The carriages were like nothing I'd seen in Macarath before. They'd been brought around to the Main Street, and they were attracting a lot of attention. Large and covered in sleek, black paint, they bore the insignia of the Nohrian royal family on all sides. The roofs had golden spikes around the edges like large crowns, and each of the corners carried gold helmets with black plumes.

I had never seen something that begged more to be vandalised in my life.

People were crowding around them, but as we drew nearer, a shout went up and they stepped back. They turned towards us, and money changed hands as men celebrated or commiserated over the revelation that Prince Leo was the royal guest. In Macarath, everything was a bet.

"Grace!" several people called as the crowd parted, some in more sensual tones than others.

I ignored them all, keeping my head down. Prince Leo and the guards were walking behind me, letting me be shamed.

But then someone else called my name, his gruff voice filled with horror. "Grace!"

I turned and looked over my shoulder as we stopped beside the carriages. An older man pushed his way to the front of the crowd, clenching a few pieces of gold in his hand. He'd bet on Prince Leo. I wasn't surprised. He was good at gambling, evidenced by the fashionable blue doublet and matching cloak he was wearing, and the dye in his chestnut brown hair to hide the silver that had been starting to show. He was no nobleman. Everything he owned, he had earned on the tables.

"Rory!" I called.

"Get in the carriage," Prince Leo ordered. "Preferably before we're mugged."

I was shoved up the steps and into the carriage. Two guards climbed in after me, then Prince Leo. The door slammed behind us, and the shouts of the crowd were abruptly muted. The carriage rumbled away.

Prince Leo frowned. "Everyone seemed to know you. You mentioned having spies -- am I going to have to send my men back to arrest accomplices?"

I glowered at him. "No. The gamblers of Macarath were not my spies, and none of my spies knew of my intentions. Those men back there have just noticed me around the city while I've gathered my evidence, and they've liked what they've seen. Everyone is looking for something quick in Macarath, Prince Leo. Quick games, quick money, or a quick screw."

The prince baulked at my vulgar talk and looked away. I smiled.

He cleared his throat and glanced back at me, his cheeks red. "What gave exactly who I am away?"

"The air you have about you; the way you carry yourself."

"That suggested royalty?"

"No, that suggested Prince Leo."

"I could have been Xander."

"You don't quite carry yourself like a king."

That earned me a dark scowl.

I turned and watched the grand gambling halls of Macarath roll by, tall buildings with roaring lions and fierce gargoyles carved into their points. I was surprised to find that I was sad to see them go.

The carriage rumbled onto a quieter road of grubby, tumbledown houses and splashed through a puddle. We passed the playing card that had given me luck, ruined by the water now.

Eventually, Prince Leo spoke again. "You mentioned gathering evidence. What evidence?"

I turned back to him. "Evidence about every girl Janus murdered. Anything that could have been a clue as to where and when he would strike again. He might have gone to ground for a while, but his killings were driven by urges, and I knew he would not be able to quell them forever. I gathered what I could from public announcements, and then I went to the cleaned-up crime scenes myself."

Janus had always taken young women with brown hair and brown eyes, and always from impoverished backgrounds with little family to speak of. Women with no one to miss them and nothing left in their lives...expect their beauty.

When he'd done what he'd wanted with them, he'd slit their throats. Their bodies had been found in gambling halls all over the city.

"As soon as another woman was found, I knew he was back," I said. "And I knew that the halls were probably where he'd been hiding, using another identity, all along. So with the help of the homeless feeding me information about recent activity in the halls, I tracked him down. And killed him. And now here I am." I rattled my chains.

Prince Leo leaned back and scrutinised me. "You fit Janus' criteria. In fact, I can't help but think that I've seen you somewhere before."

"You would be thinking of my older sister, Sasha. She was --"

"-- his last victim before he went to ground," Prince Leo finished. "I know. Contrary to your belief, we've been working hard to track him down again. I was at the head of the investigation. I know the victims."

Grief cracked my heart a little further open, the same way it always did when I thought about Sasha. "But without my spies, you would never have found him."

Prince Leo sighed. "So I now see. But that doesn't change the fact that you murdered him, Grace, and the laws of Nohr must be adhered to."

Still, he looked very thoughtful and not entirely convinced for the rest of our journey.

***

We reached the outskirts of Windmire just as the early dusk of winter was starting to fall. Mostly, we'd passed through quiet, ordinary towns. I'd never left Macarath before, but so far, I'd been disappointed by the surrounding world.

My city was full of people who would lie and cheat for money, and you had to watch when you walked down the street that a young lad didn't grope you, or an old man didn't entice you to play a rigged game. But it was also full of life. I liked the varied characters that could be found in the gambling halls. I liked the loud voices and laughter that were a permanent soundtrack in the heart of the city. I liked the fact that anyone could be persuaded to keep their eyes and ears open with a bit of money. It was all simply a part of the place I called home.

The rest of Nohr was dull by comparison. No one gathered around our carriage and made bets. If they were even on the streets, they kept their heads down.

Windmire didn't seem much different once we had passed through the city walls. The buildings were taller here, spiking into the dark sky like spears. But that was all. So it was easy for me to snap to attention when Prince Leo suddenly broke the day's silence. "Have you caught any other murderers, Grace?"

"No." I took my time looking away from the window, feigning boredom. That was the kind of strange question someone asked when they wanted something but weren't ready to show their hand. "Just Nohr's most wanted man."

Prince Leo watched me like we were playing poker. He had a good face for it, but if his clear distaste for the activities of Macarath were anything to go by, he'd probably never gambled in his life.

"Janus won't kill anyone ever again," I prompted.

"Are you asking for my gratitude?"

"A small thank you before I join Sasha would be nice."

Prince Leo glowered. "It was not your place to kill Janus. I can't allow civilians to get away with murder even if they're doing the world a favour, or everyone will feel entitled to kill who they please." His voice softened. "But I'm sorry about your sister."

"So am I. Hence Janus' death." I leaned forward. "So before I am punished for it, hurry up and tell me what's on your mind. Why are you so interested in me?"

He scowled, and his voice hardened again. "Don't take that tone with me."

"No matter what I say, I'm dead meat anyway. So I'll say what I like."

We rattled under a bridge and were suddenly plunged into darkness. I turned back to the window again and peered out. Only the flicker of the candles that were swinging from the front of our carriage guided our way, and for a moment, it looked like we were riding towards nothing at all. Then the flames picked a portcullis out of the gloom.

The carriage came to a halt. Prince Leo stood up and opened the door, not sparing a glance at the soldiers. "Stay here and guard her. I'll go myself."

He disappeared into the darkness. I glared at it, hoping he would stay there.

Unfortunately, he came back a few minutes later. As he boarded the carriage again, making it rock gently, I heard metal grind with agonising reluctance. The portcullis began to draw upwards.

Prince Leo sat down, and the carriage moved forwards. We rattled under the portcullis and out of the tunnel, into the grey dusk once more.

Ahead of us stood a circular wall, so tall that I could only just about see the top through the window, and wide enough to hold all the gambling halls of Macarath.

"Welcome to Castle Krakenburg," Prince Leo said in a tone that was anything but welcoming. "It is here where you will be held until your execution. You have one day, maybe two, to enjoy our dungeons."

I knew he wanted to rattle me, and I did not want him to see his success. I kept my sweaty palms resting against my legs and looked back out the window. That was Castle Krakenburg? It had to be a small, pitiful thing if its spires didn't even stand above its walls.

Prince Leo was smirking. I felt as if he was waiting for me to make a fool of myself, so I avoided commenting on the building at all. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I am the superior here," he said coldly, the smirk dropping. "I will answer it when I wish. Wait."

The carriage rolled right up to the walls, but my gaze drifted to something else as we lurched to a halt. Three wyverns were standing a few yards away, saddles on their backs. They watched the carriage as if they wanted to eat it and the horses as one meal, and the people who were holding them were having trouble keeping them still.

I'd only ever seen wyverns once or twice in my life, flying over Macarath on a journey elsewhere. They were strictly for military purposes, because they did not breed nearly as well as horses. I'd never seen any this close before. They looked intimidating, and I swallowed nervously.

A man clad in a full suit of armour came to the door of the carriage and opened it. He bowed as best he could. "Prince Leo."

"Commander Jago."

"Welcome back, my lord. The wyverns have been prepared as requested."

Commander Jago held the door open as Prince Leo disembarked. Then the two men who'd shoved me inside stood up and shoved me back out.

"I'll go up to the walls first," Prince Leo said when we were all standing. He held his hand out towards me and the guards. "I'll take Grace. She and I need to speak alone."

The guards pushed me towards him. I purposefully didn't pick my feet up, and one caught on a stone as I staggered forwards. I tripped and almost barrelled headlong into Prince Leo, but he grabbed me by the shoulders and held me at arm's length before I could send us both flying.

He glowered at the guards behind me. "Be careful!"

"Apologies, my lord," one of them stuttered.

I could imagine them turning bright red. When Prince Leo had moved behind me, I grinned.

"I trust that you see how pointless it would be to run with so many people around," Prince Leo said. "So I won't hold on to you. Walk towards the nearest staircase. Do you see it?"

I spotted one nestled side-on to the castle walls. Now I was really puzzled. Surely that was like handing invaders a ladder so that they could infiltrate the castle?

But when I'd walked up the stairs and I was standing on top of the wall, all became inexplicably clear. Any invading enemy would have to fall about eight hundred feet to reach the castle. The reason why I hadn't been able to see any spires was because it was not built on solid ground -- it was down in the depths of the earth. Tall and black with turrets like spears, it tore upwards from its hole menacingly. Bridges crisscrossed between smaller buildings with no railings for safety, and there was nothing but dark water below.

Prince Leo let me stare at it for a moment. I kept my face blank. If this was supposed to intimidate me before he finally laid his cards on the table, he would be disappointed.

Eventually, he said, "I have an offer to make. One that I should not really be making, but you're right. You did catch Nohr's most wanted man." He swept his hand over the view before us. "Somewhere down there, in Castle Krakenburg, is a serial killer like Janus. They have struck twice already. This is not public knowledge, and I would like them to be caught before it is."

"You want my assistance."

He sighed. "Yes. Both the victims have a connection to Kass -- that is, Queen Kassandra. I'm worried she will be next." He looked at me. "I'll admit this now, Grace: we're desperate. We've set up a committee to investigate these murders, but no culprit has been found. Someone like you would be a great asset to the team. If you join the committee and work as my partner until the case is officially closed, I will drop the charge against you. Once the murderer is caught, you will be free to go. All you have to do is stay in Castle Krakenburg and assist us."

I raised my eyebrows. "That's it?"

"Yes. Of course, if you attempt to escape the castle before the case is closed, I will track you down myself and have you executed without delay. But if you keep your end of the deal -- which includes telling no one other than my family that we have a deal -- then you will be a free woman as soon as it's all over."

"Then the choice is easy," I said. "Yes, I'll help you, Prince Leo."

He frowned. "I said as my partner. I don't want anything to stand in the way of catching this killer, and that includes both any grudge you may hold towards me for arresting you, and the ordinary hierarchy of the world. Xander heads the committee, but I am in charge of the legwork. As such, I want you to work alongside me as an equal."

"So...yes, I'll help you, Leo?"

"That's better." He looked down at the view again. "By the way, you haven't said a word about Castle Krakenburg. I can tell that it's not what you were expecting."

"No," I admitted. "It's the most interesting thing I've seen outside Macarath so far."

There was a long silence. Wondering if I'd said something wrong, I looked at Leo. He was smiling.

I tried to fold my arms across my chest, but I was stopped by the chains around my wrists. I settled on glaring at him instead. "What?"

"You think it's interesting." His smile grew, one corner of his mouth rising higher than the other and making it impishly lopsided. "Most men are quaking in their boots when they see it from above. I expect even Janus would have been, had he been standing here today."

"I'm glad he isn't," I said. "And even though I have accepted your deal, I will never regret killing him."

Leo's smile dropped sharply. He turned away, muttering so quietly that I wasn't entirely certain if he was talking to me or himself. "We'll see about that."