful to have at his back in a fight than the awkward boy. But still. Seeing Andy with her face bruised and bloodied, and knowing she’d gotten that way defending him made Marcus feel deeply wrong. Inadequate, as though he’d failed in some primal duty he could barely articulate. It was not a position he wanted to put himself in again.

“It doesn’t matter,” Raesinia said brusquely, “because the solution is obvious. I’ll come with you, and Cora will stay at Mrs. Felda’s. I can find the evidence we need as easily as she can.”

“No,” Marcus said. “Out of the question.”

“I—”

“You are the Queen of Vordan. You are not going to come with us to skulk into some warehouse that could easily be a trap!”