Amon sat thinking, his brow furrowed. “That can’t be right. People don’t just turn into wizards. He must have been one all along.” He looked up at her. “Why would a wizard live in Ragmarket?”

Raisa shrugged. “I never saw any sign of wizardry before. And I never felt power leaking through his hands until tonight.”

At this, Amon’s head came up sharply. “He was…touching you?”

If you expect an explanation of that, you’re going to be disappointed, Raisa thought. “We watched the fireworks together, and then he walked me back.”

“Your Highness, forgive me, but are you out of your mind?” Amon’s weariness fell away, replaced by agitation. He rose and paced back and forth. “That is the most boneheaded idea you’ve—”

“What did you expect me to do? Club him on the head and throw him in the river? He knows me as Rebecca Morley, the name I’m using here. What do you think would arouse the most suspicion? Running away or continuing to be who I’m already pretending to be?”

“You didn’t have to go watch fireworks with him. Or—or let him fondle you.”

“Fondle?” Raisa raised her eyebrows. “When did I mention fondling?”

Amon stopped pacing and swung around. “Are you doing this to get back at me because of Annamaya? Because, if so, you’re—”

“You think this is all about you?” Raisa shook her head. “On the contrary, I hope you and Annamaya will be very…happy!” It would have been much more convincing had she been able to keep her voice from trembling.

Someone cleared her throat on the stairs, making them both jump. Raisa looked up. Hallie was standing at the top of the stairs in her nightclothes. “Sorry to intrude,” she said, “but you two are terrible loud, and I’m trying to sleep because I have to leave in a couple of hours.”

“Sorry,” Raisa said, her face burning. “I’ll be up to bed in a minute.”

They both stood and watched until Hallie had disappeared again.

“You know Alister’s up to something,” Amon muttered, poking viciously at the fire. “He must be. Maybe he followed us here.”

“Why would he follow us here and then hideout for four months?” Raisa asked irritably. “Anyway, why would he follow us here at all?”

He followed you tonight, an annoying voice said inside her head. He came looking for you.

“I don’t know,” Amon said. “All I’m saying is that things are getting more and more tangled, and somebody’s going to pull a thread, and the whole thing will unravel.” He sat down on the edge of the hearth and put his face in his hands.

All the anger whooshed out of Raisa as if somebody had pricked the bubble of her indignation, leaving only pain behind.