My head was spinning. From the way my stomach felt, I was spinning too. I walked away from Benevento's house, vaguely heading toward the castle, though I wasn't sure how to get there. I passed cottages of merchant families that sat in the middle of the city, sitting solidly in the muddy ground and, for some reason, reminding me of how unstable I felt. My entire body was coated in coarse white sand, my fine noble's clothes were drenched and torn, and my hair was plastered across my head in a mess of twisted strands.

I still wasn't certain why I had followed Benevento to his house. I had made the decision in a split second, running after Benevento as we fled the wreckage that had once been Dath's home. I had been desperate for a distraction, anything to take my mind off of my friend's death, and my mission had seemed oddly comforting.

Reminded of him again, I looked at the brown jerkin I still held in my hand. It was dirty and wrinkled, but still in one piece except for the missing corner. I burst into a fresh bout of sobbing, unable to think clearly, my mind filling with pain and despair. I pulled off my shoe and threw it against the cottage I was passing, and it made a dull thump against the wet wood before falling onto the muddy street.

Suddenly infuriated, I pulled off my red jerkin and stomped it into the mud next to the shoe, using my bare foot. I picked it up and tore it apart, flinging the pieces aside. I stared at the remains of my vest, looking similar to spots of blood beneath the crescent moon, and let out a wail of anguish. I tried to put Dath's vest on, before seeing the ripped sleeves again. My chest shook with the gasping noises that continued to come out of my throat as tears slid down my face.

My one condolence was that Benevento wasn't a traitor, and I tried to focus my fog-filled mind on that. It helped for some reason, knowing that his only motivation to push so hard for rank was to please his father. I thought back to what I had heard Benevento discussing. Even with the haze in my mind, I deduced that the girl he had been speaking to was his sister. He had seemed so upset about the idea of taking Dath's place, ready to cry because his father would push him to do what he thought was wrong. From what I had seen of Benevento, having pressure like that could almost break him if it directly went against his heart. I suddenly felt angry with his father and almost threw my shoe again, feeling the tears in my eyes renew themselves.

I took a slow breath, the air entering my lungs in a series of jerking gasps, but it helped me slow down my sobbing. I forced myself to hold my breath for as long as I could, then let it out through my teeth. I shoved my foot back into my shoe and forced myself to walk on, leaving the tatters of my vest in the mud.

The king's castle looked exactly the same as it had every rainy night, which aggravated my fragile state. How dare the castle carry on the same way when Dath is dead? I ranted in my head. How dare King Macaffelon ignore it? I ran at the outer wall and kicked the slick, wet stone with a shout, earning myself the attention of two guards. They grabbed me, and I protested, squirming as they took firm hold of my arms. "I'm here for His Majesty," I croaked out. "I have a report. My name is Lord Corvielto. I mean, Casdin. I mean..." I burst into tears again.

"He's drunk," hear one of the guards say through the haze in my mind. "What should we do with him?"

"I must remind you, we've received orders to give admission to a man named Casdin tonight. He was sent to spy on a nobleman at a party and would be returning late to report."

The other guard laughed uneasily. "It seems he did too much of the party and not enough of the spying!"

I began to drift out of their conversation, immersing myself in the night's events once again, when one of the guards poked me sharply. "What do you have to say to prove your identity? Why are you like this?" He gestured to my torn, dirtied clothes.

"I won't," I flubbed, startled and upset. "I mean, I— well, I was going to spy on Lord Benevento Gavell and then the roof exploded. And there were Cornotan forced on the beach, and I ran."

"You were at the house that got attacked?" the guard asked in surprise. "I suppose that does explain it."

His efficient, emotionless words were like a knife in my swirling thoughts, and I felt tears welling up again.

"But we cannot present him to His Majesty in the state he's in!" the other guard protested.

"We must obey His Majesty's direct orders," the first guard said firmly. "Should he wish for us to bring this man back clean and sober, we will do so."

The other guard didn't seem to like the idea, but he shouted the order for the gates to be opened. I numbly followed the guards as they marched into the outer courtyard. I lost track of where I was as we walked, not noticing whether I was walking on grass, cobbles or carpet.

When we stopped outside a large wooden set of double doors, it took me several moments to see that they were ornately carved with swirling lines. Then they were pushed open, and I stumbled maladroitly into a room. It was large and well-decorated, with a big chair at the end. After several seconds, I figured out that it was a throne. King Macaffelon sat comfortably on it, dressed in purple robes. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment as I walked forward, leaving a trail of sand and mud across the polished floor.

"Your Majesty," I remembered to say, then bowed and swayed on my feet. I caught myself without falling over and tried to regain my composure.

"Whatever happened?" the king demanded.

"Cornota," I managed.

"Were you at the house that was destroyed by their catapults?" he asked.

"Yes. They killed Dath!"

"Who's he? A friend you made? An acquaintance of Lord Gavell?"

"He's..." I struggled. "He was my brother, I think. No, he was my friend."

Macaffelon looked taken aback. "He must have been a close friend," he remarked sympathetically. "Anyway, why did you come here so soon?"

"I followed Benevento home from the party. I heard him talking with a girl. She sounded like his sister. He's only trying to gain status because his father is pressuring him to! He was debating trying to take Dath's place. He felt like it was wrong, but he was worried about his father."

"Thank you, Casdin," the king said. "I have one less person to worry about on the inside of my kingdom, so I can better focus on the war."

"The war," I repeated. The war is what killed Dath! I realized in horror. "The war is your fault!" I accused suddenly.

"I warn you not to raise your voice at me again," he snapped. "And for your information, it was Cornota who declared war. I assure you, had it been me, I would have had ships stationed in the gulf to intercept the attack."

I shook my head. "You're an awful king!" I shouted. "I hate you!"

He rose to his feet, and the guards behind me pressed in closer to me. "Do you realize that what you just said is treasonous?" he demanded.

"I don't care!" I yelled. "This is all your fault! You shouldn't be king!"

"It saddens me to do this," he said coldly, his face contorted with restrained anger. "But you know the punishment for treason. You will be banished from Tramonto. You have two days to exit the kingdom, and after that my soldiers will be ordered to execute you."

My eyes widened, and I took a step back. I didn't say anything as guards grasped my arms and dragged me from the throne room. I just sat hanging limply from their rough hands as they dragged me through the halls of the castle, then marched me through courtyards and dumped me outside the wall.

I sat there on the cobbled road, my jaw hanging open in astonishment for a long time. Then, realizing exactly what had happened, I scrambled to my feet, still gasping with shock, and dashed away from the castle, heart pounding.

I didn't realize where I was headed until I got there. Benevento's mansion looked the same as it had when I had left a few hours before, light pouring from the lanterns inside. I stopped outside the gate to the courtyard to catch my breath, then walked up to the large doors. I rapped sharply, and the dark-skinned servant who had announced my name at the first party pulled the door open a few seconds later.

"May I meet with Lord Benevento?" I stuttered out.

"I'll retrieve him," he said. "May I know your name?"

"It's— well— Lord Casdin. Sorry, I mean Lord Corvielto."

I waited for what seemed like hours before the door opened again. A head of ginger—strawberry blonde—hair peered out, wearing a look of unmasked confusion. "Lord Vascanta?" Benevento asked incredulously.

Before I could fully form an answer in my head, I blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Who on earth is Lord Vascanta?"