Valerie's POV
I laughed.
The sound echoed through the empty war room, bitter and disbelieving. Fenris stood before me, his expression dead serious, and I laughed until my throat burned.
"Lyra?" I shook my head. "You're telling me my handmaiden...the woman who's been by my side for fifteen years...is the mole?"
"She is." Fenris didn't flinch. "I recognize the patterns. The timing of the raids. The information that was stolen. It's someone close to you. Someone who knows your routines, your weaknesses, your schedule."
"Lyra would never betray me." My voice was sharp, defensive. "She held my hand through the worst nights of my life. She stayed up with me when I couldn't sleep. She..."
"She has a brother." Fenris's voice was quiet, but it cut through my protests. "Taken by the Warden's a
