Lord Maren lay on the marble.
Blood darkened his formal coat, and one of Evelyn’s veterans stood over him with a knife in his hand.
“Drop it,” Evelyn ordered.
The soldier stared at the blade as if he had only just realized he held it.
Palace guards rushed forward.
“Arrest them all!”
Steel surrounded the veterans.
Lord Maren groaned, proving he still lived, but the sound only increased the panic. Nobles pushed toward the doors. Several shouted that Vesper’s army had attempted murder inside Albert’s palace.
The veteran lowered the knife.
A guard struck his wrist before he could release it.
The blade fell.
Evelyn caught the guard’s sword arm before he could swing again. The edge glanced across her palm, opening a hot line through the skin.
She ignored it.
“No one moves.”
Her sol
