Chapter 1
Kiera
The worst partabout being a spy was the waiting.
Even though this was my first official mission, I already disliked the hours I’d spent crouched in a hot, fetid alley in the Noble Quarter, body immobile, eyes restless.
To pass the time, I played a silent game, guessing the intention of each person who walked by me.
The group of young noblemen was easy. They had switched their glittering jewels and silk clothes for rough cotton. But their well-groomed appearances, careless laughter, and fat purses marked them for what they were. No doubt they were headed for a bit of fun in the Docks Quarter. Eager to gamble on a game of Death and Four and drink all night with the sailors.
It was Mynastra’s Tide, after all. The goddess would love the carousing.
A few servants hurried past, darting in and out of the mansions that lined the winding cobblestone streets. They were most likely preparing their lords and ladies for a more refined night of celebration. The old meeting hall was hosting a soiree, andThe Silk Dancerhad announced a performance worthy of the goddess herself.
But still, I didn’t see the three people I watched for.
I rolled my neck to ease the stiffness. Gods damn this heat. Even the night air was stifling.
Mother used to laugh and say that our royal city of Aquinon didn’t have seasons, only moods. Balmy, sunny skies one day and raging thunder and rain from black clouds the next, thanks to the temperamental sea that pounded our cliffs.
I glanced up at the starry sky smudged here and there with dark clouds. I had no bones to offer, but I prayed Mynastra kept her rain for the night. I couldn’t afford to leave a wet trail.
“No one can see you,” Renwell had said. “No one can ever know that you were there.”
A burst of laughter across the busy street snagged my attention. At last, Lord Garyth and his wife stepped out of the mansion I’d been watching for hours—days, really. The lady laughed again as her husband twirled her once by the hand so that her simple white dress floated around her like dove wings.
A twinge of jealousy surprised me.
Was it their easy laughter? Or the love in their expressions as they gazed at each other?
Gods only knew. I’d experienced precious little of either since my mother’s death. My whole world changed that night. The night I gave up my life as a princess for the life of a spy.
I blinked. Wait a moment. Where was their little girl? Isabel. She usually dogged her parents’ steps every time they left their mansion.
I waited, my fingers dancing along the hilts of my throwing knives. But no one else followed the High Councilor and his wife as they walked up the street and out of sight.
Gods damn it, they must have left her behind. Unless she had left earlier. Or was with friends or family.
I had been watching the house since the sun had fallen, but maybe I missed something.
Or she was still in the house, a witness I couldn’t risk.
But I wouldn’t get another opportunity like this. The High Councilor’s house, along with most of the other dwellings on these streets, was rarely empty apart from a divine holiday. I would have to wait months for another chance.
It had to be now.
I pulled the brim of my hood down and ensured my black neckcloth masked all but my eyes. My soft leather boots didn’t make a sound as I darted across the street, having a care to keep to the darkness between torches.
I slipped around the back of the house and opened the servant’s door without a sound. I’d tested it once already, pleased that the hinges were well oiled.
The kitchen stood empty of noise and light as I’d hoped. I eased my way across the smooth tiles, using the toes of my boots to feel around a large table and some chairs.
Dimmed lamps fixed to golden wall sconces lit a long, carpeted hallway, which probably led to all sorts of gathering rooms. But the room I needed was on the topmost floor.
I tiptoed up a wooden staircase that wound past the sleeping quarters up to the third floor. Other than a few creaks under my tentative boots, the house remained silent. A smile pulled at my stiff lips. Mynastra’s luck was with me so far.
I hurried to the only door on the eastern wall and reached for my lock-picking set. Then I hesitated, staring at the shiny gold knob.
