THE BARGAIN

The next morning, Kaelen presented his proposal.

Lyra sat across from him in the secure room — they'd started calling it that, "the secure room," as if giving it a neutral name made her imprisonment more palatable. He'd brought breakfast, proper breakfast with fresh fruit and warm bread, and laid out his terms while they ate.

"You need a cover identity," he said. "The palace staff are already asking questions about the 'mysterious woman on the Eastern Spire.' I've told them you're a bodyguard I hired privately after the assassination attempt."

"Assassination attempt?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. "There wasn't one."

"There was. You just happened to be the assassin." He said it without accusation, a simple fact. "I told Commander Vale that you intervened to save me, which is technically true — you did prevent my death, albeit unintentionally."

Lyra felt his analytical mind working through the Thread, always calculating, always planning. It was exhausting and impressive at the same time. "So I'm your bodyguard now?"

"Officially, yes. You'll have quarters near mine — close enough that the Thread's effects are manageable. You'll accompany me to public events. You'll have access to palace facilities — the library, the training yard, the gardens."

"And unofficially?"