Lena knew this one. “The color is ocher. Magics of agriculture, the earth, and—”

Fast-approaching footsteps interrupted her. “Third Huntsman!” a voice cried.

Emris turned—a gray-clad woman was running from the direction of Faul’s temple, her robes flying. She was Emris’s age, tall, with cropped red hair, tightly curled. “Sir. We’ve received reports of a Radical in the palace. You’re to lead the team.”

“The palace?” Emris was already hurrying back toward Faul’s temple, where a group of novices was leading horses out of the gates, godspeed charms woven into their bridles. He matched the woman’s long, hurried stride. Lena followed at a jog, her heart pounding. “What’s happened, Mara?” he asked the woman.

“It’s not clear. But they say it’s one of the King’s magicians, sir. Lord Aster.”

Emris’s lips were tight. “Is the King safe?”

“He’s alive, but nobody is safe,” said Mara grimly. “The Radical is holding half the court hostage in the ballroom.”

Emris mounted a horse. Lena tried to grab another, but the woman held her arm. “We need these for the hunters,” she said sharply. And she glanced up at Emris. “Shall I take your Rogue to her room, sir?”

“Your Rogue.” Is that how they all see me? Lena wondered, with a flash of anger. Some little pet of Emris’s? She wasn’t an animal or a curiosity to be owned. “I’m not ‘his’ Rogue. And there’s no way I’m going back to my room!” Lena retorted, shaking off Mara’s grasp.

Other huntsmen—perhaps fifteen or twenty—were streaming out of the temple and claiming horses for themselves. Emris met Lena’s eyes, a tiny smile on his lips.

“I’m coming whether you like it or not,” she said to him determinedly. “If you leave me, I’ll just run after you. So you might as well let me.”

Mara looked outraged at the idea, but Emris’s smile broadened. “I wouldn’t dream of stopping you,” he said, offering her a hand. “Let’s go.”

Lena blushed and nodded, her stomach somersaulting in fear and excitement. Once she was safely in the saddle in front of him, Emris wheeled the horse around and kicked it into a gallop. The others followed his lead, and at the edge of the square their hooves found purchase on the air. Lena felt her breath snatched from her lungs as they rose—up, up, and up into the starry night.

As they gained height, the gentle sounds of the city dropped into whispering silence. Emris swerved to the north, the muscles of the horse tensing under his command.

“This will be dangerous,” he said into Lena’s ear. “I don’t want you getting hurt. You need to promise to follow my orders, all right?”

“I promise I’ll be safe,” she said, sidestepping the question.