Time seems to go by differently in the holding room. All I can hear is the sound of my ragged breathing and the chattering of my teeth as the cold of the night sets into my bones. I can’t tell how long we’ve been in here, and there’s no way to know how much longer it’ll be until we’re able to leave, but my arms started to cramp ages ago and now numbness pricks beneath the surface of my skin.

The door to the room scrapes open and blinding light cuts through the darkness, burning my eyes. Several men and women sweep into the room, all of them in heavy robes. One of them steps forward and motions to a guard. The guard shoves a lamp into my face, and the man tuts and mutters something under his breath.

Before any of them can speak, two more bodies push through the crowd. One of them shoves the guard and the man in the robes away.

“What in Dracon’s name have you done?” he bellows, turning on all the guards and viziers. “Release the Queen at once.”

I recognize him as the prince who tried to dance with me at the party. Griffin. When none of the guards move, he steps to my side himself.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

His hands are gentle as he undoes the cuffs around my wrists and the warmth of his palms sears my freezing skin. I hadn’t thought much of him at the party, but now, I’m grateful for him as he straightens my arms out and massages feeling into them. They ache and the blood rushing back into them makes them tingle.

He unclasps the cloak from around his shoulders and looks to me, raising his brow in question. I nod and he wraps it around my shoulders. My body stills from its violent shaking and I rub warmth back into my hands.

“Are you hurt?” Griffin asks. His voice is nearly as warm as his cloak and genuine with concern.

I shake my head, still unable to form words, but he smiles. “We’ll have to take you to the medical examiner to do a more thorough check-up, but I’m glad to see you safe.”

He’s the first person to offer me a smile all night, the first anchor in the sea of chaos that’s been raging around me.

“Who is responsible for this insubordination?” Griffin asks, turning on the others.

“Your Majesty,” the other man says, and I recognize him from the party as well. Taurus—who whispered to Evren and barely glanced my way. “I can assure you those responsible for dishonoring the Queen in this way will be apprehended, but there could be a killer in our midst.”

“They will certainly be apprehended,” Prince Griffin says. Even in the dim light of the room, his blue eyes gleam. “Did you see the killer, Your Majesty?”

I want so badly to say something, to spill the truth. The killer is sitting right next to me, I want to scream, but as soon as I open my mouth, the assassin shakes his head slowly.

The move doesn’t go unnoticed by Taurus. “Nico, you were the first to reach Her Majesty. Did you see the killer?”

Taurus’ voice is carefully neutral, but everyone in the room can discern the meaning hidden within the question. Taurus studies Nico, but Nico’s face gives nothing away.

“I did not,” Nico says.

“Why were you with the Queen, anyway?” This, from Griffin, who does little to hide the suspicion in his voice.

“It was my turn to patrol Her Majesty’s bed chamber.”

“Explain the events as they happened,” Taurus says.

“I was doing my patrols, as I normally would,” Nico starts. “The hallways were more lively than usual, due to the banquet, but no one came near Her Majesty’s chambers. Then, I heard the Queen scream, and when I entered the room, it was to find her covered in blood, the Emperor lifeless in the bed next to her.”

Lies. Lies. Lies. How they roll off his tongue so easily, I don’t know. And why he’s lying anyway, I still don’t understand.

Again, I open my mouth to try to say something, to try to set the record straight, but Griffin speaks over me.

“Were none of the King’s guards on patrol?”

“No,” Nico says.

“Who was supposed to be on duty?” Taurus asks.

“I don’t know, but I was the only one in front of the door.”

“That’s not possible,” Taurus says. “One of the King’s guards is supposed to be near His Majesty at all hours.”

“Maybe they were in on the plot,” Griffin mutters. “We’ll have to question the guards and search the palace before all the guests leave. Anyone could be the killer.” Griffin turns his sharp eyes on Nico. “You’ll need to be questioned further.”

Nico tenses but doesn’t break Griffin’s stare. “I have no objections to that. My loyalty is to Her Majesty.”

Griffin smiles, but it’s a crooked sort of smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “Very well. Guards, see to it that the captain of the Queen’s retinue makes it to his prison cell.”

“Wait,” I cry. “Why is the captain being taken to prison?”

I still can’t bring myself to say his name. Nico seems too kind a name to give to someone who could murder a man in his sleep. For exactly that reason, my words take me by surprise, and they seem to take Nico by surprise too. But if I’m as involved in this murder as he claims I am, then I can’t run the risk of him selling me out, especially when he’s the only one who seems to know what’s going on. It’s best to keep him close, at least until I understand the situation.

At absolutely the wrong moment, Mr. Dickerson’s favorite saying comes to mind: “Don’t let a buyer sell you out.”

“The captain is a suspect in an on-going murder investigation,” one of the counselors, a tall, spindly man in a heavy robe says. “Your Majesty,” he tacks on like an afterthought, like the punchline to a joke. I immediately hate him.

“Who’ll protect me if the captain is in prison?” I sit up straight in my seat and try to look like a queen, but I know how horrible I must look right now, covered in blood and wearing nothing but a thin nightgown and a prince’s cloak.

“Your Majesty—” Taurus starts. He speaks slowly, the way someone would talk to a child.

“No,” I say. My next words feel like sandpaper in my mouth, but I’ve already ruined things. It would only make me look suspicious if I backed down now. “The captain already explained to you what happened. If you want to question him further, you can do it while he’s doing his job.”

“You heard the Queen,” Griffin says. “Her safety is the top priority.”

Like that, the air in the room changes. The counselor drops his chin and even Taurus doesn’t argue further.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they say in unison.

That Griffin is so quick to jump to my defense only makes me feel all the worse for lying.