It was the Komizar. I stared at him, trying to quickly compose my expression to one of indifference. “You have no Council meetings this morning?”

He scrutinized me, taking his time to answer. “Why are you wearing your riding clothes?”

“They’re warmer, sher Komizar. With the snow on the terrace, I thought them a better choice for saying my morning remembrances.”

“There’ll be no more performances unless I’m with you.” He angled his head to the side, mocking me like I was a dim-witted mule. “I think I need to be there to help you remember exactly what you’re supposed to say.”

“I’ll remember,” I said sternly.

We stood there, both of us hearing the faint chants of Jezelia.

“You won’t be addressing them without me by your side,” he repeated.

I saw it in his eyes. I heard it in his tone. It was all about power, and he couldn’t relinquish even the smallest fistful that had inadvertently passed to me. The pockets of clans throughout the city who gathered in the square had grown and called for me, not him, something he hadn’t anticipated, though he had all but orchestrated it. Compared to the vast numbers in the city and his staggering army, their numbers were few, but he still wanted to control every last one of them and be certain where their loyalties lay.

“They call for me, Komizar,” I said gently, hoping to soften his countenance.

“They can wait. All the better to augment their fervor before the wedding. I have a more important task for you.”

“What task is more important than increasing their fervor with visions of plenty?”

He looked at me suspiciously. “Bolstering the governors who will be going home to their provinces in a week’s time.”

“Is there a problem with the governors?” I asked.

He grabbed the red dress I was to wear for the wedding from the chest and threw it on the bed. “Put it on. I’ll be back to take you to the Council session later today. At my signal, you’ll give the governors their own private performance, where you’ll conveniently flutter your lashes and spew words of victory. The right words this time.”

“But the dress is for our wedding this evening.”

“Put it on,” he ordered. “It would be wasteful to save a dress for a few dim hours.”

I hoped to quickly quell his growing agitation so he would leave. “As you wish, sher Komizar. It’s our wedding day, after all, and I wish to please you. I’ll be dressed by the time you return.” I grabbed the dress from the bed and waited for him to leave.

“Now, my pet. I’ll be taking your riding clothes with me. You’ll have no need of them, and I know how wedding jitters can make some brides impulsive, especially you.”

He stood there waiting. “Hurry. I don’t have time for your feigned modesty.”

Neither did I. I needed him to return to the Council Wing as soon as possible. I quickly shed my vest, belt, and boots, then turned around to take off the rest. I could feel his eyes drilling into my back, and I quickly wriggled into my dress. Before I could turn around, his hands slid around my waist and his lips traced the kavah on my shoulder. I grabbed my shirt and trousers from the bed and turned, shoving them into his stomach.

He laughed. “Now, that’s the princess I know and love.”

“You’ve never loved anything in your life,” I said.

His expression softened for a brief moment. “How very wrong you are.” He turned to leave, but just before he closed the door behind him, he added, “I’ll be back in a few hours.” His lip lifted in distaste, and he whirled his hand in the air. “Do something with your hair.”

He shut the door, and I ruffled my hair into a ragged mess of frustration. And then I heard a growling thunk.

I ran to the door and tried the latch. It didn’t budge. I pounded with my fists. “You can’t lock me in! That’s not our agreement!” I pressed my ear to the door, but the only answer I got was the faint sound of his footsteps receding.

Agreement. I almost laughed at the word. Unlike Kaden, I knew the Komizar honored nothing unless it served him. I looked around the room for something that could pick the lock. I took a bone from my tether, used my knife to split it into a thin sliver, and prodded at the small keyhole to no avail. Every piece of metal in this wretched damp city was stiff with rust. I tried another bone and another, and heard the chants outside growing louder. Jezelia. When would first bell ring? I ran to the windows, but they were too small and too deep for me to call to anyone. And then I heard a light knock.

“Miz Lia?”

I ran to the door and fell against it. “Aster!” I said, relief flooding through me.

“They’re calling for you,” she said.

“I hear them. Can you unlock the door for me?”

I heard her jiggling keys in the lock. “None of these work.”

My mind raced, trying to think what would take the least time. Fetch Calantha? She had a key to everything in the Sanctum. But whose side would she be on today? I took a chance and told Aster to get her. She left and I sat on the floor, leaning back against the door. Time crept by in agonizing beats, marked by the calls of Jezelia, and then I heard first bell. My heart sank, but then the rush of footsteps clattered through the hall, and I heard Aster’s panting breaths at the door.

“I looked everywhere, Miz. I couldn’t find her. No one knows where she is.”

I tried to calm the panic rising in me. Time was slipping away. I’ll be waiting. Was he still there?