One night, the twenty-first since her arrival, Irenya heard footsteps as she neared the foyer. She slipped into the shadows of a recessed doorway. Two guards probably. Her visits to the mirror invariably ended in tears so she preferred to be alone. The guards, Jilali and a man Irenya had not seen before, were quietly chatting. Irenya’s ears pricked when she heard Jilali mention her name.
‘No doubt Aeryl and Leachim keep her close, but at night who is to say what she does at the mirror when nobody is watching.’
Irenya stepped out of the shadows into their wake.
The guards’ pace didn’t alter. ‘She could be stealing valuables and taking them back to wherever she comes from. All the while pretending to be a lost mama, missing her baby and—’
‘That’s enough, thank you. I assume you are discu
