right. I went to tell each of the surviving seconds that they would report to Giovanni now. We had alwaystheoretically been equals, but everyone knew who was really in charge. I didn't find Isabella right away; Michel had seen her leave the camp, walking into the wasteland. I followed in the direction he pointed, and saw her as I came around the edge of a hill. She didn't see me; her eyes were closed as she knelt, her arms upraised. I had never been quite sure of Isabella's beliefs, but this was the posture to pray to the Lady. I held back a moment and watched.
Isabella was speaking, but too quietly for me to hear. I could see tears glint on her cheeks. Then she pulled a small sachet from a string around her neck. My mother wore one of those; it held a lock of hair cut from each of her children, even the two who had died. All mothers kept them, to bless and pray for their children when they were distant. It was one of the oldest traditions given by the Lady to Gaius.
As I watched, Isabella unlaced the pouch, took out a lock of dark, soft hair, and laid it on a rock. With a flint and steel and a bit of tinder, she set fire to the hair. I smelled the acrid smoke from where I stood, and choked back a cough. Isabella watched the smoldering ash for a moment.
“Now,” she said. “Now you are truly dead to me.” She closed her eyes for a long moment. Then she crossed herself, and I heard her mutter, “God forgive me.”
I should not have seen this. I would talk to her later, I decided, and slipped away.
A few nights later, Lia arrived without warning. She found me with Giovanni and Lucia; I was still included in war councils, still addressed as Generale, just as Giovanni had been. “I've got something you might be interested in,” she said to me without preamble. “Here.”
The letter she handed me was sealed. “Don't open it,” she said.
“Lia, what is this?”
“It's the letter of introduction for one Daniele, a premier violinist of the Pluma conservatory,” she said. “He was just accepted into one of the ensembles in Cuore— playing within the Imperial enclave, in fact.” She handed me another paper. “Here's the paper offering him the position.”
I read it over quickly. I recognized the name of the ensemble; it was one of the many small ensembles that provided chamber music at court. “So where is this Daniele?” I asked.
“Dead,” Lia said. “He died of a fever. But the Circle doesn't know that. Nor do they have any particular idea of what he looks like. Come on, Eliana, you know what I'm thinking! Don't you think there's anything you could accomplish if you were within the enclave of the Emperor? The enclave of the
Circle
?”
Giovanni's eyes lit up as mine went wide with alarm. “Oh no,” I said. “Lia, I'm not that good. I'm out of practice. And anyway I'm a
woman
. Daniele was not.”
“Cut your hair short again. No one looking at you ever knows you're a girl.”
“My voice—”
“Is deep enough to pass,” Lia said. “There are boys your age with voices squeakier than mine.” She clasped my hand and looked at me eagerly. “You'll pass, Eliana. Maybe if you stayed there five years they might suspect your lack of a beard, but not now. And you won't be staying there for five years, will you?”
“Eliana, you've got to do it,” Giovanni said. “We're never going to get this sort of chance again.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I demanded. “Spy on them?”
“Well, yeah,” Giovanni said. “And maybe more. Look, we know that the Circle is afraid of the army. Well, maybe they have
reason
to be afraid. Or maybe you could
give
them reason. You could gather information, win allies, you could even assassinate people in their beds! Well, maybe not that. But—”
“Giovanni, you're talking about court intrigue. What do I know about intrigue?”
“What did you know about leading an army? What did you know about training fighters? What did you know about
strategy
? When has
Isabella was speaking, but too quietly for me to hear. I could see tears glint on her cheeks. Then she pulled a small sachet from a string around her neck. My mother wore one of those; it held a lock of hair cut from each of her children, even the two who had died. All mothers kept them, to bless and pray for their children when they were distant. It was one of the oldest traditions given by the Lady to Gaius.
As I watched, Isabella unlaced the pouch, took out a lock of dark, soft hair, and laid it on a rock. With a flint and steel and a bit of tinder, she set fire to the hair. I smelled the acrid smoke from where I stood, and choked back a cough. Isabella watched the smoldering ash for a moment.
“Now,” she said. “Now you are truly dead to me.” She closed her eyes for a long moment. Then she crossed herself, and I heard her mutter, “God forgive me.”
I should not have seen this. I would talk to her later, I decided, and slipped away.
A few nights later, Lia arrived without warning. She found me with Giovanni and Lucia; I was still included in war councils, still addressed as Generale, just as Giovanni had been. “I've got something you might be interested in,” she said to me without preamble. “Here.”
The letter she handed me was sealed. “Don't open it,” she said.
“Lia, what is this?”
“It's the letter of introduction for one Daniele, a premier violinist of the Pluma conservatory,” she said. “He was just accepted into one of the ensembles in Cuore— playing within the Imperial enclave, in fact.” She handed me another paper. “Here's the paper offering him the position.”
I read it over quickly. I recognized the name of the ensemble; it was one of the many small ensembles that provided chamber music at court. “So where is this Daniele?” I asked.
“Dead,” Lia said. “He died of a fever. But the Circle doesn't know that. Nor do they have any particular idea of what he looks like. Come on, Eliana, you know what I'm thinking! Don't you think there's anything you could accomplish if you were within the enclave of the Emperor? The enclave of the
Circle
?”
Giovanni's eyes lit up as mine went wide with alarm. “Oh no,” I said. “Lia, I'm not that good. I'm out of practice. And anyway I'm a
woman
. Daniele was not.”
“Cut your hair short again. No one looking at you ever knows you're a girl.”
“My voice—”
“Is deep enough to pass,” Lia said. “There are boys your age with voices squeakier than mine.” She clasped my hand and looked at me eagerly. “You'll pass, Eliana. Maybe if you stayed there five years they might suspect your lack of a beard, but not now. And you won't be staying there for five years, will you?”
“Eliana, you've got to do it,” Giovanni said. “We're never going to get this sort of chance again.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I demanded. “Spy on them?”
“Well, yeah,” Giovanni said. “And maybe more. Look, we know that the Circle is afraid of the army. Well, maybe they have
reason
to be afraid. Or maybe you could
give
them reason. You could gather information, win allies, you could even assassinate people in their beds! Well, maybe not that. But—”
“Giovanni, you're talking about court intrigue. What do I know about intrigue?”
“What did you know about leading an army? What did you know about training fighters? What did you know about
strategy
? When has
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