“Er, excuse me, Your Highness.” A voice pierced the haze. “Hate to bother you…but it’s an urgent matter.”

Logic returned to me when Tohon pulled away. “It better be an emergency, Dewan.” Tohon’s tone held a dangerous edge.

The man cleared his throat. “We’ve gotten some intelligence on Estrid that we need to discuss.”

Tohon still didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “I’ll be right there.” He gazed at me. “Sorry, my dear. Business. Should I return you to your corner?”

“No. I still need that fresh air.”

“Stay in the gardens. And just in case you get any ideas, there are guards all around the perimeter.”

“Too bad ’cause I’d probably get really far in this gown.”

“Sarcasm is another one of those things that try my patience.”

I bit down on my next comment, equally sarcastic. Satisfied, he followed Dewan and I hurried into the garden.

I pulled in deep lung-filling breaths of the night air. My head cleared as my body cooled. A few more of Tohon’s kisses and I would be a drooling mess and unable to help anyone. Walking around the garden, I planned a way to contact Sepp during my shopping trip with Winter and Cellina. I hoped he’d be waiting in a public place so I could give him the signal. He’d been in town for two weeks and should know about the Death Lilys around the wall. Maybe he would arrange a distraction so I could talk to him. Not the best plan, and I was at a loss if I didn’t see him at all, but it was all I had.

Torches blazed, casting a warm glow on early-spring blooms that swayed in the slight breeze. I marveled at the delicate plants nestled between evergreen bushes, ornamental trees and willows fuzzy with velvet catkins. Memories of my childhood flooded. Collecting the willow branches for my mother had been a rite of spring for my siblings. I touched one of the soft white buds. A little zip of magic tingled along my fingers. Odd. I glanced behind me, searching for Tohon. No one.

Then a hand clamped over my mouth as an arm wrapped around my waist. Yanked off the path and into a dense clump of greenery, I didn’t have time to resist.

A familiar voice whispered in my ear. “Easy.”

Various emotions swirled around my heart. From relief to anger to annoyance to fear, to…delight and back. I settled on annoyance as he released me.

I spun around. “Kerrick, what…?” The rest of my question fizzled in my throat as I looked at him. Anger hardened his expression. He must have seen Tohon kissing me. “I can’t avoid his touch altogether. A couple of kisses in two weeks is pretty damn good.”

Kerrick studied me, taking in my green gown in the weak moonlight. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, feeling very exposed.

“Have you been following me since the Nine Mountains?” I asked.

“Yes.”

It explained a few things. “That’s why Belen settled down. Are the guys—?”

“With Estrid. Or they should be by now. They follow my orders.”

I ignored the comment. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous. Tohon hates you. He even has a glass coffin ready for you.”

Kerrick failed to show the proper concern over his own welfare. “Have you found Ryne?”

“Yes. He’s in one of those coffins. Along with King Zavier and another man.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know. Big blond guy. Young. Dead. Has a scar on his forehead.”

“Stanslov?”

“Could be. He hated him, too.”

“But he’s quite taken with you,” Kerrick said.

“Only because of you.” Ha. I’d surprised him.

His anger slipped a bit.

I told him why Tohon had attempted to lure Jael away. “He’s under the mistaken impression that luring me away from you would hurt you. Which works for now. Once Ryne is healed and this is over, he won’t consider me a challenge and hopefully leave me alone.” I suppressed a shiver and rubbed my hands along my arms. The night air had turned cold. Or was it due to Kerrick’s gaze?

Kerrick didn’t respond so I asked, “Have you seen Sepp?”

“Yes.”

Relief puddled in my stomach. Finally something going right. “I heard one of Tohon’s men talking about Estrid. Hopefully in the next week, Tohon will leave the castle to deal with the attack. Tell Sepp to come after midnight the first night Tohon is gone.”

“What if Tohon doesn’t leave?”

“Then tell him to come one week from tonight. Sepp can climb over the outer east wall at the midpoint—the Death Lilys won’t bother him. And if he heads straight west, he’ll see the infirmary. I’ll be waiting there.”

“All right. Do you need me inside?”

“No. Stay near the wall. We should be able to get Ryne past the Lilys.” I explained as fast as I could about the Lilys and Tohon’s experiments. Ryne would need to know. “And his dead soldiers are located in the barracks—”

“Avry,” Tohon called from a distance.

I jerked. “You need to disappear. If he finds you…” I shooed him away, then turned to find the path.

“Avry,” Kerrick said.

I stopped. He stepped behind me. I felt his warmth on my bare back and I resisted the urge to lean against him.

“Tohon isn’t mistaken.” Kerrick traced one of the scars along my shoulder blade. “I would be…upset if he succeeded in luring you away.”