Baya Niel swung his torch back out of the way and closed the door.

Teia was off like a bolt. She ran to the door. As she opened it, gently, she heard Baya Niel’s voice. “You know,” he said, “I should check the locks out to the balcony. Those boys they’ve jumped up to full ’guards keep forgetting—”

She didn’t hear the rest. She slipped out of the door, shattering the paryl and losing it. She closed the door just as the other door opened. The difference in air pressure was a quick hiss. She climbed over the railing and onto her climbing crescents. She pulled the tab of the first one, exposing the razor string. She pulled the razor string in a quick circle, cutting the climbing crescent off the wall.

Teia took a quick step down as the door to the balcony opened and full-spectrum light flooded out. Despite her prayers, there must have been misting rain while she was inside, because the lower crescent was slick and her foot slid right off it. With one hand filled with a climbing crescent and one foot flying into space, she grappled spasmodically to keep from flying off the tower.

Her body swung and slapped against the tower. She lost the climbing crescent in her free hand, scrambled, and held. She was low enough that her knee was almost in the foothold she’d missed. But that was no good. The spacing was for feet and hands. She pulled, her left arm trembling, her hamstring screaming, and pulled herself back up, got her right foot back where it belonged.

There was no time to pause. If he looked over this edge, he’d see her. She pulled a tab, circled the razor wire, and retrieved the next crescent, putting it in her pack. Took a careful step down onto the next slick crescent, repeat. She had barely disappeared under the balcony and taken a deep breath when she heard a “Huh.”

Yellow light stabbed the darkness as Baya Niel held the lux torch out over the side where Teia had just been. Then it swung back.

She heard the door open and close.

She let her muscles recuperate for a few moments. They needed the rest, but waiting too long would mean letting her cold fingers get stiff and clumsy.

Nonetheless, she was methodical, and she made it down to her balcony with no problem. There was a heavily cloaked man inside the room sitting with his back to her. The sight of him suddenly there almost made her faint.

At the sound of her coming in, he held up a note in gloved fingers, but didn’t turn.

It read: “This one will stow the rope as soon as you’re done with it. Do not speak to him. He is not to know your identity, nor you his. He is in danger simply doing this. Leave nothing with him. You have one minute after you give him the note back before he removes the ladder.”

Teia checked that all her items were still securely stowed—minus the one crescent she’d dropped. She handed the man the note, saw the quick flash of paper being consumed with fire, and slipped down the rope to the next balcony. She rolled her shoulders. Easy.

She took the lift down to the level of the Blackguard barracks, and ran smack into Kip.

“Hey,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I got something I really need to talk to you about. Why are you wet?”

Teia did not want to talk to Kip while she was carrying a purloined shimmercloak and a dozen climbing crescents, especially because the most obvious places for Kip to take her would be either the Blackguard barracks or down to one of the training areas, where she would have to change clothes and endanger herself and her stolen goods.

“Where are you going?” she asked, ignoring his questions.

“I thought we’d go to my apartments. Like I said, I got a thing.”

“So mysterious,” she said. She meant it to come out teasing, but her fuse was a little short.

He dropped his hands as if she’d hit him somewhere sensitive. “Teia,” he said. “Please. Please?”

Kip, being serious and contrite and vulnerable? Now there’s no way I can not go with him.

She thought of the hug she hadn’t returned, and how she regretted it. Kip, you have terrible timing. The worst.

“Sure,” she said. You’re gonna get me killed.

She followed him. Halfway there, she thought she heard a scuff of a shoe on stone behind them. Glanced. Nothing.

She glanced again, this time in paryl, and saw that Murder Sharp was trailing them, invisibly. He lifted a finger to his lips, forbidding her from saying or doing anything. She wondered for a moment if she could shrug off the pack on her back and just drop it as they rounded a corner. Surely Master Sharp would have no choice but to pick it up, and maybe leave her alone, right?

But what if she wasn’t terribly adroit? What if Kip saw her acting strangely about her pack? He’d ask instantly, and then he’d get tenacious, and wouldn’t leave her alone until he knew what was inside. So curious all the time, always wanted to know what was going on with everything. He was like a bad cat.

So they walked, her dread growing, all the way to Kip’s room. In paryl, she saw Master Sharp gesture, insistent. Hell no. But there was no disobeying him, not now, not ever.

She left the door open, and Master Sharp stepped inside to join them invisibly, intent to hear every secret word.

“Finally,” Kip said. “Privacy.”

Chapter 73

“Here’s the thing, Teia. Dammit, I keep saying here’s the thing.” He heaved a sigh. “We both know I’m not going to be a Blackguard.”

“What? No, we don’t,” she said.

“Are you kidding?” Kip asked. Surely he’d been the only person blind.

“What are you talking about? Our squad’s the best in the Blackguard. Your skills are improving all the time. Breaker, get over this. You’re always worrying. You’re—”

“I’m not worried about that!” he said, like it was ridiculous. Which was unfair, of course, since he’d been worried about precisely that as long as he’d known Teia.

“You’ve been worried about it for as long as I’ve—”

“Teia, I’m a Guile. There’s no way they’ll let me take final vows. Who would they let a Guile guard? Who would they trust me with? I’ve only made it this long because the war has everyone else looking the other way. But when it comes time for vows? Probably my grandfather will spring other plans on me. But maybe the White. Maybe one of the other Colors. I’m my father’s son, and that means I have value to people I don’t even know, people who hate my family. And those people aren’t moving yet, because even though they think my father is dead, they don’t know how much Andross hates me. As soon as they realize I’m not under his protection, or—” He cut off. Orholam’s mercy, he’d almost said ‘or once my half brother Zymun shows up.’ He’d been that close to spilling it. “I’m fucked, Teia.”

“Hey,” she said, “Blackguards guard their tongues.” She glanced off to the side.

Kip rolled his eyes. “Exactly,” he said. “In other words, not me. I’m just the acknowledged son who everybody knows is really a bastard, but if the Guiles want to pretend I’m a real son, well then, they’re Guiles. They get to. Yet another reason to hate us. It was all a fantasy. In fact, I think my father got me in just to teach me how to fight. That cold, shrewd—”

“Maybe he did it so you could have friends,” Teia said. “Maybe you’re being unfair to a man who gave you everything.”