Page 118 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

A baker clutches his apprentice’s shoulder. “Did you hear? The Queen has until noon tomorrow.”

“Damnation. She’ll choose Damnation. She has to.” The flower seller next to him weeps openly. “My cousin serves in House Clayborne. She’s packing to leave.”

“Where will she go?” the apprentice asks. “If the Queen destroys the house, she’ll hunt anyone connected to them.”

A group of young warriors in Valorian colors stand near the temple steps. The knights are not panicking like the civilians. They look ready for war. One catches my eye and his hand goes to his sword hilt. I keep moving.

Please be safe. Please be safe.

I have to find Garrett. If Damnation has been initiated, it could mean assassination attempts from Wiolant loyalists. We need to figure out security protocols and prepare contingencies for whatever comes next.

I’m halfway across the square when I hear it.

“Wolf!”

I turn to find Kitty pushing through the crowd toward me. Relief hits me so hard I nearly stagger. She’s not wearing her cat mask but a servant’s hood pulled low. No one looks twice at a peasant in times like these.

She grabs my arm with surprising strength and pulls me into a narrow alley between two buildings, away from the rising panic.

“What are you doing here?” I demand, keeping my voice low. “You’re supposed to be back in Tiamat.”

Her eyes search my face.

“I was worried about you. Lord Clayborne hired additional protection this morning.” She’s breathless like she’s been running. “Extra guards for the estate. I answered the call.”

Lord Clayborne was well prepared for the challenge. It makes my stomach turn.

“Kitty, if you fail this—”

“I know. It’s back to the Gilded Lily,” she says, her hands clench at her sides. “But I couldn’t just leave you alone in this.”

Her words catch me off guard. I don’t deserve that kind of loyalty. “If the Queen chooses Damnation, we all die tonight. The Wiolants will come with everything they have. But if she chooses Duel only one person dies tomorrow...”

“Your person,” Kitty says quietly.

“He’s not my—” But I can’t finish the lie. My throat closes around it.

She knows. Of course she knows. Kitty has always been able to read me better than anyone.

“Garrett’s the best swordsman in the kingdom. He’ll survive if she chooses a duel,” I say firmly, needing to believe it.

“Will he?” She tilts her head, studying me. “The Queen has champions too. Knights who’ve trained their whole lives. What if she sends Shade?”

The thought hadn’t occurred to me until this moment. Shade against Garrett. The possibility sits in my stomach like a stone.

Shade is good. I’ve seen him fight, watched him move like smoke and strike like lightning.

And Garrett is Garrett. He is undefeated and unstoppable.

If they fought, one of them would die.

The two people I care about most in this world… One would kill the other while I watched.

“It won’t be Shade,” I say quickly. “She has royal knights who’ve won tournaments before.”

But even as I say it, I’m not sure. Shade is her bodyguard and shield. If she needs to send her absolute best, it would be him.

Kitty studies my face in the dim alley light.