“Do you?” Abelard toyed with a small jewel-encrusted dagger. Sunlight reflected off it, sending sparkles racing over the walls. “Why would you think that?”

“They disappeared the same night. Along with a friend of mine.”

“Friend?” Abelard tilted her head. “Who?”

“A Wien House cadet. Rebecca Morley. She used to work for the Bayars. She disappeared the same time they did.”

“I don’t know her,” Abelard said, dismissing Rebecca. “But it is likely the Bayars had to do with the killings at the library, in an indirect way.” She paused, those gray-green eyes assessing him. “The four dead are all assassins in the employ of Aerie House.”

“Assassins?” Han rubbed his head as if he could reshuffle his thoughts and be dealt a better hand. “Why would they come here? And who would’ve killed them?”

“I thought perhaps you could tell me,” Abelard said, running her thumb over the honed edge of the blade.

“Me?” Han shook his head. “I’m not following.”

Abelard gave him a don’t try to fool me kind of look. “They worked for the Bayars,” she said. “They were killed with wizardry.”

It finally clanked into place. “You think I did it?”

“Who in Oden’s Ford would the Bayars want to kill?” Abelard said. “An attack on the High Wizard can’t go unanswered forever.” She shrugged. “And who might be most likely to survive such an attack?”

Han leaned forward, hands on his knees, willing her to believe him. “Look, I don’t know why they were here, or who hushed them, but I had nothing to do with it.”

“It speaks for your reputation that Lord Bayar sent a team of four to do the job. I think that when Micah and Fiona found out what happened to their father’s assassins, they decided to leave before you came after them.”

Han shook his head. “It wasn’t me. Like I told you, my friend Rebecca disappeared from the library where the one assassin was found.”

“Perhaps she saw something she shouldn’t have?” Abelard said.

Han stood. “This is a waste of time,” he said, fighting back fury. “If you think I would have had anything to do with—”

“Sit down, Alister!” Abelard said. “It’s in your best interest to hear me out.”

Reluctantly, he sat, arms folded, glaring at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t look so distraught. There was nothing at the scene to tie it to you. And, I must say, I am more impressed than ever with your abilities.”

Han gave up. There was no way he’d persuade the dean that he hadn’t done the four, not when it all fit together so well and he had no other story to tell.

“Well, I think the Bayars left town for another reason,” he said. “And that’s what we should be looking into.”