The sun was barely up when there was a knock on Kit’s chamber door. She knew who it was before Isla even answered. Even picturing his hideous face in her mind before seeing it over her cousin’s shoulder had her stomach churning.

Vin seemed wide awake for as early as it was, especially since Kit imagined he’d been up half of the night at least. His gray eyes were brighter than usual, and the snarl on his face seemed to pull his thin lips into as much of a smile as she’d ever noted. “The queen would see the princess,” he said with no formal greeting or as much as...