WHEN I FLED the Palace, sticking to the side streets and keeping my head down, I was exceedingly thankful for my plain face.

No one paid any attention to me as I ducked past rows of houses until I saw Assata’s Tavern. Creeping past empty barrels stacked behind, I creaked open the door into the dim storage room to find Dagan pacing, his face constricted in worry.

“Selu be praised!” he exploded, pulling me into a tight hug as soon as I stepped inside. I shook in his arms as he pushed the door closed behind us and locked it.

Sitting in the corner on stools were Nanaea, her beard in her hands, and little Rish, whose face was twisted in pain. Next to them were my healing satchel and Iltani’s bag from the marketplace.

“Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay,” Dagan murmured into my hair. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“I’m fine.” My body quivered with relief that I’d made it out of there alive.

“Did you succeed?” he asked. “I was terrified for you when Nanaea told me what you were doing. You were in the Libbu to get information so we could all sit and plan something carefully together, not act on a whim!”

Whether he agreed with what we’d done or not, I could not squash the surge of pride in my chest that I’d accomplished it. “Yes,” I said, my throat tightened around my words. “He ate the poisoned almonds. Whether he eats enough, we will have to see.”

And whether it was actually him remains to be seen as well.

He kissed my forehead. After a moment, he released me. “That’s all we can do at this point, then. We will wait. And we will pray to Selu that it works.”

I looked behind him to Nanaea and Rish.

Prickles ran up into my hairline.

“Wait a minute. Where’s Iltani?”

Nanaea lowered her eyes.

The prickles turned into fear.

“Nanaea? Where is she?”

“It isn’t my fault.” She pulled her curls over one shoulder and twisted them nervously. “Iltani ran off the second we left the Palace, and I couldn’t keep up. I looked for her, but a guard walked by and I was afraid he’d recognize me. So I came back here, figuring she’d meet up with us like she was supposed to.”

“What?” I whispered.

She winced. “You didn’t see her?”

“No! I was busy trying to assassinate the lugal!” I hissed.

“You know how Iltani can be,” Dagan said.

“I know. I know. I just wanted someone to keep an eye on her. She hasn’t been right lately.” I chewed my thumbnail. “You have no idea where she went?”

“I don’t. I’m sorry,” Nanaea whispered. “I tried to follow, but she is so fast. She lost me on purpose.”

That absolutely frustrating, lovely idiot. Where had she gone? Anything could have happened to her!

I closed my eyes, trying to block her possible fate out of my mind. “It’s all right. We’ll find her.” It wasn’t all right, of course, but when Iltani wanted something, there was no stopping her. “She must have tried to do something herself. I hope to the gods she wasn’t stupid.”