“It’s eighteen credits to get to the queen’s show. I need the dough up front. No credits, no ride,” the cabbie informed us, turning over his shoulder to look at us. He was an older coldblood, with a crinkled face and a shock of thinning gray hair.

“That’s not where we’re going,” I said firmly, pushing the fear from my voice.

“We need to go to the eastern edge of Lake Tristitia,” Ronad chimed in, since he had the directions. I had no idea where Ianthan’s secret man cave was. “You can drop us off by the concert hall.”

That got the cabbie’s attention. His whole body twisted around in his seat so he could get a good look at us through the glass divider. I pulled the hood of my cloak tighter around my face, while Ronad did the same with his coat.

“You’re skipping the execution?” he hissed. “You got yourselves a death wish? If you miss it, you’ll be the next ones on the chopping block! She’ll dip your heads in that sap stuff and put them on pikes around her palace walls! I mean, come on, Queen Gianne is out of her freaking—never mind. She just wouldn’t be too happy to hear about folks skipping out on her execution, that’s all.” He sounded like he was about to say something rude about her, stopping himself before anything treasonous could pass his lips. I supposed he thought anyone could be listening in.

“Well, then you’ll have to make sure nobody hears about it,” I insisted.

He looked uncertain, peering through the windshield of the cab as he took off. “Look, even if I wanted to take you where you want to go, there’s no point. Everything by Lake Tristitia is probably a smoking pile of debris by now. It was one of the first places that got hit—there was a huge aerial battle over it, just a couple of weeks ago.”

I shot a worried glance at Ronad, whose expression mirrored mine. We’d come this far, and we weren’t turning back, not without getting the black box. No, we had no other choice but to go there anyway and hope the battle had missed Ianthan’s cabin.

“If the place is a wreck, can you at least take us to the outskirts of the lake? It doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s close,” I pressed, ignoring the waves of anxiety flooding through me.

The cabbie shook his head defiantly. “No way. It’s not worth the trouble, lady. You might be willing to risk your necks, but I’m not!”

“You have to take us there—just get us close!” I urged.

“Again, even if I wanted to, I’d never get you there and back in time. I’ve got to stop running fifteen minutes before the event, so I can get there myself,” he replied, glancing at the clock on the cab’s console. “Every able-bodied citizen has to be there, or be labeled a traitor. You know that, so don’t ask me to risk my life for a fare!”

I edged closer to the glass divider, pulling my hood over my face. “You have to get us there. This is a matter of life or death.” It was a little dramatic, but I was desperate.

A panicked expression rippled across the cabbie’s face. “Wait a second, I know what this is! You’re soldiers from Queen Gianne’s court, aren’t you? You’ve been sent to test my loyalty, haven’t you? I’d heard about a few cabbies trying to get out of going to the execution—I knew there’d be a clampdown!”

I realized we only had one option. We’d have to go to the convocation and make our way to Ianthan’s cabin from there. If we said anything to contradict his idea that we’d been sent by Gianne, the cabbie would either abandon us somewhere, or report us to the authorities for asking to be taken somewhere other than the convocation. Plus, if all the transportation was stopping soon, we didn’t have time to find another means of travel.

“Are the gallows grounds closer to Lake Tristitia?” I whispered as I moved back to the farthest seats, where Ronad sat.

He nodded, moving forward to take my place in front of the glass divider. “I see we could not fool you, sir. We have been sent by the queen, to test the loyalty of the nation’s sky-cab captains, after hearing several rumors of dissent in your ranks,” he said, his tone steely with authority. “Already, one of your ilk has been taken into custody, after avoiding last week’s executions. You, however, have passed the test. Indeed, I thought we might have a traitor on our hands—I believe you were about to speak treason against our monarch earlier but restrained yourself at the last moment. Is that right?”

The cabbie looked horrified. “No, not at all! We honor Queen Gianne every evening in our household. I have never spoken a treasonous word against her!” he insisted. I felt sorry for the poor guy, but I could understand why Ronad was trying to frighten him. We needed to make sure he didn’t breathe a word of our presence.

“Relax, you have proven yourself worthy… this time,” Ronad remarked. “I would ask that you do not tell a soul of our meeting today. We must weed out the liars and the traitors, and, to do that, we need full anonymity.”

A glisten of sweat shone on the cabbie’s forehead. “I won’t tell a soul, sir.”

“Good.” Ronad smiled, settling into the back seat with me.

“So, it’s the execution showground you’re after?” the cabbie asked, his voice trembling. I cast Ronad a guilty look. I didn’t like scaring people like this.

Ronad nodded. “Yes, if you’d be so kind.”

As the cab flew through the sky, I watched the landscape rush by below us through a clear floor. Music echoed from tinny speakers, playing a classical tune. I didn’t recognize any of the instruments, but the sound was pleasant enough.

“You know, I thought you two looked strange!” the cabbie shouted back to us. “I guess it makes sense that Queen Gianne would send spies that nobody would suspect, right?”

“That is generally the point of a spy,” Ronad said derisively, gaining another disapproving look from me. He shrugged, grinning, evidently relishing the opportunity to do a little roleplay.

“Of course. Sorry,” the cabbie murmured. “Hey, since you two work for the queen, the ride’s on me! No need to pay.”

I shook my head, still feeling guilty. “No, it’s fine. We’ll pay our way.”

“I’m going there anyway! Honestly, the ride is on me. Your credits are no good here.”

“Let the kind man make this gesture if he wants to,” Ronad chided playfully, elbowing me in the ribs. I didn’t feel comfortable letting the cabbie do that, after the heart-attack-inducing ruse we’d just put him through, but it was better not to argue.

We traveled the rest of the way in relative silence. The journey took just over twenty minutes. Although it hadn’t been clear in the live recording we’d watched the previous week, I’d expected the executions to take place somewhere on the palace grounds, but I was wrong. The cab descended toward a horde of people, the enormous crowd stretching out in front of the mountain range that surrounded Regium. I could see the gallows set up in the shadow of the mountain, though colorful tapestries bearing the giant G of Gianne’s emblem, emblazoned in red and black, covered the rockface.

Nearly all of Southern Vysanthe had gathered on the plains outside Regium, awaiting their queen’s violent justice. There were people as far as the eye could see.

“Where’s best for you?” the cabbie asked.

“By the last of those stands over there,” Ronad instructed.

I glanced over his shoulder to see out the window. There, at the farthest edge of the crowds and the gallows plinth, were six hastily constructed towers of wood and fabric. People sat on benches at the top of each one, watching from their superior viewpoint, while the groundlings remained on the grass below, crushed together.

“It’s too close,” I whispered nervously.

“It’s nearest to where we need to be,” Ronad assured me.

“What if someone spots us?”

He grimaced. “We just need to blend in with the crowd and make our escape. There are so many tents and vehicles next to the tower that nobody will even notice two people making a run for it.”

A few minutes later, we touched down beside the last wooden tower in the row and got out, pulling our hoods closer to our faces. I was standing on the opposite side of the cab from Ronad, waiting for him to stop talking with the cabbie, when the crowd beside me suddenly surged forward. It felt like every bad, cramped, sweaty show I’d ever been to. The air was forced out of my lungs by people pushing from behind. Someone had appeared on the gallows stage, and they were apparently eager to see if it was their queen. I was dragged along on the tide of the crowd’s enthusiasm, unable to struggle my way back to Ronad. I could see him looking around, his eyes panicked, but I couldn’t reach him.

“Over here!” I shouted, praying it didn’t get me noticed. I shouldn’t have worried. The words got carried away on the roar of everyone else’s voices, my cry lost in the wind.

Once it became clear that the person on stage was just a technician, the crowd eased off. But it was too late. The cab had gone, and Ronad was nowhere to be seen.

Keeping my hood up, I forced my way back to the crowd’s edge, only to bump into a metal barrier that had probably been put up to control the throngs of people. Glancing back, I could see the gap in the fence, where I’d managed to get dragged along, but that was way behind me now, through a dense swarm of people.

I cursed under my breath, wondering how easy it would be to vault the barrier. Even if I managed it, I was pretty sure it would draw unwanted attention. I glanced back again, trying to judge the distance between me and the barrier gap, when a flash of red caught my attention. A figure emerged from behind one of the towers, dressed in bright scarlet robes that billowed in the icy wind. The sight made my blood run cold.

Aurelius had appeared from the shadows, and he was coming straight at me.

He made his way down the side of the barrier. Half my body was already hanging over the top of the fence, but optimism prompted me to duck back into the crowd, hoping he hadn’t seen me. I would’ve believed it was possible, if his eyes hadn’t been fixed on me. I tried to weave through the people beside me, wanting to get deeper into the crowd, but they all stood too close together, boxing me in.

In a matter of seconds, he was going to come to a halt next to me and demand I be hauled from the crowd. I could feel his wrath building behind me. After all, the last time I’d seen him, he’d just taken a beating from Navan.

I turned my face away as a rustle of scarlet whispered in my ears. I braced for the punishment that was about to come… but it never did. Aurelius passed right by me, his mouth set in a grim line of determination.

“Seraphina!” he shouted.

I hurried back to the edge of the barrier and peered along the line, just in time to see Seraphina step through a gap in the fence a short way up ahead, greeting Aurelius with a calm look on her face. She looked more exhausted than she had when I’d seen her a week ago, and she seemed thinner, like she’d lost her appetite. In her situation, I’d have lost mine, too.

Curious to overhear their conversation, I edged in slightly, so I was in line with the other people ahead of me. I tilted my head outward, letting their words come to me, glancing up at them from under the edge of my hood. Besides, if I wanted Ronad to stand a chance of finding me, it was better to stay in one place.

“You are looking particularly delicious today, my darling,” Aurelius purred, making my skin crawl. “Ever since news of our betrothal, you have grown in beauty, and only continue to stir my passions. I look at the necklace I bought you and the way it curves around your throat—I cannot help but feel envy at the touch of its cold metal against your skin, wishing it were my lips instead.” He gave a quiet, nauseating groan that made my stomach churn.

“You are too generous, Aurelius,” Seraphina said politely. Not for the first time, I realized she was definitely a braver woman than me. I’d have slapped him by now, regardless of the consequences.

“I am very much looking forward to our wedding night. It has been many years since I’ve felt the touch of a woman, but now I understand why. I have been saving every wasted moment for you,” he murmured, reaching out to touch the necklace he’d spoken of. Seraphina stiffened. “I wonder what you’ve got hiding beneath that gown. Perhaps you might give your husband-to-be a little taste?” He traced his bony fingers across her chest, drawing them down between her breasts, pulling at the silk neckline of her maroon dress.

“Perhaps this is not the best setting. People are going to be executed soon,” Seraphina said, her tone emotionless.

Her body was rigid with fear and disgust. All I wanted to do was tear his hands away from her. All around them, nobody seemed bothered by his lewd behavior. In fact, several people seemed to be actively ignoring the fact that he was publicly humiliating her. Was this a normal occurrence on Vysanthe? Given their questionable politics, I wasn’t about to put it past them.

“Why do you think I’m in such an excitable mood?” he asked, leaning in to her ear. “The sight of blood gets my own blood pumping.”

The way he said “pumping” made me want to throw up my morning fruit platter.

“Please, Aurelius, I should like to get back in line,” Seraphina insisted, flinching as his fingertips brushed her cheek, pushing away a strand of hair.

The sight of her displeasure appeared to spur Aurelius on, his hand reaching down to grip her wrist, his knuckles whitening. “I do hope you continue to resist me, darling Seraphina. I did not think it possible that I could want you more, but you have proven me wrong—the challenge of your coy act will make the conquering all the sweeter.”

It’s not an act! I wanted to scream, but I held my tongue, knowing it would only get me and Seraphina into more trouble.

He let go of her wrist, leaving the imprint of his fingers on her skin, and sauntered off toward the gallows. Queen Gianne had yet to arrive, but Jareth and her other advisors were already in position, alongside the scythe-wielding executioners. Everyone was awaiting the woman of the hour.

In Aurelius’s absence, I watched Seraphina’s strong façade crumble. She brought her hands to her face, visibly steeling herself. In that moment, I knew I had to tell Navan about Seraphina, just as I had promised her I would. I had to let him know what would happen to Seraphina if he didn’t marry her. Now that I’d really seen the truth of her fate, I wanted to give Navan the chance to save her from those horrors.

Seraphina turned unexpectedly, bringing her hands down from her face. Our eyes met, and her mouth opened in surprise.

“Riley,” a voice whispered behind my ear, making me whirl around. Ronad was standing next to me, his hood up, an anxious frown furrowing his brow. He took my hand, hauling me away from the side of the barrier, away from the sorrowful face of Seraphina. I was sure she’d seen me, but there was no time to talk now.

With Ronad gripping my fingers, we weaved through the crowd, making for a gap farther away from the wooden spectator towers. The event would start soon, beginning the sand-timer of our mission. Judging by last week’s screening, we’d have no more than three hours to get to Ianthan’s cabin and back to the Idrax house, before anyone else got home and found us missing.

We reached a gap in the barrier and slipped across to the parked vessels that rested on the plains beside the crowds. I looked briefly over my shoulder to see the congregation swarming forward to greet their queen. Her voice was booming over the loudspeakers.

“The mighty Southerners have proven their worth on the battlefield, and yet there are still defectors among my people who will not heed my warnings!” she bellowed, her tone sending a shiver of fear up my spine. “Will we tolerate traitors?”

“NO!” the crowd roared.

“Here, we have a pathetic creature who sought to hide so-called pacifists in his basement!” the queen spat. I couldn’t help but turn to see the poor bastard who’d been caught in her web. Enormous screens had flickered to life behind the gallows stage, drawing in for a close-up of her victim. He was alarmingly young, no older than Ronad, and his eyes were squeezed shut, his whole body trembling. “How do you plead?”

“Not guilty, Your Majesty,” he squeaked. “I didn’t hide anyone—the soldiers came and couldn’t find a soul!”

“LIES!” Gianne screamed in his face, spittle flying. “You see this wretch? He is the son of one of my most-trusted generals. Hear how he dares to lie to me!”

The crowd booed, the sound reverberating through my chest.

“I didn’t hide anyone, Your Majesty. Your soldiers burst into my home and couldn’t find anyone,” the young man sobbed. “I wasn’t hiding anyone. Please, have mercy!”

I stared at his face, in enlarged high-definition. He looked innocent to me.

“TRAITOR!” Gianne howled. “Even your father has named you a liar! Isn’t that right, General?”

The camera panned to a weary-faced coldblood standing at the bottom of the gallows steps. The old man barely looked as though he could stand unassisted, his glazed eyes staring down the lens in confusion. A soldier knocked the back of the old man’s neck, prompting him to nod. A moment later, he fell to his knees, but the camera snapped back to the action before too much of the truth could be seen.

“You see? Even your father admits your crime!” Gianne screamed triumphantly.

It was becoming very clear now… Gianne was on a witch hunt, and everyone was fair game.