I felt like crying, but maybe that was the lack of sleep. “Thank you—thank you! You have no idea—”

The inn’s door burst open, and a wide-eyed laborer peered in. “A hanging! There’s going to be a hanging! They convicted that Alanzan devil!”

Nicholas groaned, but I was already on my feet. “No, no! We are not too late. We can’t be.” I grabbed the papers and sprinted for the door. Nicholas caught up quickly.

“Wait for me—the rabble loves an execution. It’ll be madness out there.”

He was right. We joined a flood of people heading across town, eager for blood. I wished we had horses but wasn’t sure we would’ve gotten far in this crowd. I tried to fix my mind on the journey, not imagining what might happen to Cedric if I didn’t make it. “I knew it could be soon,” I called to Nicholas over the noise. “But I hoped not this soon.”

“The governor makes the call on when the sentence is carried out,” Nicholas said. “And this governor is pretty motivated to see this so-called justice done. I’m sure they’ll delay enough to get a good crowd. They like an audience—scares people into behaving.”

The thought of Cedric’s execution was beyond comprehension. What if they did it? And I wasn’t there in his last moments?

The courthouse came into sight. They’d already put up the gallows, and a few dark figures stood on it. One almost certainly was Cedric. The crowd bottlenecked when we finally reached our destination. Everyone wanted a good view, but they could only get so close. No one wanted to give up the spot they’d fought for, so pushing our way forward was difficult.

Near the back, I caught sight of Aiana. She had a hand to her eyes to shield against the sun and was scanning the crowd. She hurried over. “Adelaide! I wondered where you were. Have you seen Mira?”

“No, but I thought she’d be here. I have to get through,” I said urgently. “I have to get up there.”

She joined us unhesitatingly, and Nicholas asked, “Was Warren Doyle exonerated?” She scowled and nodded.

Aiana helped shove our way through the crowds. We received a lot of angry curses but pushed on anyway. It was still slow going, and we were barely halfway through when Governor Doyle moved to the front of the gallows. I could see Cedric clearly now, his good arm bound behind his back, and my heart sank. Warren stood nearby with a hooded hangman.

“Good citizens of Denham,” the governor shouted. “We are here to see justice done—to help purify our colony and drive off evil forces within it.”

The crowd had quieted a little, and I decided to take my chances. “Governor Doyle!” I shouted. “Governor Doyle!”

He didn’t hear, but a few irritated bystanders shushed me. I attempted to move closer.

“Today, I give you a heretic—not just any heretic but one of the foul Alanzans.” Hisses sounded around us. “One who practices dark arts and has unholy communion with the six wayward angels.”

I’d gotten a little closer and tried again. “Governor Doyle!”

He still didn’t hear, but those in front of me turned around to see what was happening. They gave way to me out of simple curiosity, and my next attempt was heard: “Governor Doyle!”

He searched for the voice and spotted me. “Lady Witmore. You missed the trial.”

The crowd parted for me, and getting to the front was easy. I hurried to the gallows stairs, locking eyes with Cedric. A couple of soldiers started to block me, but Warren shook his head at them.

“Let her say goodbye.” There was no kindness in his voice.

I held the papers in the air. “You can’t execute him! He’s a citizen of Westhaven! I have the proof. He’s allowed to practice there, and you have to honor that here.”

Warren’s condescending look turned into a snarl. “Take your forged papers and get out of here.”

“They’re not forgeries,” Nicholas called from below. He and Aiana had worked their way up in the crowd. “I’m an attorney, and I completed them with Westhaven’s chief representative. Everything’s in order. Mister Thorn’s citizenship was intact the day you found the Alanzan items.”

“How convenient this just surfaced,” snapped the governor. “You should’ve presented this ‘evidence’ before the verdict. This demon will be brought to justice, and I’ll be damned if . . .”

He trailed off as his eyes lifted to something beyond me. I stood on my tiptoes and tried to see what had caught his attention. A group of riders was charging down the road, oblivious to anything in their way. The panicked crowd split up, frantic to get to safety.

“Governor!” cried one of the men when they were within hearing. “The Icori are here! A whole force of them!”

Governor Doyle regarded the man as if he was crazy. “There haven’t been Icori in the city in years—or anywhere in Denham.”

The man pointed. “They’re right behind me! Call the soldiers!”

But as I’d noticed before, Cape Triumph didn’t have a large military presence. There had been no need, now that threats from the Icori and Lorandians were nonexistent. The crown had diverted the bulk of its might to more vulnerable colonies, leaving the old fort all but abandoned. Today, crowd management was being handled by scattered militia and a handful of remaining soldiers.

I had a hard time believing the Icori claim too, but then I saw what came down the road next. A pack of nearly fifty horses approached, surrounded in a cloud of dust. As they grew closer, I saw the bright colors of plaid wool draped over the riders. Sunlight shone on heads of red and gold hair. Equally visible were swords and shields.

Chaos ensued. The crowd broke, screaming as they ran for what they hoped was safety. Governor Doyle began shouting for the militia to assemble, but it was nearly impossible to manage in this frenzy. I urgently beckoned Nicholas to come up the steps with me.

I didn’t know what was happening, but I wasn’t going to leave Cedric tied up when a battle was about to start. I ran over to him and sliced his ropes.

“You’re okay? You’re okay?” I asked, taking in the beloved features.

“Yes—yes.” He touched my cheek briefly and peered around, having the same sentiment as me. “We need to get out of here. Up the north highway—take to the woods.”

Nicholas nodded. “We can get help in the towns there, maybe make it to Archerwood Colony. Their militia’s bigger, and they still have some army left.”

We turned for the gallows stairs and found Warren blocking our path. Amazingly, only an hour after being found not guilty, he’d gotten a hold of a gun. “You’re not leaving,” he said. “Maybe we’re all going to die here, but I’m going to be the one who finishes you.”

I glanced frantically at the approaching Icori. They hadn’t attacked, but there’d been no need, with everyone fleeing. The militia had finally started to assemble, but so far, there were only about two dozen.

“Stop this,” I told him. “This isn’t the time for a vendetta! You can get away with us. We’re going north.”

“Save your own skin,” added Cedric. “You’re good at that.”

It wasn’t, perhaps, the most tactful comment to use when trying to sway Warren to our side, but I doubted anything would have. A voice suddenly boomed, “Where is the governor?”