Chapter Forty-Seven
I stood in a servants’ hallway that led to the throne room, my heart pounding in my chest. Tahlia pressed beside me. Even though she was pale and trembling, her jaw was set. We stood together in the shadows, seeking each other’s comfort and gathering our courage.
The smell of the sewers still clung to our clothing. The hilt of my mother’s dagger was slick with sweat beneath my fingers. I tightened them until my knuckles ached. I knew it must have been my imagination, but the sapphire on the pommel seemed to glitter in response. For a moment, I allowed myself to think that perhaps my mother was in the palace, watching over me.
With nowhere to go but forward, Tahlia, Namir, and I had continued with our plan. Namir had led us through the sprawling dungeons. We saw other
