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Rune, still on the piano bench, crossed the room and lowered herself into the love seat. “We don’t know for sure that it was her. It shouldn’t have been possible, with her hands in restraints.”

“Who else would it be?”

Silence answered him.

With the fire roaring in the hearth, Alex set down the poker and joined Rune on the love seat.

“If they’d intended to purge her tonight,” said Verity, “Seraphine’s days are numbered. We have to break her out of that prison as soon as possible.”

“If Seraphine is being kept in the prison’s seventh circle,” said Rune. “In order to get her out, I’ll need a Blood Guard uniform and an access coin for Fortitude Gate.”

The question was: How would they obtain them?

Verity withdrew her pad of paper and pen from her gold clutch.

“If I used myGhost Walkerspell to sneak into Blood Guard headquarters, I could steal a uniform and someone’s access coin there. The problem is, I only have one blood vial left. I’d like to save it, if I can. In case something goes wrong inside the prison.”

Verity tapped her pen against her chin, thinking. “I might be able to get you a uniform. There’s a girl in my dormitory who’s an intern at the Ministry of Public Safety. She wouldn’t have an access coin, but they gave her a uniform as part of her training.”

Verity looked Rune up and down. “You’re about the same size. All I’d have to do is get into her room, which is easy enough. And the access coin—”

Alex cut in. “I can get the coin.”

Rune and Verity glanced at him. “How?”

“You said every Blood Guard of high rank carries one.” Alex spun the slender silver ring on the smallest finger of his left hand. “My brother is a Blood Guard captain, and he has only one weakness that I know of. If you give me a few days, I’ll get you his coin.”

For as long as she’d known Alex, he’d refused to choose a side. Or rather, refused to chooseRune’sside over Gideon’s.

What had changed his mind?

“Unless you think they’ll purge Seraphine before then.”

“I have a feeling they’ll wait until Liberty Day,” said Verity, eyes shadowed in the firelight.

Liberty Day marked two years since the New Dawn—the night revolutionaries overthrew the queens. There was always a citywide festival, with celebrations from dusk till dawn.

“I agree,” said Rune. “It’s a public event, and the Good Commander always wants as many eyes as he can get on a purgingwhen it’s a legendary witch he’s slaughtering. With Liberty Day less than a week away, he won’t have to wait much longer.”

They were deprived of their entertainment tonight, and Liberty Day was the next best opportunity to make a spectacle of Seraphine.

Which meant they needed to be ready to set this plan in motion before then.

FORTY-ONERUNE

A CRASH OF THUNDERshook the house, cutting their meeting short.

“Perhaps it would be best if you both stayed the night,” said Alex as the rain came down harder, roaring against the roof.

Verity shook her head. “I have an exam first thing in the morning.” She rose to her feet. “I need to go.”

“Then take my carriage,” said Rune, noticing how her friend drooped with exhaustion. “It’ll keep you dry, at least.”

Lightning flashed, and the windows in the conservatory all lit up at once. Rune went to look out. Already, water was pooling on the ground. She hoped the roads weren’t too muddy. The last thing she wanted was her friend stuck on the street in the middle of a storm.

After giving instructions to her driver, Rune watched from the front doors of Thornwood Hall as the carriage drove off with Verity inside.

Alex stepped up beside her. “I’ll have the servants make up a room for you.”