“Good news,” Aiana said, intercepting me again after breakfast in that way of hers. Sometimes I thought she actually lurked outside the dining room. “I have the day off too. We can work on some crossbow lessons and put a smile back on your face.”

   “Somehow, I don’t think Jasper or even Charles will agree to that.”

   “Well, they won’t know, of course.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’m authorized to chaperone you for walks. We’ll go off into the wooded patch to the west and get some target practice in.”

   I was still lukewarm about learning the crossbow, but getting outside—freely—was a precious opportunity. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

   Aiana looked pleased at my acceptance and reached into her coat. “But first, this. For someone who’s supposed to be ‘out,’ you’re certainly getting a lot of messages.”

   I took the letter, angry at myself for again hoping it might be from Grant. Stop it, Mira, I scolded myself. You’re letting him ruin your life. Tom was right. Follow your own path.

   But then, what else was this? Who else would be sending me letters via Aiana? Lonzo again?

   A sudden fear that he’d been injured or killed seized me, and I nearly tore the paper as I opened it. When I saw who the message was from, my jaw nearly hit the floor. I had to read it twice.

   “Everything okay?” Aiana asked, noting my reaction.

   I slowly dragged my gaze up. “I’m not sure. It’s from Silas. And . . . he wants me to do a job for him.”

CHAPTER 26

   SILAS SEEMED EQUALLY ASTONISHED TO BE ASKING.

   I’ve never approved of you being involved in this, but a situation has come up that only you may be able to help us with. Governor Ryan of Paxton is in town, and my other spies have learned he’s a major player in the conspiracy. He’s in Denham to deliver a letter to another courier, and we need to get it before he disappears. While here, he’s staying at Governor Doyle’s. Word has it you’ll be there tonight. I don’t like asking you to risk yourself, but if there’s anything you can do to locate the letter, we could potentially crack this mess wide open. The choice is yours.

   I lowered the letter and saw Aiana’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Something tells me I won’t like what that says.”

   “It could be worse,” I replied, tucking it into a pocket. “Now teach me how to use a crossbow.”

   No one questioned her as she escorted me outside on what seemed to be a simple stroll. The sun shone brightly for a change, but the letter preoccupied me so much that I couldn’t appreciate the day. What should I do? The fact that Silas would actually ask me underscored the job’s importance. But he hadn’t given me a lot to go on: one letter somewhere in a giant estate. What if I was caught snooping in the governor’s house? We could potentially crack this mess wide open. I didn’t want to be involved in anything Grant was even distantly connected to . . . but I couldn’t ignore what was at stake.

   “Get your head out of the clouds, Banle,” Aiana told me. We’d reached the edge of Wisteria Hollow’s property, and she produced a small, sleek crossbow from the cover of a scrubby bush. “You need to focus on this.”

   “What did you call me?”

   “Banle.” She crooked me a smile. “It’s like a baby bird. One still in the nest who wants to fly.”

   “You just gave me a close name.” I couldn’t help smiling back, though I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or not. “Banle.”

   “No, Bahn-lay.”

   “That’s what I said.”

   “You just said the word for boiled potatoes.”

   “They sound the same.”

   “No—listen.”

   She repeated them, and I could just barely pick up a slight pitch difference on the first syllable. “Balanquan uses intonation!” I exclaimed. “I read about it in my linguistic studies, but no Evarian language uses it.”

   “I don’t know what it’s called. It’s just the way it is. Maybe it’s why your people have so much trouble learning our language.”

   I would’ve rather learned Balanquan than the crossbow, but Aiana was insistent. She started with basics, how to load the bolts and gauge my range. The crossbow was beautiful, decorated with that silvery black stone I’d seen on the raid. The trigger, irons, and other parts conveyed a fine workmanship I didn’t even think was possible in Evaria. Its beauty and petite size were deceptive. It still required a lot of strength and made my arm hurt at the end. But she was right that I’d enjoyed it.

   “It felt more like a target game than a weapon,” I told her as we walked back. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d played anything.

   She tsked in disapproval. “It’s not a game where I come from. In darker times, a woman might be left alone with her children. A crossbow like this could help her defend her home. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be in that situation, but the more ways a woman knows to protect herself, the better.”

   “Have you been out in the woods?” Tamsin asked me when I got back to my room.

   I looked down and saw dirt and leaves stuck to the hem of my dress. “I wanted to get out and walk, and Aiana supervised.”

   “You’ll get too much sun,” she scolded. “But we’ve got other things to worry about now. What should I wear to Warren’s going-away party tonight?” She paced in front of her closet, occasionally pulling a dress out and shaking her head. “I’ve got to leave a good impression on him. And his parents.”

   I frowned. Tamsin had astonished us all with the way she’d charmed Warren in so short of a time. Of course, she was Tamsin. Who could stand against her? But he troubled me now as much as when he’d pursued Adelaide.