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"That’s ridiculous," I said

"Actually, it’s co story Needless to say, ht, and he’s doubled the price on the Apparat’s head"

I groaned "This is bad"

"It is," Nikolai adht be wise for the captain of your personal guard to start forging alliances within the Grand Palace" He turned his keen gaze on Mal "And that, Oretsev, is how you can be of use As I recall, you rather charmed my crew, so perhaps you could pick up your bow and play the diplomat instead of the jealous lover"

"I’ll think about it"

"Good boy," said Nikolai

Oh, for Saints’ sake He just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could he?

"Watch yourself, Nikolai," Mal said softly "Princes bleed just like other men"

Nikolai plucked an invisible piece of dust from his sleeve "Yes," he said "They just do it in better clothes"

"Mal--"

Mal stood, his chair scraping the floor "I need so and titles forgotten

I thren rily "Why do you provoke hi for another roll I thought about sticking a fork through his hand

"Don’t keep pushing him, Nikolai Lose Mal, and you’ll lose me, too"

"He needs to learn what the rules are here If he can’t, then he becoh for half measures"

I shivered and rubbed my hands over my arms "I hate it when you talk like that You sound just like the Darkling"

"If you ever have trouble telling us apart, look for the person who isn’t torturing you or trying to kill Mal That will be ot you closer to what you want, to the throne and your big chance to save Ravka, are you sure you wouldn’t walk allows steps yourself?"

I expected another of Nikolai’s flip replies, but he looked like I’d punched hiut He started to speak, stopped, then shook his head

"Saints," he said, his tone soust "I really don’t know"

I slumped back in my chair His admission should have er drain out of un to worry what I ht be capable ofminute He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and slowly got to his feet At the doorway, he paused

"I’m ambitious, Alina I’m driven But I hope … I hope I still know the difference between right and wrong" He hesitated "I offered you freedom, and I meant it If tomorrow you decided to run back to Novyi Zem with Mal, I’d put you on a ship and let the sea take you" He held o"

He vanished into the hall, his footsteps echoing over the stone floors

I sat there for a while, picking at ave myself a little shake I didn’t have time to dissect his motives In just a few hours, the war council would ainst the Darkling I had plenty to do to prepare, but first I had a visit to pay

AS I FASTENED the sun-shaped buttons of hra would waste no ti my new pretensions I coh the Darkling’s entrance and crossed the grounds to the lake

The servant I’d spoken to said that Baghra had taken ill shortly after the winter fete and that, since then, she’d stopped accepting students Of course, I knew the truth The night of the party, Baghra had revealed the Darkling’s plans and helped ht to buy e when he’d discovered her deception sat like a stone in my stomach

When I’d tried to press the jittery one scurrying frohra was alive, and she was here The Darkling could destroy an entire town, but it see his own roith braent with the smell of leaves and daer I was to see her She’d been a hard teacher and an unpleasant woman on her best days, but she’d tried to help me when no one else had, and I knew she wasthe riddle of Morozova’s third amplifier

I climbed the three steps at the front of the hut and knocked No one answered I knocked again and then pushed the door open, wincing at the fahra always see stuffed into a cookstove

The dark little room was just as I remembered it: sparsely furnished with only the barest necessities, a fire roaring in the tile oven, and Baghra huddled by it in her faded kefta I was surprised to see that she wasn’t alone A servant sat beside her, a young boy dressed in gray He got to his feet as I entered, peering at loom

"No visitors," he said

"By whose cohra looked up sharply

She sround "Leave, boy," she commanded

"But--"