I practically flew down the tower stairs. When I finally reached my chambers, I slipped inside and slammed the door shut. My legs gave out beneath me, and I slid down against the door until I hit the floor. For several moments, I simply sat there, gasping for breath, the photos clutched in my sweaty hands.

  "Get a grip, Lavinia." I whispered to myself.

  I crawled to my desk, unwilling to trust my shaky legs just yet. Reaching up, I placed the bundle of photos on the top. That's when I noticed - I spread them out with dread pooling in my stomach.

  One was missing.

  I counted them again. And again. Each time, the result was the same - one photo short. It was a... child, I believed. An emaciated little thing next to the ruins of an apartment building. My mind raced back to the tower. The photo must have slipped from my grip when I'd pressed against the wall, or maybe when I'd pushed Ariella away.

  "No, no, no." I muttered, scrambling to my feet.

  If someone found it - if Ariella went back and found it - if it made its way to Lord Cassius...

  I bolted from the room, trying to look composed as I walked briskly back the way I'd come. Each guard I passed made my skin prickle with fear. Did they know? Were they watching me more closely than usual?

  The tower stairs loomed ahead. Please still be there, please still be there. But when I burst onto the observation platform, the space was empty. Panic gripped me. I dropped to my knees, crawling around the tower platform, checking under the stone bench, behind the door, along the edges of the crenellations. Nothing.

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  I stood, forcing myself to breathe. Think, Lavinia. Think. When could it have fallen? I traced my movements mentally from the tower to my room, trying to remember if I'd adjusted my grip on the photos, if I'd felt anything slip from my hands.

  I started back down, examining every inch of the stairs. Nothing. Into the hallway, scanning the floors for any sign of the photo. Empty. Around the corner where I'd nearly bumped into a guard...

  There! Next to an ornate vase pedestal, almost hidden in the shadow, lay the missing photo. I almost sobbed with relief.

  I snatched it up, clutching it to my chest as I looked around. No one had seen. I stuffed it into my pocket and started back toward my chambers.

  I'd been foolish, careless. From now on, I would need to be more cautious. I needed to find a better hiding place - perhaps in the pocket of one of my older dresses in the armoire.

  As I rounded the final corner to my room, a piercing scream cut through the air. I froze, watching as one of my handmaidens - one of the new, younger girls - burst out of my partially open door. She must have gone in to clean.

  My blood ran cold. The rest of the photos. I'd left them on my desk.

  I pushed past her and peered into my room. The photos lay exposed for anyone to see.

  The clatter of armored boots approached rapidly. In seconds, the corridor filled with palace guards, weapons drawn as they formed a protective circle around me.

  "Your Majesty, are you hurt?" the captain asked.

  "No, I-" I started, but he was already directing his men to search my room.

  "Stay behind me, Your Majesty." he ordered, positioning himself between me and the open door.

  Guards swarmed into my chambers, checking behind curtains, under furniture, inside the wardrobe. Others secured the perimeter of the hallway.

  "I want a full sweep of this wing of the palace. And send for Commander Tiberius immediately! This way, Your Majesty, I think a cup of tea would be good while we sort this out."