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“They weren’t Amaridian.”

Jor, Bronwyn, and Taryn exchanged looks among one another, and then Jor said, “The Harendellians seem convinced otherwise. Clothing and weapons and poison all speak to Queen Katarina. And given they’ve made two previous attempts to kill James, it makes a lot of sense.”

“They weren’t trying to kill him, they were trying to kill me.” When Jor didn’t look convinced, she added, “I’ve fought my share of Amaridians, Jor. These men fought differently.”

“You’ve fought pirates and common soldiers,” he said. “Katarina’s dark guild is different, and not something you’ve ever faced.”

“They weren’t Amaridian.” She crossed her arms and glared, knowing that being tucked into bed like an invalid ruined the effect. “Would you trust me on something for once, Jor?”

He coughed into his sleeve, but then shrugged. “Then who?”

Ahnna met Bronwyn’s gaze, and her friend made a face before she said, “I don’t know, Ahnna…”

“You think Alexandra was behind this?” Taryn asked, looking between them. “That’s…well, that’s damned bold, given that Edward has made it clear he favors you.”

“Everyone says she ordered the assassination of James’s mother, Edward’s mistress, out of jealousy,” Ahnna said. “So I don’t think we should put this past her. She clearly dotes on William, and mothers have done madder things for the sake of their sons.”

“For argument’s sake, let’s say it’s her,” Bronwyn said. “What do you want to do about it? We can’t prove it, because I struggle to believe Alexandra would leave any tracks tying her to those men, and we can’t prevent another attempt.”

“More guards—” Jor started.

But Bronwyn interrupted him. “That will serve against armed attack, but if it’s the queen, poison could come from literally anywhere. Ahnna, you and I have discussed this: You cannot protect yourself from poison unless you control every variable like my father did in his inner sanctum. That’s not possible here. Alexandra will have access to poisons of the highest quality. Odorless and flavorless. Poisons that kill in minutes or in days. Dozens and dozens of options, very few of which you can train your body to tolerate, and trust me when I say it’s not a pleasant process. If she wants you dead, you will die.”

“Then we kill her!” Taryn blurted out. “I’ll do it!”

Ahnna sat up straight. “You will do no such thing! Have you lost your head, Taryn? Do you have any idea the consequences that would fall upon Ithicana if you were caught assassinating Harendell’s queen? It would make what the Maridrinians did seem like child’s play.”

The moment the words exited her lips, she regretted them, because Taryn’s face crumpled. Sitting on the edge of the bed, her cousin whispered, “I can’t do this. I can’t live on the edge like this, fearing attack from every corner. I can’t sleep. Can’t get my heart to stop racing.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I wish I’d died on Gamire, because I don’t know how to be myself anymore.”

“Don’t say that, Taryn.” Bronwyn wrapped an arm around her, but Taryn only pushed it away and rose.

“I’m going to get some rest,” she said. “I’m no good to any of you.”

“I’ll—”

“Stay,” Taryn interrupted. “God knows you have the skill set Ahnna needs.”

As her cousin left the room, she picked up one of the bottles of liquor on the sideboard. Given that her own room would have been stocked, Ahnna suspected her cousin had been drowning her anxiety the entire time.

“Where were you when Ahnna was attacked?” Jor abruptly asked, his eyes fixed on Bronwyn. “Because you told me you’d keep an ear on her, yet I heard she was strolling the Sky Palace for hours before that attack, with no sign of you.”

“I thought she was asleep.” Bronwyn looked away. “Hazel said she’d put her to bed.”

“Answer the question, girl.”

Ahnna’s jaw tightened, not upset that Bronwyn hadn’t been outside her door but furious at what she suspected the other woman had been doing.

Bronwyn’s jaw tightened, her hand drifting to the weapon at her belt. “Mind your words, Jor. You forget who I am.”

“Nah, I haven’t.” Jor coughed into his sleeve. “There’s only one Veliant I take orders from, and that’s Ithicana’s queen. Now where the fuck were you while Taryn was passed out drunk?”

“Hunting Lestara,” Ahnna said, unable to keep the sourness from her tone. “Bronwyn, you promised.”

“I wasn’t going to kill her! Only…” She gave her head a violent shake. “It seems like you don’t care about the hurt that creature caused, Ahnna. Athena wrote me. Told me that there were so many civilians dead, they had to bury them in mass graves outside the city. I hate that Keris didn’t kill her. I hate that he let that monster live, and I’ll never forgive my brother for it.”

“So you’ll take justice into your own hands, no matter the cost?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“No,” Ahnna answered. “Which you know, because Lara still lives.” She pointed at Taryn’s door. “Stay with her. Perhaps you two can manage to keep each other from destroying everything.”

Bronwyn swayed on her feet, like she was debating what to do. Then she said, “I’m a trained killer, not a bodyguard. James has Georgie gathering a selection of guards for me to choose from. I think they’ll serve you better than I ever will.” Then she left the room.

Jor chose that moment to have a fit of coughing, the sound wet and thick, and Nana’s training told Ahnna that his illness wouldn’t get better without far more rest.

“Maybe it’s best you go back to Ithicana,” he said after the fit subsided. “Aren isn’t going to hold it against you. I don’t see how Edward can hold it against you, given all that has happened.”

I’ll hold it against me.

“The Harendellians have capable men among them,” she said. “If what I need is more bodyguards, I’ll accept that. But I’m not leaving, Jor.”

The same could not be said for her companions, who all needed to be places that were not Verwyrd. Whether they wanted to be or not.

The door to the room opened, and Hazel stepped inside. “The king is here to see you, my lady. He asked me to ensure you were decent.”

“Am I ever decent, Hazel?” Ahnna asked, then gave her maid a wink because the girl looked ready to cry, as she had all morning. “It’s fine. Jor, wait outside.”

Edward exploded into the room a moment later. Footmen followed at his heels carrying large vases of flowers, which they deposited on various tables throughout her room before bowing and departing. When Ahnna moved to get up, Edward waved a hand at her. “My dearest girl, please don’t move a muscle. I once had an encounter with wraithroot, and it takes days for the noxious plant to clear the system. You must rest.”

Nodding, she leaned back against the pillows, wishing the first opportunity that she had to speak to him alone wasn’t with her prone on her back like an invalid.

Edward sat in the chair where James had been sitting when she awoke. To her shock, he reached over to take her hand, patting the back of it. His hands were callused, which she hadn’t expected despite knowing he was a fighter of some skill.

“I am so sorry this has happened, Ahnna,” he said. “I know it is some small consolation, but we are taking steps to increase the security of the Sky Palace, none the least evicting all the hangers-on who had no business being here in the first place. James is handling the situation, and given how personally he appears to be taking the attack, I anticipate we’ll all be locked up tight as a prison before the day is done.” Edward laughed. “He’s something of a perfectionist, my son. Likes things to be a certain way, and the Sky Palace’s security is not to his standards. My fault, but he’ll put us to rights.”

“I’m sure he will,” she said, struck by the obvious favoritism that he held for his elder son. It reminded her of how her mother had treated her and Aren, and given what Virginia had told her, it filled her with sudden sympathy for William.

“That said, I would understand if you desired to return home,” Edward said, and Ahnna’s heart lurched. “We failed to protect you, and it is not fair to ask you to live in fear.”

“I am used to fear,” Ahnna replied, wary because she knew she was outmatched by this man when it came to twisted words and politics.

Edward turned her hand over in his, examining the scars. “Yes, I believe you are,” he said softly. “William is not capable of rule, Ahnna. He needs a queen who will do it for him. Someone clever and strong who will sit on the throne while he plays with his toys. Someone who brings strength to the table in every possible way. Who will put her strength into my bloodline, which I fear has been watered down by too many individuals who have never known toil. Or loss.”

His words seemed to confirm his desire for her to be here, a desire for her to marry William, no matter his son’s protests. Still, Ahnna asked, “Do you desire for me to remain in Verwyrd…Eddie?”

The corner of his mouth turned up, as though her using his name pleased him greatly. “I do, Ahnna. Very much so. You will be the sort of queen Harendell needs.”

Feeling emboldened, she said, “If you wish for me to rule Harendell as you have, I need to learn from you. Obviously, I understand the business between Ithicana and Harendell very well, but I must learn about the other markets in which your merchants trade. Understand the relationships you have with other kingdoms.”

He was silent, and for a moment, Ahnna believed that she’d overstepped. Then his eyes locked on hers, and he patted her hand. “Your knowledge of how our two nations work together to reach the southern markets is invaluable, Ahnna. I think it will be I who is picking your brain once you are well.”

It was no answer, which all but confirmed in her mind that there were opportunities for Harendell that did not involve the bridge. Opportunities that Edward did not want her knowing about, which meant she was going to need to discover them another way.

Edward rose. “I’ll let you rest.”

“Your Grace.” When he leveled a teasing finger at her, she amended with, “Eddie. Might I ask a favor of you?”

“For you, Ahnna? Anything. Name it.”

Glancing toward Taryn’s closed door, she said, “It pertains to my cousin. In Ithicana, she was forced to live a martial life, but it is not the path to which she is best suited. She has a voice without equal, and I desire for her to pursue her passion for music rather than to serve me. Would it be possible for those who dictate admissions at the conservatory to listen to her sing?”

Edward grinned. “This is easily done. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.” Giving her a jaunty salute, he said, “Good day to you, Princess,” then left the room.

Hazel appeared, moving to Ahnna’s side and immediately fluffing the pillows. “You should sleep, my lady. You have given the entire palace quite a scare. Even the queen has spent the whole of the day in the chapel praying for your health.”

Ahnna highly doubted that was what Alexandra was prayingfor.

Lara’s voice filled her head. The women of Harendell are far from powerless. They might not wield weapons or fight in wars, but they influence everything that happens, every decision that is made. None is more powerful than Queen Alexandra. Or more dangerous.

If it had indeed been Alexandra who’d tried to kill her, then Lara’s words had been proved in abundance. As much as Ahnna was loath to take advice from Lara, ignoring her seemed a good way to get herself killed. And her death would have far-ranging consequences.

Taking a breath, she said, “I need you to find me a dress. And then I wish to request an audience with the queen.”