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Jasper. He wants to thank you.”
     
     
    Wen forced a smile and swung out of the saddle to make a creditable bow in the nobleman’s direction. When she straightened, he was standing right in front of her, his height making her feel so small that she started to resent it. At the same time, he had his hand outstretched to take hers, a rare mark of favor from a man of his station to a woman of hers. Reluctantly, she put her hand in his and found his grip firm, though his uncallused palm had clearly never held a weapon.
     
     
    “Karryn has just told me your part in this extraordinary story,” he said, and Wen marveled that such a deep and pleasant voice could come from such a slim frame. “My name is Jasper Paladar, and I’m her guardian. Thank you so much for saving her from a dreadfully grim fate.”
     
     
    “You’re welcome,” she said. “I was glad to do it.”
     
     
    “I would like to reward you for your efforts.”
     
     
    She almost smiled. It was the least original thing he could have said. “I did not befriend her hoping for a reward.”
     
     
    “Perhaps not, but heroism can be an expensive endeavor,” he replied.
     
     
    She laughed, because that was a phrase she hadn’t heard before. “In fact, my only outlay was for the mare, which you can certainly buy from me if you like,” she said. “Karryn will need to ride something, after all, as you head back to Forten City.”
     
     
    “She’s not a very exciting horse,” Karryn said. And then, when she caught Wen’s look, “But of course I like her very much!”
     
     
    “Karryn tells me you have exceptional skill with a sword,” Jasper Paladar added. He was looking down at Wen with a mixture of curiosity and speculation, and his gray eyes were keen and considering. Even if Karryn hadn’t told her so, Wen would have instantly guessed that here was a man of rare intelligence. “That’s unusual for a woman, isn’t it?”
     
     
    “I have skill, but I don’t know that it’s exceptional,” Wen replied coolly. “Being able to outfight a nobleman and a brigand isn’t much of a challenge. Any of your guards could probably manage it.”
     
     
    That raised his dark eyebrows and sharpened his expression. “I would like to think that’s true,” he said softly. “But the caliber of soldier willing to fight for this House has deteriorated sadly since my cousin’s husband went to war.”
     
     
    “I understand that you might face some difficulties in raising an army for your House, given its history, but even the queen would realize that you need a strong personal guard,” Wen said. “If for no other reason than to prevent the sort of disaster that just happened.”
     
     
    Jasper Paladar’s eyebrows drew together. “Karryn hasn’t told me the entire story yet, but it’s clear she put herself at risk, telling her mother she was heading to one destination and setting out for an entirely different destination in stealth. Even the sloppiest soldiers can be excused for not protecting her when she was not where she was supposed to be.”
     
     
    “Can they?” Wen said. “I don’t think so.”
     
     
    Now his brows rose in an expression of surprise. “What do you mean?”
     
     
    Wen gestured toward the soldiers. “Properly trained guards follow their master wherever the master goes. Do you think Queen Amalie ever sets foot outside the palace in Ghosenhall without at least two Riders at her back? She doesn’t need to ask them to attend her. Some number of them are assigned to watch her at every hour of the day, and that is all they do.”
     
     
    “Still, Amalie is the queen,” he replied. “There is reason to suppose she might always be in danger.”
     
     
    Wen shrugged. “There is reason to suppose your niece is always at risk. I don’t know what kind of politics are at work here in Fortunalt, but it seems some of the nobles are feeling discontented. You should assume this was not a lone assault. You should plan