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For Kate Farrell,my friend and editor,and Siarrah of the highest order Her tears, they ride the wind.She calls to me,And all I can do is whisper,You are strong,Stronger than your pain,Stronger than your grief,Stronger than them.—The Last Testaments of Gaudrel CHAPTER ONEOne swift act.I had thought that was all it would take.A knife in the gut.A firm twist for good measure.But as Venda swallowed me up, as the misshapen walls and hundreds ofcurious faces closed in, as I heard the clatter of chains and the bridgelowering behind me, cutting me off from the rest of the world, I knew mysteps had to be certain.Flawless.It was going to take many acts, not just one, every step renegotiated.Lies would have to be told. Confidences gained. Ugly lines crossed. All ofit patiently woven together, and patience wasn’t my strong suit.But first, more than anything, I had to find a way to make my heart stoppummeling my chest. Find my breath. Appear calm. Fear was the bloodscent for wolves. The curious inched closer, peering at me with half-openmouths that revealed rotten teeth. Were they amused or sneering? And there was the jingle of skulls. The gathering rattle of dry bonesrippled through the crowd as they jockeyed to get a better look, strings ofsmall sun-bleached heads, femurs, and teeth waving from their belts as theypressed forward to see me. And to see Rafe.I knew he walked shackled somewhere behind me at the end of thecaravan, prisoners, both of us—and Venda didn’t take prisoners. At leastthey never had before. We were more than a curiosity. We were the enemythey had never seen. And that was exactly what they were to me.We walked past endless jutting turrets, layers of twisted stone wallsblackened with soot and age, slithering like a filthy living beast, a city builtof ruin and whim. The roar of the river faded behind me.I’ll get us both out of this.Rafe had to be questioning his promise to me now.We passed through another set of massive jagged gates, toothy iron barsmysteriously opening for us as if our arrival was anticipated. Our caravangrew smaller as groups of soldiers veered in different directions now thatthey were home. They disappeared down snaking paths shadowed by tallwalls. The chievdar led what remained of us, and the wagons of bootyjingled in front of me as we walked into the belly of the city. Was Rafe stillsomewhere behind me, or had they taken him down one of those miserablealleyways?Kaden swung down from his horse and walked beside me. “We’realmost there.”A wave of nausea hit me. Walther’s dead, I reminded myself. Mybrother is dead. There was nothing more they could take from me. ExceptRafe. I had more than myself to think about now. This changed everything.“Where is there?” I tried to ask calmly, but my words tripped out hoarse anduneven. “We’re going to the Sanctum. Our version of court. Where the leadersmeet.”“And the Komizar.”“Let me do the talking, Lia. Just this once. Please, don’t say a word.”I looked at Kaden. His jaw was tight, and his brows pulled low, as if hishead ached. Was he nervous to greet his own leader? Afraid of what I mightsay? Or what the Komizar would do? Would it be considered an act oftreason that he hadn’t killed me as he was ordered? His blond hair hung ingreasy, tired strands well past his shoulders now. His face was slick with oiland grime. It had been a long time since either of us had seen soap—butthat was the least of our problems.We approached another gate, this one a towering flat wall of ironpocked with rivets and slits. Eyes peered through them. I heard shouts frombehind it, and the heavy clang of a bell. It juddered through me, each ringshivering in my teeth.Zsu viktara. Stand strong. I forced my chin higher, almost feelingReena’s fingertips lifting it. Slowly the wall split in two and the gates rolledback, permitting our entry into an enormous open area as misshapen andbleak as the rest of the city. It was bordered on all sides by walls, towers,and the beginnings of narrow streets that disappeared into shadows.Winding crenelated walkways loomed above us, each one overtaking andmelting into the next.The chievdar moved forward, and the wagons piled in behind him.Guards in the inner court shouted their welcomes, then happily bellowedapproval at the stash of swords and saddles and the glittering tangle ofplunder piled high on the wagons—all that was left of my brother and hiscomrades. My throat tightened, for I knew that soon one of them would bewearing Walther’s baldrick and carrying his sword. My fingers curled into my palm, but I didn’t even have so much as anail left to stab my own skin. All of them were torn to the quick. I rubbedmy raw fingertips, and a fierce ache shook my chest. It caught me bysurprise, this small loss of my nails compared to the enormity of everythingelse. It was almost a mocking whisper that I had nothing, not even afingernail, to defend myself. All I had was a secret name that seemed asuseless to me right now as the title I was born with. Make it true, Lia, I toldmyself. But even as I said the words in my head, I felt my confidenceebbing. I had far more at stake now than I’d had just a few hours ago. Nowmy actions could hurt Rafe too.Orders were given to unload the ill-gotten treasure and carry it inside,and boys younger than Eben scurried over with small two-wheeled carts tothe sides of the wagon and helped the guards fill them. The chievdar and hispersonal guard dismounted and walked up steps that led to a long corridor.The boys followed behind, pushing the overflowing carts up a nearby ramp,their thin arms straining under the weight. Some of the booty in their loadswas still stained with blood.“That way to Sanctum Hall,” Kaden said, pointing after the boys. Yes,nervous. I could hear it in his tone. If even he was afraid of the Komizar,what chance did I have?I stopped and turned, trying to spot Rafe somewhere back in the line ofsoldiers still coming through the gate, but all I could see was Malichleading his horse, following close behind us. He grinned, his face stillbearing the slash marks from my attack. “Welcome to Venda, Princess,” hejeered. “I promise you, things will be very different now.”Kaden pulled me around, keeping me close to his side. “Stay near,” hewhispered. “For your own good.” Malich laughed, reveling in his threat, but for once, I knew what he saidwas true. Everything was different now. More than Malich could evenguess. CHAPTER TWOSanctum Hall was little more than a dismal tavern, albeit a cavernous one.Four of Berdi’s taverns could have fit within its walls. It smelled of spilledale, damp straw, and overindulgence. Columns lined the four sides, and itwas lit with torches and lanterns. The high ceiling was covered in soot, andan enormous rough wooden table sat heavy and abused in the center. Pewtertankards rested on the table or swung from meaty fists.The leaders.Kaden and I hung back in the shadowed walkway behind the columns,but the leaders greeted the chievdar and his personal guard with boisterousshouts and slapping of backs. Tankards were offered and raised to thereturning soldiers with calls to bring more ale. I saw Eben, shorter thansome of the serving boys, lifting a pewter cup to his lips, a returning soldierthe same as the rest. Kaden pushed me slightly behind him in a protectivemanner, but I still scanned the room, trying to spot the Komizar, trying to beready, prepared for what was to come. Several of the men were huge, likeGriz—some even bigger—and I wondered what kind of creatures, bothhuman and beast, this strange land produced. I kept my eyes on one of them. He snarled every word, and the scurrying boys ran a respectful widedistance around him. I thought that he had to be the Komizar, but I sawKaden’s eyes scouring the room too, and they passed over the burly brute.“These are the Legion of Governors,” he said, as if he had read mymind. “They rule the provinces.”Venda had provinces? And a hierarchy too, beyond assassins,marauders, and an iron-fisted Komizar? The governors were distinguishedfrom the servants and soldiers by black fur epaulets on their shoulders. Thefur was crowned with a bronze clasp shaped like the bared teeth of ananimal. It made their physiques appear twice as wide and formidable.The ruckus rose to a deafening roar, echoing off the stone walls and barefloors. There was only a pile of straw in one corner of the room to absorbany noise. The boys parked the carts of booty along one row of pillars, andthe governors perused the haul, lifting swords, testing weights, and rubbingforearms on leather breastplates to polish away dried blood. They examinedthe goods as if they were at a marketplace. I saw one of them pick up asword inlaid with red jasper on the hilt. Walther’s sword. My footautomatically moved forward, but I caught myself and forced it back intoplace. Not yet.“Wait here,” Kaden whispered and stepped out of the shadows. I inchedcloser to a pillar, trying to get my bearings. I saw three dark hallways thatled into Sanctum Hall in addition to the one we had entered through. Wheredid they go, and were they guarded like the one behind me? And mostimportant, did any of them lead to Rafe?“Where’s the Komizar?” Kaden asked in Vendan, speaking to no one inparticular, his voice barely cutting through the din.One governor turned, and then another. The room grew suddenly quiet.“The Assassin is here,” said an anonymous voice somewhere at the other end.There was an uncomfortable pause and then one of the shortergovernors, a stout man with multiple red braids that fell past his shoulders,barreled forward and threw his arms around Kaden, welcoming him home.The noise resumed but at a noticeably lower level, and I wondered at theeffect an Assassin’s presence had on them. It reminded me of Malich andhow he had reacted to Kaden on the long trek across the Cam Lanteux.He’d had blood in his eye and was equally matched, but he’d still backeddown when Kaden stood his ground.“The Komizar’s been called,” the governor told Kaden. “That is, if hecomes. He’s occupied with—”“A visitor,” Kaden finished.The governor laughed. “That she is. The kind of visitor I’d like tohave.”More governors walked over, and one with a long crooked nose shoveda tankard in Kaden’s hand. He welcomed him home and berated him forbeing gone for so long on holiday. Another governor chided him, saying hewas away from Venda more than he was here.“I go where the Komizar sends me,” Kaden answered.One of the other governors, as big as a bull and with a chest just aswide, lifted his drink in a toast. “As do we all,” he replied and threw backhis head, taking a long careless swig. Ale sloshed out the sides of his mugand dripped down his beard to the floor. Even this taurine giant hoppedwhen the Komizar snapped his fingers, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.Though they spoke only in Vendan, I was able to understand nearlyeverything they said. I knew far more than just the choice words of Venda.Weeks of immersion in their language across the Cam Lanteux had curedmy ignorance. As Kaden answered their questions about his journey, my gaze becamefixed on another governor pulling a finely tooled baldrick from the cart andtrying to force it around his generous gut. I felt dizzy, sick, and then ragebubbled up through my veins. I closed my eyes. Not yet. Don’t get yourselfkilled in the first ten minutes. That can come later.I took a deep breath, and when I opened my eyes again, I spotted a facein the shadows. Someone on the other side of the hall was watching me. Icouldn’t look away. Only a slash of light illuminated his face. His dark eyeswere expressionless, but at the same time compelling, fixed like a wolfstalking prey, in no hurry to spring, confident. He casually leaned against apillar, a younger man than the governors, smooth-faced except for a preciseline of beard at his chin and a thin, carefully clipped mustache. His darkhair was unkempt, locks curling just above his shoulders. He didn’t wearthe furred epaulets of a governor on his shoulders, nor the leather vestmentsof a soldier, only simple tan trousers and a loose white shirt, and he wascertainly in no hurry to attend to anyone, so he wasn’t a servant either. Hiseyes moved past me as if bored, and he took in the rest of the scene,governors pawing through carts and swilling ale. And then Kaden. I sawhim watching Kaden.Heat rushed through my stomach.Him.He stepped out past the pillar into the middle of the room, and with hisfirst steps, I knew. This was the Komizar.“Welcome home, comrades!” he called out. The room was instantlysilent. Everyone turned toward the voice, including Kaden. The Komizarwalked slowly across the expanse and anyone in his path moved back. Istepped out from the shadows to stand by Kaden’s side, and a low rumbleran through the room. The Komizar stopped a few feet from us, ignoring me and staring atKaden, then finally came forward to embrace him with a genuine welcome.When he released Kaden and took a step back, he looked at me with acool, blank gaze. I couldn’t quite believe that this was the Komizar. His facewas smooth and unwrinkled, a man just a few years older than Walther,more like an older brother to Kaden than a fearsome leader. He wasn’texactly the formidable Dragon of the Song of Venda—the one who drankblood and stole dreams. His stature was only average, nothing dauntingabout him at all except for his unwavering stare.“What’s this?” he asked in Morrighese almost as flawless as Kaden’s,nodding his head toward me. A game player. He knew exactly who I wasand wanted to be sure I understood every word.“Princess Arabella, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan,” Kadenanswered.Another restrained hush ran through the room. The Komizar chuckled.“Her? A princess?”He slowly circled around me, viewing my rags and filth as if indisbelief. He paused at my side, where the fabric was torn from myshoulder and the kavah was exposed. He uttered a quiet hmm as if mildlyamused, then ran the back of his finger down the length of my arm. My skincrawled, but I lifted my chin, as if he were merely an annoying fly buzzingabout the room. He completed his circle until he faced me again. Hegrunted. “Not very impressive, is she? But then, most royals aren’t. Aboutas entrancing as a bowl of week-old mush.”Only a month ago, I would have jumped at the baited remark, tearinghim to shreds with a few hot words, but now I wanted to do far more thaninsult him. I returned his gaze with one of my own, matching his empty expression blink for blink. He rubbed the back of his hand along the line ofhis thin, carefully sculpted beard, studying me.“It’s been a long journey,” Kaden explained. “A hard one for her.”The Komizar raised his brows, feigning surprise. “It needn’t have been,”he said. He raised his voice so the whole hall would be sure to hear, thoughhis words were still directed at Kaden. “I seem to remember I ordered youto slice her throat, not bring her back as a pet.”Tension sparked in the air. No one lifted a tankard to their lips. No onemoved. Perhaps they waited for the Komizar to walk over to the carts, drawa sword, and send my head rolling down the middle of the room, whichcertainly in their eyes was his right. Kaden had defied him.But there was something between Kaden and the Komizar, something Istill didn’t quite understand. A hold of some sort.“She has the gift,” Kaden explained. “I thought she’d be more useful toVenda alive than dead.”At the mention of the word gift, I saw glances exchanged among theservants and governors, but still, no one said a word. The Komizar smiled,at once chilling and magnetic. My neck prickled. This was a man who knewhow to control a room with the lightest touch. He was showing his hand.Once I knew his strengths, I might discover his weaknesses too. Everyonehad them. Even the feared Komizar.“The gift!” He laughed and turned to everyone else, expecting them tolaugh in kind. They did.He looked back to me, the smile gone, then reached out and took myhand in his. He examined my injuries, his thumb gently skimming the backof my hand. “Does she have a tongue?”This time it was Malich who laughed, stepping over to the table in thecenter of the room and slamming down his mug. “Like a cackling hyena. And her bite is just as nasty.” The chievdar spoke up, concurring. Murmursrose from the soldiers.“And yet,” the Komizar said, turning back to me, “she remains silent.”“Lia,” Kaden whispered, nudging me with his arm, “you can speak.”I looked at Kaden. He thought I didn’t know that? Did he really think itwas his warning that had silenced me? I had been silenced far too manytimes by those who exerted power over me. Not here. My voice would beheard, but I’d speak when it served my purposes. I betrayed neither wordnor expression. The Komizar and his governors were no different from thethrongs I had passed on my way here. They were curious. A real princess ofMorrighan. I was on display. The Komizar wanted me to perform beforehim and his Legion of Governors. Did they expect jewels to spill from mymouth? More likely, whatever I said would find ridicule, just as myappearance already had. Or the back of his hand. There were only twothings a man in the Komizar’s position expected, defiance or groveling, andI was certain that neither would improve my lot.Though my pulse raced, I didn’t break his gaze. I blinked slowly, as if Iwere bored. Yes, Komizar, I’ve already learned your tics.“Not to worry, my friends,” he said, waving his hand in the air anddismissing my silence. “There’s so much more to talk about. Like all ofthis!” His hand swept the room from one end to the other at the display ofcarts. He laughed like he was delighted with the haul. “What do we have?”He started at one end, going from cart to cart, digging through the plunder. Inoticed that though the governors had searched it, nothing appeared to havebeen taken yet. Perhaps they knew to wait until the Komizar chose first. Helifted a hatchet, running a finger along the blade, nodding as if impressed,and then moved on to the next cart, drawing out a falchion and swinging it in front of him. Its sching cut through the air and drew approvingcomments. He smiled. “You did well, Chievdar.”Well? Massacring a whole company of young men?He tossed the curved blade back into the cart and moved on to the nextone. “And what’s this?” He reached in and pulled out a long strap of leather.Walther’s baldrick.Not him. Anyone but him. I felt my knees weaken, and a small noiseescaped my throat. He turned in my direction, holding it up. “The tooling isexceptional, don’t you think? Look at these vines.” He slowly slid the strapthrough his fingers. “And the leather, so buttery. Something fit for a crownprince, no?” He lifted it over his head and adjusted it across his chest as hewalked back to me, stopping an arm’s length away. “What do you think,Princess?”Tears sprang to my eyes. I, too, had foolishly played my hand. I was stilltoo raw with Walther’s loss to think. I looked away, but he grabbed my jaw,his fingers gouging into my skin. He forced me to look back at him.“You see, Princess, this is my kingdom, not yours, and I have ways ofmaking you speak that you cannot even begin to fathom. You will sing likea clipped canary if I command it.”“Komizar.” Kaden’s voice was low and earnest.He released me and smiled, gently caressing my cheek. “I think theprincess is tired from her long journey. Ulrix, take the princess to theholding room so she can rest for a moment and Kaden and I can talk. Wehave a lot to discuss.” He glanced at Kaden, the first sign of anger flashingthrough his eyes.Kaden looked at me, hesitating, but there was nothing he could do.“Go,” he said. “It’ll be all right.”* * * Once we were out of Kaden’s sight, the guards all but dragged me down thehallway, their wrist cuffs stabbing into my arms. I still felt the pressure ofthe Komizar’s fingers against my face. My jaw throbbed where his fingershad dug in. In just a few brief minutes, he had perceived something I caredabout deeply and used it to hurt me and, ultimately, weaken me. I hadbraced myself to be beaten or whipped, but not for that. The vision stillburned my eyes, my brother’s baldrick proudly splayed across the enemy’schest in the cruelest taunt, waiting for me to crumble. And I had.Round one to the Komizar. He had overtaken me, not with quickcondemnation or brute force, but with stealth and careful observation. Iwould have to learn to do the same.My indignation mounted as the guards jostled me roughly through thedark hall, seeming to relish having a royal at their mercy. By the time theystopped at a door, my arms were numb under their grip. They unlocked itand threw me into a black room. I fell, the rough stone floor cutting into myknees. I stayed there, stunned and hunched on the ground, breathing in themusty, foul air. Only three thin shafts of light filtered through vents in theupper wall opposite me. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a straw-filled mat, the stuffing spilling out onto the floor, a short milking stool, anda bucket. Their holding room had all the comforts of a barbaric cell. Isquinted, trying to see more in the dim light, but then I heard a noise. Ashuffle in the corner. I wasn’t alone.Someone or something else was in the room with me. Let the stories be heard,So all generations will know,The stars bow at the gods’ whisper,They fall at their bidding,And only the chosen Remnant,Found grace in their sight.—Morrighan Book of Holy Text, Vol. V CHAPTER THREEKADEN“So, you thought she’d be useful.”He knew the true reason. He knew I disdained the gift as much as hedid, but his contempt for the gift sprang from lack of belief. I had morecompelling reasons.We sat alone in his private meeting chamber. He leaned back in hischair, his tented hands tapping his lips. His black eyes rested on me likecool, polished onyx, betraying no emotion. They rarely did, but if not anger,I knew at least curiosity lurked behind them. I looked away, gazing insteadat the lush fringed carpet beneath us. A new addition.“A goodwill gift from the Premier of Reux Lau,” he explained.“Goodwill? It looks expensive. Since when do the Reux Lau bring usgifts?” I asked.“You thought. Let’s get back to that. Is she that good in—”“No,” I said, standing up. I walked to the window. Wind hissed throughthe gaps. “It’s not like that.”He laughed. “Then tell me how it is.” I looked back at his table, overflowing with maps, charts, books, andnotes. I was the one who had taught him how to read Morrighese, whichmost of these documents were. Tell me how it is. I wasn’t sure myself. Ireturned to my chair across from him and explained Lia’s effect on Vendansas hardened as Griz and Finch. “You know how the clans are, and there areplenty of hillfolk who still believe. You can’t walk through the jehendrawithout seeing a dozen stalls selling talismans. Every other servant here inthe Sanctum wears one or another tucked beneath their shirt and probablyhalf the soldiers too. If they think the Vendans have somehow been blessedwith one of the gifts of old, one of royal blood even, you might—”He leaned forward, sweeping papers and maps to the floor with a broadangry stroke of his arm. “Do you take me for a fool? You betrayed an orderbecause the backward few of Venda might take her to be a sign? Have younow appointed yourself Komizar to do what you think to be the wisermove?”“I just thought—” I closed my eyes briefly. I had already disobeyed hisorder, and now I was making excuses, just as the Morrighese did. “Ihesitated when I went to kill her. I—”“She caught your fancy, just as I said.”I nodded. “Yes.”He leaned back in his chair and shook his head, waving his hand as if itwas of little matter. “So you succumbed to the charms of a woman. Betterthat than believing yourself to make better decisions in my stead.” Hepushed his chair back and stood, walking over to a tall footed oil lamp inthe corner of the room, jagged crystals rimming it like a crown. When heturned the wheel to increase the flame, splinters of light cut across his face.It was a gift from the Tomack quarterlord and didn’t fit the severity of theroom. He tugged the short hair of his beard, lost in thought, and then his eyes rested on me once again. “No harm done bringing her here. She’s outof the hands of Morrighan and Dalbreck, which is all that matters. And yes,now that she’s here … I’ll decide the best way to use her. The governors’hushed surprise at a royal in their midst wasn’t lost on me, nor thewhispering of servants when she left.” A half smile played on his lips, andhe rubbed at a smudge on the lantern with his sleeve. “Yes, she might proveuseful¸” he whispered, more to himself than to me, as if warming to theidea.He turned, remembering I was still in the room.“Enjoy your pet for now, but don’t get too attached. The brethren of theSanctum aren’t like the hillfolk. We don’t settle into flabby domestic lives.Remember that. Our brotherhood and Venda always come first. It’s how wesurvive. Our countrymen are counting on us. We’re their hope.”“Of course,” I answered. And it was true. Without the Komizar, evenwithout Malich, I’d be dead by now. But don’t get too attached? It was toolate for that.He returned to his desk, shuffling through papers, then stopped to lookat a map and smiled. I knew the smile. He had many. When he had smiledat Lia, I’d feared the worst. The one on his face now was genuine, asatisfied smile, meant for no one to see.“Your plans are going well?”“Our plans,” he corrected me. “Better than I hoped. I have great thingsto show you, but it will have to wait. You made it back just in time before Iride out tomorrow. The governors of Balwood and Arleston didn’t show.”“Dead?”“Most likely for Balwood. Either the sickness of the north countryfinally got him or he lost his head to a young usurper too frightened to cometo the Sanctum himself.” My guess was that Hedwin of Balwood had succumbed to a sword inthe back. Just as he always boasted, he was too mean for the witheringsickness of the north woods to overtake him.“And Arleston?”We both knew that Governor Tierny of the southernmost province wasprobably lying in a drunken stupor in some brothel on the road to theSanctum and would stroll in with apologies featuring lame horses and badweather. But his tithe of supplies to the city never wavered. The Komizarshrugged. “Hot-blooded young men can grow weary of well-oiledgovernors.”As the Komizar had eleven years ago. I looked at him, still every bit theyoung man who had slaughtered three governors right before he killed theprevious Komizar of Venda. But he wasn’t so hot-blooded anymore. No,now his blood ran cool and steady.“It’s been a long time since there have been any challenges,” I mused.“No one wants a target on his back, but challenges always come, mybrother, which is why we must never grow lazy.” He shoved the map aside.“Ride with me tomorrow. I could use some fresh company. We haven’tridden together in too long.”I said nothing, but my expression must have revealed my reluctance.He shook his head, retracting his invitation. “Of course, you’ve justreturned from a long journey, and besides that you’ve brought Venda a veryinteresting prize. You deserve a respite. Rest a few days and then I’ll havework for you.”I was thankful that he didn’t mention Lia as the reason. He was beingmore gracious than I deserved, but I took note of his emphasis on Venda, adeliberate reminder of where my loyalties belonged. I stood to leave. Adraft ruffled the papers on his desk. “A storm brews,” I said.“The first of many,” he answered. “A new season comes.” CHAPTER FOURI jumped to my feet and searched the shadows of the room, trying to seewhat made the noise.“Here.”I spun around.A thin shaft of light took new form as someone stepped forward into itssoft beam.A dusky strand of hair. A cheekbone. His lips.I couldn’t move. I stared at him, all I had ever wanted and all I had everrun from locked in the same room with me.“Prince Rafferty,” I finally whispered. It was only a name, but its soundwas hard, foreign, and distasteful in my mouth. Prince Jaxon TyrusRafferty.He shook his head. “Lia…”His voice shivered through my skin. Everything I had hung on to acrossthousands of miles shifted inside me. All the weeks. The days. Him. Afarmer, now turned prince—and a very clever liar. I couldn’t quite grasp itall. My thoughts were water slipping through my fingers. He stepped forward, the beam of light shifting to his shoulders, but I hadalready seen his face, the guilt. “Lia, I know what you’re thinking.”“No, Prince Rafferty. You have no idea what I’m thinking. I’m not evensure what I’m thinking.” All I knew was that even now, as I shivered withdoubt, my blood ran hot, spiking with every word and glance from him, thesame feelings swirling in my belly as when we were in Terravin, as ifnothing had changed. I wanted him desperately and completely.He stepped forward, and the space between us suddenly vanished, theheat of his chest meeting mine, his arms strong around me, his lips warmand soft, every bit as sweet as I remembered. I soaked him in, relieved,thankful—angry. A farmer’s lips, a prince’s lips—a stranger’s lips. The onetrue thing I thought I had was gone.I pressed closer to him, telling myself that a few lies compared toeverything else didn’t matter. He had risked his life coming here for me. Hewas still at terrible risk. Neither of us might survive the night. But it wasthere, hard and ugly between us. He had lied. He had manipulated me. Towhat purpose? What game was he playing? Was he here for me or forPrincess Arabella? I pushed away. Looked at him. Swung. The hard slap ofmy hand on his face rang through the room.He reached up, rubbing his cheek, turning his head to the side. “I haveto admit, that wasn’t exactly the greeting I envisioned after all those milesof chasing you across the continent. Can we go back to the kissing part?”“You lied to me.”I saw his back stiffen, the posture, the prince, the person he really was.“I seem to recall it was a mutual endeavor.”“But you knew who I was all along.”“Lia—” “Rafe, this may not seem important to you, but it’s terribly important tome. I ran from Civica because for once in my life, I wanted to be loved forwho I was—not what I was and not because a piece of paper commanded it.I could be dead by the end of the day, but with my last dying breath, I needto know. Who did you really come here for?”His bewildered expression turned to one of irritation. “Isn’t it obvious?”“No!” I said. “If I had truly been a tavern maid, would you still havecome? What was my true worth to you? Would you have given me a secondglance if you hadn’t known I was Princess Arabella?”“Lia, that’s an impossible question. I only went to Terravin because—”“I was a political embarrassment? A challenge? A curiosity?”“Yes!” he snapped. “You were all those things! A challenge and anembarrassment! At first. But then—”“What if you hadn’t found Princess Arabella at all? What if you’d onlyfound me, a tavern maid named Lia?”“Then I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be in Terravin kissing the mostinfuriating girl I ever laid my eyes on, and not even two kingdoms couldtear me away.” He stepped closer and hesitantly cradled my face in hishands. “But the fact is, I came for you, Lia, no matter who or what you are,and I don’t care what mistakes I made or what mistakes you made. I’d makeevery single one again, if that was the only way to be with you.”His eyes sparked with frustration. “I want to explain everything. I wantto spend a lifetime with you making up for the lies I told, but right now wedon’t have time. They could be back for either of us any minute. We have toget our stories straight and make our plans.”A lifetime. My thoughts turned liquid, the warmth of the word lifetimeflooding through me. The hopes and dreams that I had painfully pushedaway surged once more. Of course, he was right. What was most important was to figure out what we were going to do. I couldn’t stand to watch himdie too. The deaths of Walther and Greta and a whole company of men werealready too much to bear.“I have help coming,” he said, already moving on. “We just have to holdout until they get here.” He was confident, sure of himself the way a princemight be. Or a well-trained soldier. How had I not seen this side of himbefore? His troops were coming.“How many?” I asked.“Four.”I felt my hopes rise. “Four thousand?”His expression sobered. “No. Four.”“You mean four hundred?”He shook his head.“Four? Total?” I repeated.“Lia, I know how it sounds, but trust me, these four—they’re the best.”My hope fell as quickly as it had sprung. Four hundred soldiers couldn’tget us out of here, much less four. I wasn’t able to hide my skepticism, anda weak laugh escaped my lips. I circled the small room, shaking my head.“We’re trapped here on this side of a raging river with thousands of peoplewho hate us. What can four people do?”“Six,” he corrected. “With you and me, there are six.” His voice wasplaintive, and when he stepped toward me, he winced, holding his ribs.“What happened?” I asked. “They’ve hurt you.”“Just a little gift from the guards. They’re not fond of Dalbreck swine.They made sure I understood that. Several times.” He held his side, taking aslow shallow breath. “They’re only bruises. I’m all right.”“No,” I said. “You’re obviously not.” I pushed away his hand and pulledup his shirt. Even in the dim light, I could see the purple bruises that