“Ah.” My voice came out thick with embarrassment. “I’ll work on that.”

“Still, La Contessa will be pleased you are taking an interest in politics at last.” Ciardha’s cocked head suggested a silent question mark.

I sank into a chair by the library fireplace. “I’m not so much interested in politics as worried about Ardence.”

Ciardha nodded. “You have friends there.”

“Yes. All my friends from the university.” I laced my fingers and squeezed them together. “My old study partner, Venasha, has a baby. She and her family are at risk from this foolishness.”

Venasha had a theory that new surroundings sparked the mind, so I’d spent hours poring over books with her in all manner of unlikely places: an amulet shop, a boat moored in the River Arden, the university roof. We’d found lacy undergarments up there once, and Venasha had somehow become convinced they belonged to her philosophy professor; I hadn’t been able to look the professor in the eye since.

“Plus Domenic is the duke’s cousin,” I added, “so he may take some of the blame. And Uncle Ignazio, of course.” My shoulders hunched under the memory of my mother casually proposing to strip him of his office. “The doge as much as told me he intends to use my Falcon to threaten anyone who goes against the Serene Empire. So it’s not political. It’s personal.”

Ciardha smiled faintly. “All politics are personal, Lady.”

“I don’t like the idea of being used against my friends.”

“Then, Lady, I have one piece of advice.” Ciardha caught my eyes with her dark ones. “Don’t let them use you.”

“The Grace of Wisdom must hate me, to stick me with such a bunch of idiots.” Zaira faced Marcello and me, arms crossed, in a bare-walled classroom. A half circle of wooden chairs embraced a low, broad stage at one end of the room. Marcello and I had taken seats with one empty chair between us, but Zaira remained standing.

“If you will deign to talk to us nonetheless,” Marcello said wearily, “we can finish the interview regulations require us to conduct with new Falcons, and move on to the training for which Lady Amalia has come to the Mews. I only have an hour before I need to take a boat to the mainland to investigate an accusation of cattle cursing.”

Zaira snorted. “Good to know I rank below cows for you.”

Oh dear. I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised we were off to a bad start, but he’d stumbled straight into that one.

Marcello looked as if he might argue, but sighed and let it pass. “So. Zaira, welcome to the Falcons. Our first priority after assuring your safety is taking care of your family. Is there anyone who might be worried about you?”

“You asked me this before.” Her face was a locked gate, hard and blank.