Kate stepped quickly inside Tyreth’s room, shut the door firmly behind her and glanced around a sitting room filled with couches and low tables. Across from her was the open door into Tyreth’s private bedroom Tyreth. Kate ran inside and shut that door as well, breathing a sigh of relief but frowning in consternation. Tyreth hadn't said anything about the captain proposing to her. Is that what he would be coming to see her about? That would be awkward when he found out who she really was.

  A four-post bed draped in sheer fabric was firmly planted on a thick carpet. Elegant tapestries covered in embroidered flowers hung on cream-colored walls. The air was warm and smelled of perfume. Unlacing her dirty sneakers, Kate tucked them in behind the door and out of sight. Shedding the musty priest’s tunic Garek had given her, Kate dropped it over the sneakers in case Mara came snooping around.

  The sound of marching feet came from a partially open window on the far side of the room. Kate moved in closer but stayed of out sight in the shadows. Down below, through a gate in a wall, a group of soldiers were being lined up for inspection. Kate eased the window shut, locked it, then gently pulled the curtain across. As the room grew dark, she was surprised to find the flowers on the tapestries glowing softly and lighting up the room.

  Returning to the door, she caught her reflection in a polished metal mirror hanging on the wall to the right. The rows of cubbyholes below the rounded surface contained an assortment of containers. Opening one made of marbled white stone, Kate sniffed the clear gel inside. The sweet scent reminded her of the lilac bush in full bloom by Corvan's back porch.

  Looking up, Kate studied her reflection. Garek was right about her dirty face helping to disguise her appearance. It the angry short woman was Tyreth’s guardian, Mara, she would have known for sure Kate was an imposter if she’d managed to get any closer.

  Taking off Tyreth's ring and chain, she hung it on peg next to the mirror. The guard at the gate would most likely report she was back and if the captain arrived, she didn’t want to get caught wearing his personal gift to Tyreth.

  Her hand rested on the thicker chain that held the master medallion. Lifted it up, its glow flowed across her mirrored face. It also might be best to hide it away as well. Placing it face down on the shelf, she tucked it in behind the jars of perfume. It felt good to not have the medallion’s weight around her neck, like she was more the person she used to be. “But do you really want to be that person?” she whispered to her reflection. “Do you want to be afraid and bitter all your life? The medallion and the chamber might help you get past all that.” Resisting the urge to put the medallion back on, Kate turned abruptly away from the mirror and checked out the rest of the room.

  Behind a folding screen in the far corner, a soft towel hung on a rack and next to it, a slender jar appeared to be embedded into a thick block of rock. The handle of the jar was warm and when she tugged on it, the vessel came free from the rock, sloshing water onto the stone that fizzled away in wisps of steam. Close at hand, on the other side of the towel, was a ceramic bowl in a metal stand. Now she could at least wash her face and make herself presentable for when the captain arrived.

  As stepped over to fill the bowl, one foot dipped into a shallow indentation in the floor with a circle of small drain holes radiating out around its edge. The floor was warm on her feet, as was the air rising from the holes. Kate smiled. This space tucked in behind the screens was actually a shower and that would be even better, but she had to hurry.

  Stripping off the stinky shirt and pants Atiya had stolen from the rebels, Kate stood in the depression then filled the bowl with warm water, closed her eyes, and poured it slowly over her head. The sheer delight of warm water flowing over her body brought a giggle of relief bubbling past her lips. As she refilled the bowl with water, she discovered an arrangement of colored globes in a dish tucked in behind. Each one was a soap of various scents, and she sniffed them all, settling on a pink floral scented one for her hair and a green fruity one for her body.

  The water in the jar was running out, so she rinsed off, then pulled the towel from the rack and dried off. A pale blue dressing gown hung over the back of the screen and Kate slipped it on, delighted to find that the gown had been warmed by the air coming from the vent holes in the floor. Reveling in the feeling of being both warm and dry, she returned to the mirror, picked out a comb and began to coax the tangles out of her hair.

  Any indication of her formerly red hair was gone, and now her hair was fully black, just like Tyreth's. She tried on a more confident look, like the one Tyreth wore in the crypt. Maybe if she played the part, and now that she was washed and dressed in Tyreth’s robe, she could pass for the princess. At least as long as she didn’t have to talk. Tyreth’s voice was more mature and carried her royal status well.

  The thought of Tyreth brought her back to her senses. She had sent her here to give an important message to the captain of the guard. She should have stayed focused on that mission instead of wasting valuable time showering. The thought was barely in her mind when she caught movement at the side edge of the metal mirror. The door was being pushed open to reveal a man in a black tunic with a red insignia on his chest standing away in the sitting room.

  "I am sorry, Tyreth. I would not have intruded, but Mara insisted that I see you right away." The man gestured over his shoulder and Kate could make out a murky shadow holding the door open.

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  Kate put the comb down. Without turning around, she gestured for the man to come in shut the door. Thankfully he understood, and Mara's blurry face in the outer room vanished from sight.

  "I am sorry for coming to your private chamber like this, but I received a report that you were kidnapped by the rebels and I wanted to make sure you were safe."

  Kate took a deep breath and turned to face the captain. His eyebrows knit together, and his smile vanished. He strode toward her, his commanding presence pressing Kate back against the shelf. "Who are you? Why are you in Tyreth’s room and wearing her robe?"

  The worry on his face was augmented by the anger in his voice and she stepped around the bed, keeping it between them.

  "Tyreth sent me here," she blurted out.

  "Why? Where is she?"

  "She said she doesn't want you to try to rescue her. She wants you should talk to her father."

  “Rescue her? From whom? And her father is dead. Why are you lying to me?"

  Kate pointed at the mirror. "I'm not lying. Tyreth said if I gave you that ring you would believe me. I was to tell you that she wore it to honor your pledge and you would understand what she meant."

  Going to the mirror captain gently pulled the ring from the peg, looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, then turned back slowly to Kate. The intense look on his face dissipated; he truly cared for Tyreth.

  "I declared my intentions to her, but she loves another," he said. "Where is she now?"

  "Your report was right. The rebels took her."

  "To where?" He drew closer to the bed, but this time Kate didn't feel intimidated. She told him what happened out in the crypts but when she got to the part about Tyreth's father being alive, he put his hand up to stop her.

  "Are you sure that's right? Maybe she meant I should talk to Jorad, the new High Priest."

  "No, not Jorad. Tyreth said you would have a hard time believing it, but her father is alive. He's hiding out in the caretaker's cave under the temple karst. He survived the water when he let himself fall in."

  The captain paced back and forth at the foot of the bed a few times, his hand stroking his chin.

  "What's your name?"

  "Kate."

  "Yes. Of course. The same the girl the rebel leader said he would marry the last time. You were lucky to escape."

  "I didn't want to marry him."

  "That marriage was not the greatest danger facing you. Had you joined with him you would have died at that ceremony. The palace guard was to be blamed for your death and Kadir attacked that same night. I have no doubt that he's planning the exact same thing for Tyreth this time around."

  "He is, but Tyreth said she can convince him to delay the wedding for a short time until you talk to her father."

  "There’s no time for that. The rebel leader is not a rational man. I must go to her and cannot take the time to contact her father first. You will need to find him and tell him yourself what has happened to Tyreth."

  Kate opened her mouth to object, but he raised his hand.

  "It is the only way to save both Tyreth and Kadir." He gestured to the wall off to one side of the mirror. "Tyreth often wears that white veil in public to hide her scarred face from people who gawk at her. If you wear it, Mara should be fooled. As I leave, I will tell her you are to be left alone, that you have a lot on your mind as you have finally agreed to be my counterpart. If she questions you, just ignore her; Tyreth does it all the time." A faint smile touched his face at the thought. "And when you find Tyreth's father, let him know I will come to him just as soon as I return with Tyreth. It’s time we settled this all out once and for all."

  "How will I find him? I don’t know where to go."

  "Go into the plaza and turn right. Head up the steps to the amphitheater karst at the top of the plaza, the pool of water between the feet of the statue. A door under its right foot was recently forced open. Follow the tunnel inside to the highest point and you will find a tight passage in the wall. Take the stairs down to the pool below but stay far away from the water. A creature with long arms lives below the surface. To your left of the pool, you will find a passage in behind two stone pillars. Follow that passage to the caretaker's cave where Tyreth said he is hiding." He turned to the door but came back and lowered his voice. "You should wait here for a short while. Mara does not always listen to me, but she will eventually grow tired of standing outside your door and will find something else to stick her nose into.” He left the room and closed the door.

  Kate returned to the mirror shelf. She had better wear the medallion just in case the old woman came in to snoop around. Reluctantly she looped it back around her neck. As she pulled the veil down the peg it was on shifted and a door swung open in the wall next to it. Inside was a narrow walk-in closet full of clothes. Kate moved along the row, running her hands over the garments. She would have loved to try on some of the fancier clothes but instead chose a simple tunic plus a dark blue hooded cloak. She dressed quickly, closed the closet, and took the veil along to listen at the bedroom door. It was quiet but a shadow in lighted crack at the bottom indicated that Mara was still waiting in the outer room. It might be best to do as the captain suggested and give her time to get bored and leave. At least now she didn’t have to worry about Tyreth. The man and his guards would already be on their way to the tombs.

  Picking up the dirty priest cloak, she wrapped it around her sneakers and pushed the bundle under the bed to hide them from sight. Standing, she put a hand past the curtains around the bed. The mattress was soft, and the covers had a freshly washed scent. Crawling in past the translucent fabric, she lay back and stared at the canopy over the bed. She didn’t care for what Tyreth said about Corvan. Had he really eaten so many of those seeds that he could never be trusted again? Didn’t everyone deserved a second chance if they were willing to say they were sorry and try again?

  She tried turning the problem over in her mind to find a solution, but it was more than her weary mind and body could tackle. Closing her eyes, Kate let her head sink into the pillows. She couldn't recall her last decent sleep.

  She was fading off when a light brightened overhead. Kate groaned. She should have left the medallion on the shelf.