Sitara struggled to maintain a calm façade through the morning as she waited on the keisara. She'd been forced to murder that soldier, but that truth did little to help ease her mind. Worse, she kept re-living those terrifying moments when she thought she might be trapped underground, entombed and condemned to die a slow, lonely death.

She stood behind the keisara's padded chair in the highest room of the tower while her mistress met with Lady Ceren. Lady Ceren was dressed tastefully in a simple blue dress with a high collar. Thankfully, no one needed Sitara's assistance. The keisara called upon the blond Sentinel Omolara to fill most of the duties. Sitara suspected it was a gesture designed to impress Lady Ceren. She didn't care. The less she had to do this morning, the better.

Lady Ceren reported on efforts to track down the traitors hidden in the palace, and she gave a brief description of the battle in the catacombs. It didn't help Sitara relax.

"It sounds terrifying," Keisara Fideima said as she sipped a mild fruit drink. "Were you there?"

"I'm afraid not," Lady Ceren said. "There was very little time to assemble the team, so I didn't hear of the battle until this morning."

"You sound disappointed."

"Not really. The catacombs give me the shivers."

If she only knew.

Keisara Fideima nodded. "I can't imagine going down there with Shadeleeches and cave-ins. It must have been terrifying."

"They nearly caught one of the suspected ring-leaders of the traitors, a man named Masego."

Sitara started. They knew his name. What more did they know? All the fears she'd been trying to suppress rose into her mind like a blizzard.

"What do you know about him?"

"Very little, I'm afraid," admitted Ceren. "He attacked Kevlin but escaped during the cave-in."

"The man Kevlin seems to be involved a great deal," Keisara Fideima commented.

"Yes, ever since conflict first began in Hallvarr. He helped rescue Antigonus from Rhea when Bajaran first struck."

Bajaran. Sitara expected a renewed wave of anguish at the thought of her dead lover, but the pain seemed muted today. Could she be losing touch with him so quickly? The thought left her feeling ashamed.

"I don't think you ever told me who killed that traitor, Bajaran," the keisara said. "I'd like to reward them for the deed. Was it the man, Kevlin?"

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Sitara tensed. She had vowed to avenge Bajaran, but from the accounts she'd heard, Rhea had killed him, so her lust for vengeance lacked a target. Now she feared to hear the answer. She had plans for Kevlin. He'd saved her life and proven himself a hero. She didn't want to hate him.

"No," Ceren said. "Although he helped a great deal. The Sentinel Rhea actually murdered Bajaran."

"I thought they were working together," the keisara said.

"Apparently so did Bajaran," Lady Ceren said with an evil little chuckle that made Sitara want to slap her across the face. "But it turned out Rhea had a different master, one none of us knew."

Sitara perked up. This was new information.

"What master?"

"Masego," Ceren whispered. She sat back, an expression of surprise on her face. "Masego. I knew I'd heard the name somewhere before. Masego's been involved since the beginning and none of us saw it! Masego set things up so Rhea could murder Bajaran. He's been pulling the strings all along."

Sitara gaped, legs trembling from shock. Could it really be true? The words pounded into her like blows from a fist. She was grateful no one noticed.

Masego was responsible for Bajaran's death?

Lady Ceren leaped to her feet, her face flushed with excitement. "I have to share this information with Master Harafin. Please excuse me."

Keisara Fideima motioned her toward the door. "Go with all speed, Lady Ceren. You are a wonder."

Sitara seized upon the opportunity and said, "I'll escort you out, my lady."

No one questioned the offer, and Sitara led Lady Ceren down the tower toward the outer exit. After they descended to the main level, Sitara risked opening herself to the gift of darkness, hoping she was far enough away from Omolara. The filthy power clawed into her soul, but she allowed only a whisper of it in before sealing off the rest.

Lady Ceren walked so fast she passed right by Sitara in her haste to reach the exit. She seemed to have forgotten Sitara was even with her, so caught up in her thoughts had she become.

Sitara focused the tiny amount of power and reached out with a flicker of thought to Lady Ceren's mind.

The woman's natural shields were in terrible disarray as her mind raced with the ramifications of her discovery. Sitara slipped through with barely a pause. It took only a moment for her to unearth the memories of that first night when Bajaran had attacked.

She filtered through them until she found the one she wanted and embraced it. She stepped with Lady Ceren out of the darkened forest into a burned-out clearing. Antigonus lay wounded, and Bajaran lay dead with a dagger sunk to the hilt in his eye.

Sitara choked back a wail of grief as she matched her pace with Lady Ceren. In the memory, Kevlin talked about Rhea killing Bajaran. There was no mention of Masego.

Sitara tore through Lady Ceren's memories, searching for the one that confirmed Masego had sent Rhea, but couldn't find it.

Lady Ceren stumbled and clutched at her head. Sitara withdrew. Lady Ceren might not be gifted, but she worked as an intelligence operative. She might be trained to recognize Actinopathic meddling.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

Lady Ceren squared her shoulders. "Just over-excited, I suppose. I got a terrible headache, but it's already gone."

Sitara didn't dare re-enter Lady Ceren's mind again, and the noblewoman soon disappeared down the hall. Sitara closed the outer door, considering everything she had just learned.

Rhea had killed Bajaran, there was no doubt. But the memory she'd just experienced, the sight of Bajaran's corpse gave new fuel to the fires of grief and lust for revenge that had simmered low in recent days. She had to know who was responsible.

Masego had proven himself cold and cruel and incredibly powerful, but the fiasco last night proved he was not beyond failure. Resolve firmed in her mind, and Sitara decided she had to act. She had to take the risk to know the truth.

She sent for Remiel.