A sliver of light appeared at the bottom of the anteroom door and after a second it grew even brighter. At least one person’s star was glowing in the chamber - Tyreth or Corvan, or perhaps even both.

  Kate got to her feet. If she opened both their doors, maybe Tyreth could talk some sense into Corvan about eating those seeds. If there were anyone he would listen to, it would be Tyreth.

  Entering the chamber, she confirmed there was a glowing star on Tyreth's door, but the other one was on the door where Atiya had last appeared. Getting advice from the two sisters might help her able to figure out a way to how help Corvan. She paused. Was that the best idea? Tyreth was interested in Corvan and Atiya had kissed him. She stated at Corvan’s dark door and the memory of how terrible he appeared sent a shiver up her spine. She needed help even if it meant losing him. Kate cross to Tyreth’s door, touched it open, and Tyreth’s anxious face appeared.

  "Kate! I've been so worried about you. Is everything alright? Did Mara find out who you are?"

  "I managed to run to your bedroom without her getting a good look at my face but she waited outside the door. She sure is nosey."

  "She's been with me since I was young and likes to think she is my mother."

  "I saw your real mother at the temple."

  Tyreth frowned. "My mother?"

  "Madam Toreg."

  "Who told you that?"

  "One of those grey men. His name is Garek. I didn't get to talk to her, but Garek says she cares a lot about you and that you should be careful about trusting your father."

  Tyreth's eyes flashed. "She has no right to judge him. She's the one who abandoned us."

  Kate nodded at the painful memory of her own mother leaving her behind. At least Tyreth had other family to support her. "I also met your sister, Atiya."

  The frown returned. "I don't have a sister. Do you mean one of the sister warriors?"

  "Garek says that Atiya is one of the Sisters, but Madam Toreg is her real mother."

  Tyreth tried to smile but failed. “All of the sisters call her mother; she's the one who looks after them and trains them."

  Kate took a step toward the other side of the chamber. "You can talk to Atiya yourself. She has one of the medallions." Kate turned and opened the door where Atiya last appeared.

  Morgan was waiting inside.

  "Kate, I . . ." His eyes widened as he stared across the chamber.

  "Morgan?” Tyreth’s voice floated over Kate’s should and she moved out of the way.

  "Tyreth! I have been looking to talk to you ever since. . ."

  "Since you died when you swallowed that pill my father sent to free Corvan from your prison cell? How did you escape? Why didn’t you let me know you were alive?"

  Morgan tried to enter the chamber. One hand pushed up against the invisible barrier and the other hung at his side. "That pill nearly killed me. I was out for a long time but I revived in the crypt they placed me in. I'm still alive, Tyreth."

  Tyreth's face grew dark. "Yes, but my brother Tarran is dead."

  "I’m sorry, Tyreth,” Morgan said, shaking his head slowly. “I tried everything I could to stop him from following your father's plans. I told him that that the Chief Watcher was on to both of them, but Tarran wouldn't listen to me."

  "Why did you force me go to the ceremony of the water gods?” A shadow flowed from Tyreth’s angry face and over her white dress like ashen gray soot. “You were leading me into a trap.”

  "No, Tyreth. If I had been there, My plan was to use his machines that controlled the water to catch him in his own lies and expose him to the people. I wanted you to be there so that you reassure the people afterward and prove you were not part of the Chief Watchers plans but I couldn’t tell you or your father would get involved and talk you out of coming.”

  "Why should I believe you?" Tyreth crossed her arms and glared at Morgan. "You proved you can't be trusted."

  A powerful urge to speak on Morgan’s behalf welled up inside Kate. "Tyreth, look at your dress. Your anger makes it look dirty, but Morgan's robe remains bright. I believe that in this chamber, that indicates he is telling you the truth." Even as she said the words, Kate found herself recalling the voice of the man in the dark cave of the broken. He had said that someone in the chamber was capable of looking like they were telling the truth when they were lying. Surely it wasn't Morgan.

  Tyreth's arms dropped to her sides, and she smoothed out her wrinkled dress. The lines on her face softened as she looked across the chamber at Morgan. "I'm sorry, Morgan. I haven’t been allowed to even grieve Tarran or talk about him. I know it wasn’t your fault." Tears slipped down Tyreth's cheeks, dripping onto the fabric and spreading out in white waves that washed away the grey. "There are so many lies being told it is impossible to know who can be trusted."

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  Morgan smiled. "I wish I could have told you more at the time. I did not think you would believe me if I told you what your father was up to. Now that he is dead you and I can. . ."

  "He isn't dead," Tyreth said, glancing over at Kate, her eyes asking Kate if she'd seen her father.

  Kate gave her head a small shake.

  "Your father's alive?” Morgan asked. “How can that be? I was told he fell into the temple karst."

  "He only pretended to drown." She paused, nodding to Kate. "Now this begins to make more sense. This is why my father told me to marry the captain of the guard. My own father is using me to gain control of the palace."

  "You have finally decided to marry the captain?" Morgan asked, his voice strained.

  “I haven’t. I think my father must have put him up to it and made a deal with him. He can’t be trusted either."

  "That's not true," Kate said. "When he took back your ring, it was clear that he genuinely cares for you but he said he realized that you are in love with someone else."

  "You accepted his ring?" Morgan's face clearly registered his distress.

  "I was only carrying it on a chain. My father said to keep that option open. Its Jorad who kept asking me to marry him."

  "No doubt he did. I take it Jorad is the someone else you are now in love with." Morgan's eyes narrowed and the white cuffs on his robe shrank to narrow ragged strips.

  "Jorad believes that together we can bring peace to the Cor."

  "That's a good one. Peace from Jorad the latest lying High Priest." Morgan spat the words out and the remnants of his cuffs vanished in a snarl of tangled black threads. "He's probably in league with your father."

  Again, Kate shook her head at Morgan. "Actually, Jorad is now working with the mayor of that new city under the library." Morgan and Tyreth both stared at her. She should have kept her mouth shut but if felt like whenever she held the master medallion in this room, and other people were here arguing, she was responsible to defend those who were being spoken about unfairly.

  "The mayor?" Morgan said.

  "Yes. The one from the City of Refuge. He sent his soldiers with Jorad to rescue Tyreth in return for a medallion."

  "My medallion?" Tyreth asked.

  "Not yours," Kate said. "Jorad wants the one that glows." She held it up, relieved the truth was out in the open.

  "We can't know that for certain," Tyreth said.

  "Yes, we can," Morgan stated. "My brother desires power more than anything and that desire cost him his wife and child. It will cost his own life before this is all done." Morgan turned to Kate. "Where did you see him last? I need to find him and put a stop to his foolish plans."

  "Don't do it," Tyreth pleaded. "Look at your clothes, Morgan. Now your anger is getting the best of you."

  "Jorad must be dealt with. It is time for justice to be served." Morgan slapped his good hand against the barrier.

  "You aren't holding the hammer to know the truth, nor the scepter to understand what justice demands," Tyreth said. "You're just angry because Jorad wants me for his counterpart."

  Morgan smacked his good hand against the barrier in the door. "Yes, I'm angry." The tattered sleeve of his robe fell away ragged pieces.

  "None of us can see where his heart is at," Tyreth said.

  "Kate can. She has met him here in the chamber. What was he wearing?"

  "His clothes were different each time - sometimes grey but at other times they were a bit brighter.” She looked to Tyreth, “especially when he talked about you. He does care about you and Kadir. That's why he's coming with the mayor's soldiers to save you from the rebels - but so is the captain of the guard and all the palace soldiers."

  Tyreth glanced over her shoulder. "This is going to be a disaster if I don't get back to the tent right away."

  "What are you going to do?" Morgan said. "Don't get mixed up in the fight."

  "If the rebels believe that I am gone the fight won't even start."

  "Why don't you hide out in the crypt behind your tent?" Kate suggested.

  "That won't fool them,” Tyreth said. "I told my guard not to come near my tent unless I called and have kept the light burning so they see that I am still inside."

  "What if you hid in the crypt and set your tent on fire?” Kate asked. “They might think you died or escaped in the confusion, and you could wait in the crypt until Morgan arrived to help you get away."

  Morgan nodded. "I will come to you just as soon as I can. I give you my word." As he spoke the hem of his sleeve knitted back together.

  Tyreth nodded. "Thank you, Morgan.” She smiled at him. “I am glad to see you alive. I have missed you.” The words were barely out when she vanished from her anteroom.

  "I. . . missed you too." Morgan stared vacantly at Kate for a moment, then motioned around the room. "Which of these is Jorad's door?"

  "He was behind that one, but he isn't there now. The light isn't on."

  Morgan shook his head. "That's unfortunate. I want to make sure he doesn't get himself killed in this fight. Tyreth is right. He deserves a chance to prove his intentions." The white cuffs around Morgan's sleeves returned and lifted his good hand to give Kate a wry smile. "You can't get away with anything in here. Too bad we can't live in the chamber all the time."

  Kate shook her head. "I don't think we could handle the complete truth about ourselves all the time."

  "You are probably right. It does make you think twice about your words, though." He looked back to Jorad's door. "Is there any way that you can get a message to Jorad? He needs to be warned."

  "If I go into his anteroom, I might be able to talk to him like I did with Tyreth. I found out its possible to speak to people even when they are not sleeping."

  "Please try. Tell him that Tyreth is going into hiding but don't tell him where she is going. Tell him we must gather everyone together here in the chamber but don't let him know I'm alive. I will find Madam Toreg and inform her of what is happening. Tomorrow night we can meet here again to decide what must be done to restore order to the Cor." Morgan stared over her shoulder. "Have you looked inside the broken door?"

  Kate shook her head. She had no desire to go any closer than she needed to that door than was required to get back to her own anteroom. "Sometimes a breeze blows through it and once a rat-like animal with a collar came out, then ran back inside."

  "That pretty much proves its connected to the city. It would also explain how the hammer and the scepter were first taken from the chamber." Morgan looked back to Kate. "We must wait until we have everyone gathered to make our plans. We owe you a great debt, Kate. You have done well to bring us together. I have hope for the Cor once again."

  Kate's face flushed. It was embarrassing that she thought he was interested in her when all the time he was obviously in love with Tyreth. On the positive side of things, that might mean Tyreth would no longer be pursuing Corvan.

  "Things are moving quickly," Morgan said. "Be careful, Kate. Keep an eye on the broken door but don't try to go inside. It’s not safe."

  Kate nodded, closed Morgan's door, and then moved over to Corvan's. Before trying to talk to Jorad she was going go inside Corvan’s doorway and talk with him, even if he was not sleeping.

  She had to get him to quit eating those seeds.