The Queen’s Guard acted at once, and the sound of chains filled Kit with dread as they brought Jecobian out a door beneath the dais, one that led deeper into the castle, down dark corridors toward the prison cells below. That didn’t necessarily mean he’d been held there since yesterday, but wherever he had been, she was certain his experience had not been pleasant.

Seeing him confirmed her suspicions. He was chained at the hands and ankles and was having trouble walking. His hair was no longer a lustrous blond but held the filth one might expect from a prisoner. When he turned to look her direction, she could see...