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An arm drew her away from the shop. She stumbled, neck arching to see Marcellus release his hold on her. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Thicket asked. To think he made such a big deal about not leaving her side all this time only to leave her in the middle of a crowded street.

“I need to buy something really quickly. Bern, keep an eye on her.”

Bern saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Thicket’s interest was immediately piqued. Since she had met him, Marcellus had never wanted anything for himself. She was more curious to know what he was buying than she wanted to admit.

Her eyes followed his movements through the crowd, quick and sure, able to cut through the swarm of people without breaking their formation. He stopped before one of the many stalls, conversing with the vendor before nodding and stepping back, allowing the customer behind him to assume his place. His arms were crossed, fingers tapping impatiently as he waited for the vendor to return with whatever he wanted to purchase. The tightly packed crowd obscured her vision of the booth. She craned her neck, trying to find an opening.

“What are you doing?” Bern asked, frowning at the contortion of Thicket’s body.

She straightened, embarrassment pooling across her cheeks. “N-nothing.”

Bern shot her a disbelieving look.

“I am just curious to see what he is buying, that’s all,” Thicket said, hugging her arms across her chest. Bern hummed as a little smile played on her lips. “So it has nothing to do with how popular he is?”

Thicket frowned. “Popular? What do you m—”

Oh. Her gaze honed in on a group of women clustered around a nearby stall. They were staring at Marcellus, whispering among themselves giddily.

One of the women worked up the courage to approach. Marcellus’ sharp eyes fell on her. Even from a distance, Thicket noticed the flush of the girl’s skin. Marcellus’ eyes narrowed and he said something that made the woman flinch. He turned, dismissing her. The woman skulked away, rejoining her friend and left to relocate to a new area of the market. Still, something in Thicket’s chest twisted.

Before, she would have laughed at the harsh way Marcellus handled the woman’s advances, feeling a twinge of sympathy as someone who knew all too well what it was like to be on the opposite end of his sharp tongue. But in this moment, she saw what the other woman did. He wasn’t merely her infuriating guard, the one who always knew exactly what to say to get under her skin. He was a man someone could fall in love with, despite the jagged spines he wore like armor.

One day, someone would break through that shell. Would his harsh features soften when he looked at her? Would he laugh freely and let them into the parts of his life he had restricted before?

She didn’t know why, but the thought left her with a hollow aftertaste.

“Did you learn anything?”

Thicket and Bern jumped in unison as Lotta appeared directly beside them.

“Chalices, Lotta,” Bern said, resting a hand above her chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Well?” Lotta pressed.

“My dream was right,” Thicket said. “Dymree was blamed for the phoenix’s death.”

“And,” Bern added, “we were able to confirm that Alouette is being held in the palace.”

“Good,” Lotta said. “Because Elian and I found an entrance.”

The palace wall was as large as it was grand, molded with a mixture of deep red and pale, yellowish stone. They wrapped around it until they reached an abandoned section of the city. The air was thick with dust, trapped beneath a low arched roof. Old clotheslines were strung across the top, hanging frayed cloaks and shawls with unfurling strings.

A few older men and women took refuge in darkened corners. Despite being shielded from the sun, the shade didn’t do anything to ward off the heat. Thicket did her best not to make eye contact as they ducked beneath an old wooden beam into a hidden alleyway.

“There’s a passage here,” Elian said. He felt around the side of the bricked wall. One of the stones gave way. The ground rumbled as stone ground against stone, splitting a section of the wall.

“A secret entrance,” Bern said. “Very impressive.”

“How did you know this was here?” Marcellus asked.

“Elian’s badger,” Lotta said.

Marcellus frowned. “Are we sure it leads to the palace?”