Earnhilt dropped her and stared back at the smoky hall. “We’llhave to kill her without his knowledge. I like a fair fight, but there comes atime…” She looked at Thana again, eyes wide as if seeing her for the firsttime. “You’ll have to set it up. You and Gunnar and the Order of Vestra.”
Thana’s stomach dropped. The talk of execution hadn’t quitepenetrated her mind. The queen had only been musing, surely. But this, anorder? “I…Your Majesty…”
“Who is this noble daughter?”
Thana coughed, both from the smoke hanging in the air and fromthe dread choking her. Earnhilt’s blue gaze held her like daggers of ice. She thoughtof the Fiendish Aspect that all Umbriels contained and wondered if part of itcould come leaking out at times like these, paralyzing people.
“Mother!”
Earnhilt turned, taking her power with her and letting Thanabreathe. Gunnar came running down the hall, one hand on the hilt of his sword.“Is it an attack?”
“A fire.” Earnhilt waved toward the destruction. “Out now. Whatnews from town?”
“More incidents, pyradistés run amok. More witnesses this time.”
“Multiple pyradistés, not just one?” Earnhilt’s gaze flicked toThana again.
As Gunnar confirmed that, Thana sighed in gratitude. Sylphcouldn’t set off pyramids across the city, though Earnhilt might add thosedisasters as fuel for Sylph’s pyre.
“We might have to lock them all up,” Earnhilt said, rubbing herchin. “At least until we find out what’s going on.”
The offhand way she spoke of mass imprisonment chilled Thanaagain, the ache spreading to her core. She covered her face, hoping to seem asif she was as alarmed by the news of rogue pyradistés as everyone else, butanger burned in her now, thawing her muscles. Her fellow pyradistés did notdeserve to be shut in cages like animals or killed in secret halls and alleys.
It didn’t matter how fearsome Earnhilt was. Thana couldn’t standfor this.
When someone down the hall hailed the queen, Thana trailed behindher and Gunnar. He’d been Thana’s friend since they were children, had seemedto care about their difference in status far less than other people. He’dtreated her like an equal.
More or less.
She tugged on his sleeve, keeping him back. “The queen wants tolock people up before they’ve committed a crime?”
He frowned hard. “After an explosion in the royal quarters and afire in the palace? Not to mention the other crimes throughout Marienne andFarraday? We have to stop this somehow.”
“How many of these crimes are confirmed?”
“You were here for the fire and the explosion. And what aboutyour noble in the garden?”
Thana gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to yell. “Yourmother wants to execute mynoble in the garden without even speaking to her first.”
He looked away, but he didn’t argue. She’d never felt a greaterrift between them, never felt so far below his boots.
“You’re not going to say anything?”
“I…give me time, Thana.”
Time for Earnhilt to kill Sylph? She couldn’t allow it, nor couldshe stand by while people were imprisoned. She refused to work with someonewho’d take that action, no matter that the someone was her best friend’smother.
And the queen.
Thana didn’t want to be the Umbriels’ enemy, but greater thanthat, she didn’t want to see all pyradistés in cages.
And she couldn’t let Sylph die.
“We’ll figure it out, Thana,” Gunnar said. He squeezed hershoulder, but at the moment, it seemed less like reassurance and more like athreat. “We need to speak with the rest of the Order and get on top of thisbefore anyone else gets hurt.” He turned back to Earnhilt.
Anyone besides the pyradistés. Or Sylph. No, she was a pyradisténow, whether she liked it or not, but more than that, she was someone whoneeded help and didn’t currently have the means to help herself. She was beseton all sides.
All but Thana’s.
Thana stepped back slowly, and while everyone’s eyes were turnedon the queen and the smoke became a shroud between them, Thana turned and strodeback down the hall, heading for Sylph’s apartment.
Chapter Seven
When Sylph spotted Thana down the hall, relief washed overher. She hadn’t really expected her father to oust Thana right away, but thesight of her walking free made Sylph’s heart go from a gallop to a trot.
Until she came close enough to see the anger on Thana’s face.
Something else must have happened. Thana was still disheveled,but her frown and the pinched look between her brows spoke of undertakingsbeyond her earlier agitation.
“What’s happened?” Sylph asked quietly.
“You were supposed to wait for me in your apartment.”
After everything, she was angry about that? “Forgive me for trying to come toyour rescue.”
“My…” Thana blinked and glanced around as if unsure of hersurroundings on top of everything else. “Listen, I’ve been to see the queen.”
“And I’ve seen my father. I have news.”
“So do I!”
Sylph crossed her arms and said, “You must take care,” just asThana put her hands on her hips and said, “You need to leave.”
They both took a step back and asked, “What?”
Sylph held up a hand, too confused for amusement. “My fatherblames you for the fire. If not for the actual starting of it, then for notcontrolling your fellow pyradistés. He’s going to the queen to get youremoved.” Her mind repeated Thana’s words, then, and she shook her head. “Whydo I need to leave?”
Thana’s brow darkened, and she opened and shut her mouth severaltimes before closing her eyes and muttering, “Typical.” After a deep breath,she met Sylph’s gaze again. “The queen will no doubt be looking for him, too.She knows a noblewoman was behind the fire, and once they figure out it’syou…well, you need to be gone first. Either with your father or alone.”
Alone,such a huge word. Sylph’s mind raced, fear and confusion spiraling inside her.“Why would I leave, even if she knows?” She swallowed hard. She needn’t goanywhere a moment before her father ordered it. If the queen commanded Sylph toleave court, her father might keep her close out of spite, pyradisté powers orno. The nobles and the monarch had been at peace for years, but the civil warhadn’t been so long ago that the nobles had forgotten it was an option. “If thequeen commanded us to
