“That’s not what happened!” I straightened, indignant. “There was no mage-marked child. The whole thing was a trap—to steal the jess, most likely.”

“There are all kinds of rumors.” Venasha bit her lip. “I’m afraid someone is going to take it as an example, and start a fight over Aleki. His mage mark is showing stronger every day.”

Domenic didn’t look surprised; Venasha must have told him. “You might want to keep Aleki at home for a few days,” he suggested, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.

“I said as much to Foss, but he says children need fresh air. He’s planning to bring him to the gardens again this afternoon.” Venasha turned pleading eyes to me. “He might listen to you, Amalia. Will you talk to him?”

“Of course.” I hated the idea of telling him to hide Aleki, but I hated even more the idea of Aleki getting pulled into this conflict.

If we couldn’t make peace between Ardence and Raverra before the doge’s deadline, Venasha’s family would be in far more danger from me than from the Shadow Gentry.

I plucked a pen from a nearby desk, rolling it between my fingers to keep my hands busy so I wouldn’t rip out my hair. “You should tell Gabril to get out of the Shadow Gentry,” I urged Domenic. “Whether they’re truly involved in this plot or not, your brother could get caught up in this mess and wind up in prison, or worse. He shouldn’t host that party. He needs to quit the Shadow Gentry, for his own safety.”

Domenic sighed miserably. “He won’t.”

“He’s your little brother. He must look up to you. Surely you can convince him.”

“You don’t understand.” Domenic shook his head. “He can’t leave the Shadow Gentry. He’s their leader.”

After my talk with Domenic and Venasha, I took advantage of my presence at the River Palace to intercept more lords of Ardence as they passed through the Hall of Beauty on their business. Though I got a few murderous glares, most of them seemed happy enough to talk to Ignazio’s cousin; nearly all of those expressed a wish he were still Serene Envoy. A few proved willing or even eager to discuss a return to normal relations between Raverra and Ardence, but they all agreed on one thing: no concession was possible until the missing heirs were returned to their parents. Whether Raverra had taken them or not, the return of the children had to be the first priority, and the Empire must recognize that. All else could wait.