Domenic’s brow creased with concern. “I was hoping you could get through to him. He keeps insisting his secret allies know what’s truly going on, and that they have a plan that can’t fail. I’m dubious.”

“You should be,” I said bluntly. “His so-called allies are either manipulating him or are fictitious. They’ve told him things I know are false.”

Domenic punched his own thigh. “Hell of Madness. I told that idiot not to trust Ruven, or anyone so ashamed to be his friend they won’t let him speak their names. What are they using him for?”

“I wish I knew.”

Whatever these mysterious allies might want with Gabril and the Shadow Gentry, they didn’t seem to care about bolstering his reputation in the long-term. When it inevitably came out that his supporters were lying, and that Gabril’s assurances to his followers were based on false promises, his influence at court would crumble. He’d be a laughingstock, his career over when he’d barely reached his majority. He clearly had no value to whoever was using him.

Of course, that made him expendable.

It was getting harder and harder to see an outcome where Domenic got to keep his brother, whether I betrayed Gabril or his “friends” did. And what brought down Gabril might well take Domenic with him—if it didn’t swallow all of Ardence first.

It was quite late by the time Zaira and I said our good-byes to Domenic and left Gabril’s town house. A chill in the air made me glad I’d worn an embroidered wool coat, but Zaira rubbed her bare arms as we hurried along. Only a few windows still glimmered with light.

“Why didn’t you let Domenic escort us home?” Zaira complained. “He’d have loaned me his coat.”

“Would you like to borrow mine?” I offered.

Zaira’s sideways glance conveyed disbelief. “You don’t understand the main reason to borrow a man’s coat, do you? Grace of Mercy’s tits, you’re hopeless.”

I was glad it was too dark for her to see the flush mounting my cheeks. “I didn’t let him escort us so you could tell me what you learned.”

“At the party?” Zaira snorted. “I learned Domenic has boring friends.”

“Yes, but how about anything of substance?”

“I learned he’s told his boring friends nice things about me. That’s promising, wouldn’t you say?”

“About the plot to cause a war,” I said. “We were there to try to find leads, remember?”

Zaira shrugged. “You were there to find leads. I was there to have a good time.”

“For Graces’ sake, Zaira—”

She stopped and turned to face me, her gown swirling. “Do you really think I’d help you betray a group that’s trying to stop the Falconers from snatching up the mage-marked?”