Power rippled between them as the channels opened. Brilliance enveloped Lucius Frowsley—lighting him up like one of the paintings of saints in the cathedral temple. The old man’s familiar exterior seemed to burn away—the tangle of wiry gray hair, the yellow-gray skin of his face stubbled over with beard. The brilliance faded, revealing the younger Lucius, an eager smile on his face as he looked toward the heavens.

And then the image shattered, silvering into dust, dissipating in the wind that rushed down over Hanalea. It glittered for a moment in the dying sun, and then was gone.

Dog whined and pressed himself against Han’s knees.

“Lucius?” Han said uncertainly. It took him a moment to realize that he’d spoken aloud. He was back in control of his voice. “Crow?” he said. And then, louder, “Crow, are you still here?”

I told you to call me Alger, Crow said in his ear. And then he was gone.

C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y - S I X

PROOFS AND
ALLEGATIONS

Raisa paced back and forth across her sitting room.

“You are as jumpy as a cat on a wood stove,” Cat said, looking up from her basilka.

“If Han Alister works for me, then where is he?” Raisa grumbled.

“He is working for you,” Cat countered. “He’s just not working for you here.”

“He said he had business on Hanalea,” Raisa said. “What could he be doing up there? He’s a wizard. He’s not even allowed on Hanalea.”

“Where he’s allowed and where he goes don’t always match up,” Cat said.

“I’m lucky if I see him one day out of three.”

Han had disappeared the day after the Ragmarket fire, and Raisa hadn’t seen him since. She needed to talk to him, to tell him about Micah’s accusations, to figure out some kind of a response.

“Would you be honest with me if I asked you a question?” Raisa asked.

Cat eyed Raisa over her fretboard. She’d been trying to transcribe a song she’d composed into written form. She had ink on the end of her nose and smeared all over her fingers. “I’m not saying I’ll answer, but if I do, I’ll tell you the truth.”

Raisa sat down across from Cat, fingering her wolf ring. “Why does he stay? I know he made a bargain with the clans, but that doesn’t mean he has to keep it. He could go wherever he wants, and he’d never lack for money, being gifted. What does he really want?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Cat said. “That one plays his cards close. But if I had to take a guess, I’d say what he wants is you.”

“Me?” Raisa stared at Cat. “What for?”

Cat squinted at her. “Maybe we should have us a little talk,” she said, arching her brows.