“I shall give you a tour.” Delighted, Saika clapped her hands, and it made bile rise up Bri’s throat.

She glanced at Delta, but the wounded warrior looked too focused on using her good arm to engage in conversation.

“Splendid,” Carys said in her courtly way that only Bri knew was sarcasm.

The tightness in her chest eased slightly. At least Carys was there. They would laugh about the ridiculousness of Delta and Saika when they returned to their rooms.

Lina remained quiet at the head of the table, her focus fixed on eating her porridge. She darted a few worried glances over at her cousin but said nothing. She seemed so at odds with the carefree thief Airev. Her concern thickened the air.

Bri found her eyes snagging on all the jewelry hanging from her neck and ears, wondering if it was as heavy as it seemed. She’d have a headache within five minutes of wearing all that gold.

“Are we expecting someone?” Bri nodded toward the empty chair across from Darrow.

“My son was called away to attend to some wedding business,” Darrow said.

“Wedding?” Carys asked.

Darrow quirked his brow when no recognition appeared on their faces. “To Abalina?”

Bri snorted tea back into her mug.

Carys clapped her on the back, shaking her head. “I didn’t know you were betrothed, Lina. Congratulations,” she added quickly.

“It’s been a match made their entire lives. The Wystrons and the Thornes have always been the closest of allies. It was time we made it official.” Darrow eyed Bri with a frown. “I suppose the news hasn’t reached the rest of Okrith as much as we would have thought.”

He looked back to Lina, who was staring daggers at the table. Her shoulders were thrown back, her chest out and her chin high in the perfectly regal posture, but she didn’t comment. The hard look on her face was the picture of a stern Queen. She was so unlike the thief from the night before, Bri wondered which face was her true one. There was one thing she knew for certain: any chair Lina sat in became a throne.

Darrow reached a hand halfway across the table to her, stopping just before touching Lina, his eyes softening. “I know he blames himself for not being here to protect you.”

Lina’s expression tightened, but she didn’t respond.

“Yes, if he had been here, that would have stopped everything,” Delta said with a scowl.

Saika placed a gentle hand on her wife’s forearm. It was clear to everyone that Delta had taken her aunt’s death hard, possibly harder than Lina herself. The guilt and shame radiated off Delta so thickly that Bri felt like she could reach out and grab it. It was no wonder she had called upon Bri.

“So who do you think did this?” Carys asked.

Darrow frowned at her. “The witch hunters, of course.”

“Yes, but what are their names? Where are they hiding? How many are there?” She shot accusing looks around the table. “How are you meant to fight a faceless enemy?”