(Daciana POV)
I stayed in Northridge while Bardolph rode to Blackfang, but my mind followed him through every road my body refused to travel.
Waiting felt worse than fighting.
Fighting gave pain a shape.
Waiting for the left pain loose inside my chest, walking wherever it pleased.
Rieka remained beside me through the morning, refusing to hide in shame even after the feather had been found under her pillow.
That stubbornness made me want to trust her more, which also made me afraid of her.
“I would understand if you wanted me locked somewhere until the truth is clear,” Rieka said while we folded bandages for poisoned servants.
I looked at her hands, checking for tremors, hidden marks, or anything that might betray a command sleeping beneath her skin.
Her fingers were steady.
Too s
