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imperial family.”
    The other archers began to bleed away into the crowd. She was flattered by Justien’s invitation, but if she stayed for the race, she wouldn’t have time to return to town for a meal, and she couldn’t afford to eat on the festival grounds again. She leaned in and spoke in a low voice. “I need to run back to the inn for supper. But I’d like to talk to you after the race. Could we meet this evening in a place where there aren’t so many people?”
    “I could meet you at the inn in town. Where are you staying?”
    “The Crooked Billet.”
    His brow wrinkled in thought. “That’s on the west side?”
    “It’s far, I know,” said Nalica. “Why don’t I meet you back here at the fairgrounds. Say, by the registration tent in a few hours.”
    He nodded. “I’ll see you then.”
     
    ***
     
    Justien had been waiting by the registration tent for thirty minutes in the dark, and Nalica had yet to show up. She hadn’t told him what she wanted to speak to him about. He hoped it wasn’t about the tournament, because that subject would be awkward. He’d outshot her tonight. He’d proven that he could beat her. If he could repeat that performance tomorrow, he would win the city guard job—and if she thought she could talk him out of that, she could think again.
    He’d watched the horses run for the Imperial Plate. It had, unfortunately, been a snoozer of a race. Vagabond’s Dart had broken fast and led the pack to the first turn. From there, he’d gradually lengthened his lead and ultimately crossed the finish line alone. Captain Felix would be happy, at least. The purse was five thousand tetrals, and if Justien understood the arrangement correctly, Felix would receive one-seventh of it.
    A figure detached itself from the crowd and moved toward him. It was Nalica—had to be. He couldn’t see well in this unlit section of the festival grounds, but her size and shape were unmistakable.
    “Sorry if I’m late,” she said as she came up to him. “It’s a long walk from town.”
    “You should just eat at the festival next time,” he said, and immediately regretted the words. If she wasn’t eating at the festival, she had a reason for that, and the reason was probably that she was short on tetrals.
    “That would be more convenient,” she said blandly. “Look, about the horse—”
    “What horse?”
    “Honeycatcher,” she said. “You and I saw him this morning. He looked fine. So why was he scratched from the race?”
    Justien shrugged, feeling oddly defensive about this subject. It had shaken him to bump into the captain of the guard near Honeycatcher’s stall. “How should I know? He’s a racehorse. They go lame; they get sick.”
    “And Captain Felix was there, coming out of the tack room,” said Nalica, “when his horse was stabled in the other barn. Don’t you think it’s odd that he was there? What was he doing?”
    “He didn’t poison the horse, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He could not imagine the captain of the guard doing such a thing. At least, he didn’t want to imagine it.
    Nalica raised her brows. “Are you certain he didn’t?”
    Justien was about to spit out a reflexive no , but out of respect he paused to think the situation over. “I cannot be certain, but I see no reason to accuse him. All we saw him do was walk out of a tack room. That’s not a crime.”
    “I’m not saying it’s a crime,” said Nalica. “I’m just saying that maybe we’re the only people who know he was there, and maybe we should tell someone about it.”
    Justien bit his lip. If they did, there might be an investigation. Given the captain’s position of authority, it was hard to say whether he’d be hauled in for questioning or not. But he could easily find out that Justien and Nalica had been the ones to report him, and he was one of the contest judges. “Perhaps we could say something after the tournament.”
    “I think we should speak up sooner rather than