Trynne could still remember the enormous treasure ships she had seen anchored off the coast of Brugia before the battle. They had brought a hundred thousand soldiers from Chandigarl, and the Espion had since learned that Gahalatine’s full army was nearly ten times that number. He had more than a dozen Wizrs serving him, whereas Drew only had one left. Trynne’s mother.

Gahalatine had called off the attack after learning that Owen had fallen victim to some sort of foul play—but he’d promised to return in a year to finish what he had started. He’d left a garrison to control Guilme, and they had learned much about their enemy from watching the goings-on there. What they had learned made their situation seem even more desperate.

“My dear,” Genevieve said softly, stroking Sureya’s hands, “since your father was taken to the imperial palace in the Forbidden Court, he will be chosen for some duty for the emperor. Our poisoner has been there, and she says the city is so massive that it is difficult to traverse it within a day. Gahalatine changed the capital of Chandigarl to the Forbidden Court after he started ruling his empire. Your father will likely live in comfort. That’s what we know so far. From what Trynne just told me, it sounds as if Gahalatine was perhaps interested in you?”

Sureya nodded miserably. “Your Highness, it was my greatest fear to be taken to the Forbidden Court.”

“Why is that?” Genevieve asked. “From our understanding, he is not yet married.”

Sureya wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, and Trynne noticed that the tattoos smudged. “Gahalatine has been gathering his own zenana, my lady.”

Trynne hadn’t heard that word, and judging by Genny’s baffled look, she hadn’t either.

“I am sorry, our cultures are so different,” Sureya apologized. “A zenana is a sanctuary for women, guarded by women. One can go there for protection. If a girl is abused or hurt by a family member or her father, she can flee there for shelter and no one can force her to come out. She is treated with dignity and honor. It is like the sanctuary of Our Lady.

“Gahalatine has created a large zenana, and the most beautiful and skilled daughters of all the rulers whose lands he has conquered have gone to stay there. They wish to win his heart, but there are so many of them, he cannot choose. The competition in the zenana is fierce, and the girls can be very cruel to newcomers. Gahalatine wants someone who is Fountain-blessed—and I am not. To be taken to that place, to be made to stay . . .” She shuddered.