Lord Protector? That meant he truly was ruling in her father’s stead. She drew herself up and met the Justice’s steely gaze. Although Constance was tall, and the Justice must have been nearing his seventieth year, he still had the advantage of height.

“Six years,” he said, his voice low and unyielding. “We all thought you were gone forever.”

“You thought wrong,” Constance said archly.

“You do realize this city is under quarantine?” The Justice’s question tripped after her reply, dismissive, as if he’d hardly listened. “Did you not see the sign? The locked gates? How did you get inside?” The white hound growled up at Constance, but the Justice lifted his hand—ever so slightly—and the dog abruptly fell silent, cowering at his feet.

“I am aware of your quarantine, and your mage hunts,” she said, remembering the grim truth told by the bones stacked around the gate. It was said that the Justice, a native of Duke’s Forest, had served in the King’s army for twenty years before returning to his home with a fresh disapproval for foreigners and a determination to reaffirm his connection to the Ancestors. He had long been known for his hatred of magic. Constance wondered what had happened in the army to turn him so bitter.

“It is my duty as the King’s representative to ensure the storm cloud and its Pestilence do not escape Duke’s Forest. It is equally my duty as Lord Protector and guardian of the Ancestors to root out the mages responsible for the storm cloud and destroy them.” He fixed her with his burning steel-blue eyes.

“Why are you so sure the storm is magic? And even if it is, why are you so certain the mage who cast it remains within the city?” Constance demanded. “Your actions are cruel and senseless.”

The Justice’s lip curled. “The storm is clearly unnatural. In seeking out the perpetrator—as well as in persecuting those who practice the foul craft of magic—I follow, as ever, the laws and customs of the kingdom and Duke’s Forest. I shall repeat my question: How did you get inside?”

She ignored it. “I saw the bones of hundreds. Were they all mages? Even the children?”

The Justice’s stare was so cold that she felt her soul shiver. “The nature of magic is mysterious. But this is beside the point. You have broken the law, and you are refusing to answer my question.” A shudder ran through the watching crowd. His words had turned a few faces doubtful, others full of fear. At a nod from the Justice, one of his black-clad guards stepped forward, grabbing her right arm, pulling her aside from her father, whose face crumpled. “I’m placing you under arrest, pending trial, for breaking quarantine.” His voice was horribly calm.

The Duke began to weep, a keening sound emerging from the back of his throat.