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My pursuer gave off the air of a man who’s bet his house in a game of cards and lost it. His attempt at defiant scepticism came out like childish obstinacy – ‘But if the iron wasn’t as pure as we’re thinking …’

Endorsing, indirectly, the power of iron as a diagnostic tool.

I huffed a laugh, meaning it this time, and said, ‘Well, if the coins miraculously turn into mud tomorrow morning, I’m sure every single person in this city will know where to find me. Really, I hardly picked the most convenient location to start my criminal career.’

Open laughter around me, now; his broad, unshaven face reddened dangerously. ‘But—’

‘Look, it’s fine,’ I interrupted, waving the start of that objection away. ‘We all make mistakes, don’t we? It’s wonderful you’relooking out for your fellow citizens. Can I buy you a drink to compensate, maybe? I’m sure we’ll get along just fine if given the chance.’

He stared at me in disbelief for half a second, then snapped around and strode off with long, brusque steps, cursing under his breath. Laughter stilled in his wake as onlookers stared after him, unsure what to make of so much anger over what seemed to have been nothing but an unfortunate blunder.

No one thought of asking how he’d even known I wasthat fae girl, if I hadn’t actually performed any magic tricks.

It was the astrolabe merchant who broke the deadlock in the end, bending over with a groan and scooping my gold into his palm in an unspoken decision. His grin at me was a little nervous but not unfriendly as he said, ‘I’ve never traded with fae before. You look rather human, do you know that?’

By the time I’d explained the details of my ancestry to him and answered the red-haired man’s barrage of questions on magic and fae courts, most of the lingering onlookers appeared to have classified me as a rather harmless curiosity, not entirely human but polite enough to make up for it. No one accused me of anything further as I shook hands and chuckled at jokes about my lack of wings. A few children scuttered towards me, and their mothers did not drag them away. And when I finally put my brand-new astrolabe into my bag, said my goodbyes, and began walking back to the White Hall, no one seemed to be following me – no muscular men sneaking around corners, no shadowy individuals pausing whenever I slowed down.

But at the entrance of the White Hall, Delwin stood waiting for me.

I staggered to a halt, wondering for one heart-stopping moment whether the news of my suspected magic use had already reached the consuls … and then I saw the letter in his rough hand, parchment sealed with stark white wax.

‘Assembly outcome,’ he said as he gave me the message with a quick nod. ‘They asked me to make sure you got it.’

And so he had resolved to take care of the task in person – not a man for doing things by halves, I was starting to discover. I broke the wax seal and hastily unfolded the letter, finding a short note in Rosalind’s familiar hand inside.

Emelin,

We would like to meet with you tomorrow to formally discuss the possibility of a collaboration between your Alliance and the city. Please join us in the Great Hall at 10 in the morning – we will send someone to show you the way.

R.

No other information. Either she hadn’t seen an opportunity to include it, or she had put everything she’d wanted to say in these few sentences.

I scanned the letter again, faltering midway through this time.

‘The Great Hall.’ Merely speaking the words was enough to fill me with unpleasant suspicions. ‘Does that mean …’

‘Ah, yes,’ Delwin said, and although his face remained strictly neutral, I imagined hearing a touch of disapproval in his voice. ‘The public will be allowed to attend the meeting tomorrow. Halbert in particular insisted upon that condition.’

Halbert in particular.

That sounded like a warning – Halbert, who hadn’t wanted me here in the first place. Halbert, who had tried once before to wield an audience as a weapon against me ... so what was he planning this time?

‘Interesting,’ I said cautiously.

‘Yes,’ Delwin said, the lines of his tanned face deepening a fraction. ‘Rosalind and I thought so, too.’

It had been a warning, then. Which meant Rosalind didn’t know what the bastard was up to, either. Which meant sheagreed with me he must be up tosomething, and likely nothing that would better our chances at that confrontation.

‘Thanks,’ I said, bracing myself. ‘I will be ready at ten, then.’

No faster way to figure out Halbert’s game, after all.

Chapter 22

Surpassing my worst expectations,it appeared half of the White City had taken a morning off to witness my meeting with the consulate.

Despite the dagger against my thigh, despite the magic in my fingertips, I was quietly glad for Delwin’s unflappable presence beside me as he guided me to the open doors of the Great Hall. Around us, the crowd pulsed with excitement, that dangerous atmosphere of dry hay waiting for a single spark. But even the most zealous onlookers struggling to squeeze themselves into the packed galleries receded to let the city’s guardmaster through, and in his more illustrious company, most didn’t even seem to notice me until we had already passed them by.