I was glittering in one of Veronika’s evening gowns. It was clingy and sleeveless, a dark plum color. I had a fur evening jacket to wear over the dress. It would be chilly when we left the island. I was wearing silk evening shoes, the most useless footwear ever invented.

Veronika had located a hairdresser who would come every day this week, though of course Eli and I were paying her.

The hairdresser, Abigail, had worked on me after she’d dolled up Felicia.

I was wearing some jewelry, also courtesy of Veronika: diamond earbobs and a diamond pendant.

I couldn’t imagine what my mother and Jackson and their baby, Samuel—my brother!

—would think if they could see me now. Samuel would not even know who I was.

I was sure lucky Veronika and I were about the same size. I was also lucky my mother-in-law was really gracious about it, maybe more so because she had no occasion to wear such clothes until she was allowed back at court.

There would be more people at this reception than at any other event of the week.

Not only were all the official Wizards’ Ball attendees invited, but also many people to whom the royal couple owed hospitality or recognition.

It was another “look and walk,” but indoors.

Another complete change of clothes, a crowd of people I didn’t want to know, so many voices talking.

The happiest person in the Savarov house was Alice.

Since Felix was down with his wound, Eli had asked his little sister if she’d like to be the fourth person covered by our invitation.

She had a rose silk evening dress she’d never gotten to wear.

Alice looked real pretty in it, and she was so excited her cheeks were pink.

She and Felicia chattered nonstop in the car on our way to the parking lot at the ferry landing.

This reception was being held in the newly built Imperial Ballroom, attached to the palace on Imperial Island.

There was a causeway built on the southern side of the island, but it was for the convenience of the many builders coming to work every day.

Eli had told me that sooner or later a causeway would be built across the stretch of water closest to the palace and the other imperial buildings, but that hadn’t happened yet.

Visitors had to catch the ferry. There were usually two running at heavy traffic times like tonight.

There were guards at each end of the ferry ride. The tsar was the target of assassins, from time to time.

Of course, the deck space was jammed with people in their finest clothes.

I had to say “Pardon me” ten times to stay by Felicia. I had run out of “polite” by the time we crossed the water.

After we’d passed the scrutiny of the heavily armed guards on the island side, we faced a different kind of test. Eli had to present our invitation to the vigilant women forming a ladylike barricade across the road.

After our particular lady had looked us over with sharp eyes and read the invitation (which had been addressed to Felicia Karkarova Dominguez, with “Savarov” added in parentheses since the Savarovs were her sponsors), the lady nodded and looked up with a brilliant smile. We were acceptable.

“Prince Ilya, it’s good to see you back,” she said as she gestured us on our way.

That was reassuring. We hadn’t been positive his credentials as Felicia’s sponsor would be accepted, though Felicia had received her Listed paperwork.

Eli and I exchanged a quick glance that said a lot of things: relief, mostly, but joy and triumph on Eli’s end. He wanted this recognition so bad; I’d never realized how much, until now.

The road forward was also lined with guards. It was possible to move, but at more like a fast shuffle than a stride. At last we reached the ground-level doors to the ballroom, another bottleneck.

We inched closer.

Finally we passed the threshold.

Despite the chilly evening, the vast room was warm from the many bodies packed in. As more and more guests crowded forward, I began to feel constricted. How could I do my job? The arrow attack in a public place in the daytime had proved Felicia had to be protected.

My job was to make sure no one brought her down.

I had only knives on me. I am good with a knife, but firearms are my best thing.

I’d gotten away with pulling a gun at Balboa Park, probably because I hadn’t actually fired a shot, but I couldn’t attempt that here.

You couldn’t bring guns into the presence of the royal family.

There would be no slack at all on that. I would certainly go to jail. I might be executed.

There was a knife in my evening bag. There was a knife in my garter. There was a makeshift pocket sewn into the lining of my evening jacket, and there was a knife in that. If I was able to stand being warm in the jacket, drawing that one was my best bet.

“You look beautiful,” Eli said. “I should have told you before.”

Though it’s always nice to hear this, I have to say it felt strange to get this compliment when I was wearing his mother’s clothes. At least Veronika and I had one thing in common: we were both short and slim, but not flat in the chest. The clingy plum dress fit well.

“You look great, too,” I said. My husband, his long, light hair slicked back and braided, looked very distinguished in his black tuxedo, with a white vest and shirt and black bow tie.

You could see the edge of his neck tattoos.

He had new ones on the backs of his hands.

He couldn’t wear his grigori vest to this reception, the invitation had made clear, but he had a few tiny pockets sewed into the tuxedo jacket lining. Yes, Eli was ready, and he looked good.

He looked best in nothing at all, but I’d call evening wear a good second.

“Felicia is a credit to the school,” Eli murmured. “And to us.”

Felicia’s dress was the rust of an autumn leaf. (I’d seen that once in Britannia. I’d never forgotten it.) Felicia’s dark hair was perfect, thanks to Abigail the Hairdresser.

Felicia looked young, attractive, and confident… if only there had been enough room around her for anyone to enjoy the view.

Eli had called this the “everyone and their cow” reception, and he hadn’t been exaggerating.

After this evening, there’d be many smaller events hosted by the various nationalities and magical systems attending.

There’d be dances, dinner parties, picnics, afternoon teas, swimming pool festivities, and so on and so on, held at locations around the city.

All the better hotels were booked solid, and some of the lesser-known ones, too. San Diego was booming.

I recognized a few other Listed candidates. I’d studied them as intently as Felicia had. It had seemed important.

I didn’t want to waste this evening by letting Felicia be part of the herd.

I set my jaw, jerked my head in a forward motion to Eli, Felicia, and Alice, and began to force a path through the throng to get closer to the gallery.

That’s where the tsar and tsarina would appear, so Alexei could deliver the welcome speech without actually getting down into the midst of so many people.

I was as nice as I could afford to be in moving us forward…

which wasn’t very. The crowded ferry had taken care of that.

I got the four of us close to the front of the crowd just in time. The big double doors upstairs opened and the tsar and tsarina emerged into the gallery. Everyone applauded. All eyes were on the royal couple.

Alexei was wearing all his medals and ribbons and whatnot. Caroline was shining in silver. Captain Ford McMurtry, Veronika’s husband and the tsarina’s aide, was right behind her.

I glanced at my companions. Eli looked neutral, which was good, since he definitely had mixed feelings about the royal family.

Alice was beaming like a lighthouse, full of delight.

Felicia, who had often donated blood to the tsar to cure an episode of his bleeding disease, was smiling because she had to.

She was closer to Alexei than any of us, since her blood literally ran in his veins.

Her face might be composed and calm, but I could feel the power pulsing out of her.

I also felt something bad coming my way.

I’m not magical. I can’t cast a spell. But I have enough grigori blood from my father to know when ill-will is around. Though the huge room was full of people who practiced it, I knew this approaching thing was nearing us.

I slid my hand into the narrow pocket I’d sewn into Veronika’s evening jacket (sorry, Veronika) and pulled out a knife.

I pressed the button to open it. I stood tight against my sister’s right side.

Eli was on her left, Alice directly behind.

They were all looking up at the royal couple. Everyone was.

Everyone but me and the man who pushed into place beside me. His eyes were locked on Felicia. She was his target. I was only meat in the way. His knife was already in his hand, held down at his side, but when I raised my empty left hand, his eyes met mine. As I’d hoped, he hesitated.

In that second, without even a thought, I stabbed him—low, to keep my hand out of sight of the crowd. He made a shocked noise, not very loud, more of a grunt.

He did look down then, looked at the knife in his stomach, not believing. His layers of clothes were soaking up the blood. I wouldn’t get any on me if I moved quickly. I pulled the knife back out, wiped it on his trousers, pressed the button again, and shoved the knife back into its sheath.

I didn’t look at him again.

I put my left arm around Felicia and forced her to take three steps forward with me. I caught Eli’s eyes, flicked mine toward the man, whose face must have been awful. After he saw that, my husband pushed as hard as I did.

People filled in the space we’d left instantly, like sand filling a hole on the riverbank. The pressure of their bodies kept the would-be assassin standing for a few precious seconds.

Eli and I turned our eyes to the royal couple. Alice’s had never left. I wasn’t sure about my sister.

Afterward, I could not have told you anything about Tsar Alexei’s speech. I was trying to listen to what was happening behind me, without actually turning to look.

A few guests behind us gave shocked little cries.

Though their shock was muted—because after all, the tsar was speaking—I had an excuse to glance back.

Anyone would. From the little gap where guests had pulled away, I knew the body had finally had enough room to crumple to the floor. I looked forward. No concern of mine.

To my right, a stout uniformed man with many medals raised his arm, beckoning. Two soldiers from the sentries stationed around the edges of the room began plowing through the packed guests to investigate.

Felicia turned her head to look at me. Her dark eyebrows flew up, asking a question. I shook my head.

Lost in happiness, Alice murmured, “This is so wonderful!” She didn’t even notice the flutter of action behind us. I smiled at her. Then it was eyes forward.

I was concerned there might be a bit of blood on my dress, but there was no way I could check.

I was glad it was a dark fabric. Another quick sideways glance told me the dead man was being supported between two brawny soldiers and removed from the room as rapidly as they could maneuver through the packed people.

Alexei concluded his little speech, but he might as well have been singing “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

My head was full of worries. Could the dead man be traced to me? Who had sent him? Why did he want to kill my sister? Did his family or clan have a prodigy who might shine more if Felicia was not there?

That was a crappy reason to kill my sister.

But I felt the knife going in and coming out, over and over.

If I’d shot the man out in the street while he’d had a gun in his hand, I’d have felt much better… though he’d be just as dead.

Or if the guests had panicked and stampeded, down we’d have gone.

All these second thoughts, when as a rule I had none. I told myself this was like being back on a gun crew, hired to defend cargo. I had done this many, many times over the past five years.

But this time the cargo was my sister, I wasn’t getting paid, and our situation was not open and clear, but somehow sneaky and unclean.

No matter how it made me feel, I had to carry this task through until Felicia came out the other side.

The applause had died down after the end of the speech, but now Alexei took Caroline’s hand and kissed it. The royal couple inclined their heads graciously to the assemblage. There rose a roar from the crowd, and I moved us even closer to the gallery.

Captain McMurtry leaned over to Caroline and said something in her ear. Caroline looked in our direction.

She recognized me and smiled. Once upon a time, I’d saved her life in the same garden we’d visited earlier today. I nodded, which was as close as I could come to a bow, hemmed in as I was.

Caroline’s smile went from standard to bright. She deliberately leaned over the railing to wave directly at me and my sister. Of course, that was noticed. Caroline had known it would be.

People turned to look.

Eli might not be in favor with the tsar, but Felicia and I were, at least with his wife. Felicia had saved the tsar’s life in more ways than one, and I had saved Caroline’s.

My sister somehow executed a lovely curtsy to acknowledge the tsarina.

Points for us.

I ignored the flurry back at the doors to the ballroom, which were being flung open to allow the removal of the body.

Nothing was in my sights but securing the future of my sister.