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“Father,” Damon says, from the floor, “Let me go with you to Selim, please. I would see justice done in this matter. I am responsible for my slave.”

Finally, Rafus does look at him. “Very well. You may come with me. Under guard. Atticul, I will be taking your men to see that Damon is subdued.”

“Of course, Father,” says Atticul. “I will come too.”

Damon is forced to his feet at swordpoint and marched behind Rafus through the corridors of the Rose Palace. Out of the Tower of the Heir and through the wide marble halls to Selim’s private quarters. A man at each side of him, a man in front and one behind.

Atticul is with them, walking freely with his father.

Damon can feel the sofi draining from his body, replaced with sharp, awful clarity.

Selim is roused from his bed and meets them in his parlour, a room bedecked in gilded pink marble. Candles glitter in front of wide mirrors. Selim sits on a wide settle upholstered in oxblood leather. Rafus and Atticul stand before him. Damon is put on his knees. He doesn’t fight. He feels exhausted.

Atticul tells the story. He insists on using the words Bastard to describe Damon and slave, whore and Juran, to describe Lyr, but he does not embroider the tale. He doesn’t need to. Damon brought a dagger to a Pleasure Night. Lyr threatened Atticul with it, then stabbed Endrew. There’s nothing Damon can say to change this. Atticul’s word would be enough, but if Damon tried to claim anything else, there are plenty of witnesses who would agree with Atticul’s version of what happened. It’s the truth. The awful truth.

All Damon says when Selim looks to him is, “Lyr is my favoured. He has willingly supplied intelligence to me about the movements of Queen Jareleezi.”

Selim narrows his eyes. “You said yourself he had no more information about Jareleezi.”

Damon nods. This is true. The statement he made to protect Lyr will condemn him now. He cannot claim Lyr should be kept for information. He is of no more use alive. He nods at Selim. There’s nothing he can do now. Nothing he can say. Endrew is dead. Lyr will die. This situation is beyond saving.

“Flog the guards who were on duty at first light,” says Selim. “Execute their commander and imprison every whore who was present. The whore who held the blade will face justice tomorrow.” He looks up at Damon. He looks deeply sad. “Confine Damon to his quarters. He will have to stand at the Justice as the slave’s owner. Where is his sword?”

“The Amber Blade is in my chambers,” Damon says.

“The blade must be placed in the royal armoury.” At that, Damon sees Atticul smile to himself. He has won and he will have that blade now. The Amber Blade is his birthright. Along with everything in this room.

Atticul has triumphed. Not through his own guileless plotting, but through sheer misadventure. Damon has lost the favour of his father and Emperor Selim. And surely sweetest of all for Atticul’s rotten heart, Damon is broken.

Damon is taken back to the Tower of the Heir. He is escorted to his chambers, the Amber Blade is taken and two palace guards remain on the door.

Inez is sleeping, but she wakes when Damon sits down on the bed.

When she asks him what has happened, he can hardly bear to tell her. But he does. He has to. Endrew is dead on a blade held by Lyr, his slave, his dagger. It was not intentional, but that hardly matters.

Inez is pale-faced. “A slave of our household killed a prince? What will become of us?”

“I will not be made Warden of Vashti now. That title was Endrew’s. It would be unthinkable to bestow it on me. There will be no gala, no Order of Azuria. And then as Lyr’s owner, there will be a heavy fine.”

“How much? Will we lose the manor?”

“Possibly. I could be stripped of all my possessions for this.” Including you, Damon thinks. What will become of Inez after this? They have no sons. The marriage could be undone. Inez dreams of being the mother of an Emperor. That dream is surely out of reach now.

“Will it be that much?”

“Perhaps. I killed a palace guard.” Damon’s mind is clearing now. What will they do to him for this? Would it be useful for the Rose Court to be rid of him? “You should leave,” he says to Inez.

Inez looks at him wide-eyed. “Why?”

“You should not be here for the justice tomorrow. In case I am implicated. Go now. Go to the stables. Take your handmaidens and the carriage.”

“Go where? To the manor?”

“No. Go north to Swen. Stay with your mother and father. I will send for you when I know it is safe. You should not be in Attar now. I will not be able to protect you if things get worse.”

Inez does not argue. She understands the situation. She is tied to Damon. If he falls, she falls too. She gathers her things in silence, then goes to the next room to rouse her handmaids. Damon tells his houseguards to go with them too.

The palace guards on the door are only charged with keeping Damon confined. Once they are assured Damon is not going anywhere, they allow Inez and her party to leave without fuss.