Page 7 of Down Comes the Night

Wren kept her face blank, even as her knees threatened to buckle. Una did say she would try to help, but lying for her was not what she had expected. Wren tried to catch Una’s eye, but she was an unmoving picture of obedience, even as her jaw was set in defiance.

“So you editorialized in your report. How strange that he removed his restraints, incapacitated two of my Guard, and evaded capture, all with a broken arm.”

“As I said. I miscalculated.”

“I have never known you to miscalculate when it comes to such an easy target. Beyond that, your reputation precedes you. Your men revere you for your commitment to justice. Totruth.” Isabel leveled her with an icy stare. “On what account did they misjudge you? Are you a liar, or are you incompetent?”

Una’s fists tightened, the only sign of her anger. “I confess, I more than anyone am shocked to learn I’m not infallible.”

“I took a risk letting you climb this high this young. It seems I’ve made a mistake.”

Una flinched. The first crack in her resolve.

“It would be a shame to demote you, since you’ve otherwise shown such promise,” Isabel pressed. “Are you sure you’ve not misremembered the details?”

“I—”

“I removed his restraints, Your Majesty,” Wren cut in. “I healed him.”

Una let out a sharp sigh, somewhere between relieved and frustrated. Despite the dread that flooded her, Wren didn’t entirely regret her intervention. It was true she couldn’t afford another mistake. But she couldn’t let Una sacrifice her career like this, either.

Isabel’s gaze fell on Wren like a guillotine. “Why?”

“Because it was the right thing to do.”

“I see.” Isabel opened a drawer and ran her fingers over the feathery tops of her folders. The chilling calm of her voice only made the anticipation worse. “You should consider yourself lucky the Goddess blessed you with such a strong manifestation of your gift.”

Sometimes Wren could convince herself jealousy tinged her aunt’s voice when she spoke of magic. Today she focused only on stifling her anger and her heresy. The Goddess had nothing to do with her skill. Mother Heloise’s brutal training regimen, however… “Thank you, Your Majesty. I do.”

Isabel tossed a file on the desk and began to read. “A history of impulsivity and disrespect in your lessons. A religious skepticism unfitting for one raised by the Order of the Maiden. I trust I needn’t remind you of what happened the last time your pity was misplaced. This will be your third offense.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“I’m afraid I don’t believe that anymore.” Isabel narrowed her eyes. “These abductions are blatant acts of war, and we are without allies. When I muster forces to retaliate, I need my Guard at its best. You’re nothing but a liability. You have lost valuable information, and you have jeopardized lives. You may have my sister’s blood, but you have yet again proven yourself unworthy of it.”

Rage darkened the corners of Wren’s vision.Proven yourself unworthy.She had proven nothing, when her unworthiness was a decree from Isabel herself since birth. Shortly after her mother died, Isabel banished Wren to the abbey. A monarch who’d inherited a losing war, after all, could spare no patience or pity for her sister’s underfoot orphan. Barred from court and excluded from the line of succession, Wren knew very well that no matter how badly she craved acceptance, no matter how hard she tried or what she did, she could not scrub that stain off.

“Unworthy? And what of the rest of my file?” Wren asked. “Surely it documents more than my shortcomings. How many other surgeons do you have? Any two-bit medic can be a competent healer, but unless they have other skills—”

Una held out her hand, a clear command to stand down. “Please excuse her insolence, Your Majesty. Lieutenant Southerland is under my direct command. I accept full responsibility for her actions. Any punishment must be as much mine as hers.”

“Very well, then, Major. It’s clear to me now that Wren is a bad influence on you. Since your fondness for her is distracting you from your duty, I will remove her from your command. Wren is suspended from duty.”

Suspended.How easily one word could shatter her.

“What?” Wren choked out.

“I thought what I said was clear. I will not have you impeding investigations. You’re suspended until further notice.”

The knot of anxiety in her stomach went taut and snapped. The room was suddenly too hot, the injustice too much to bear. Wren slammed her palms on the queen’s desk. “No. This is absurd.”

Isabel only regarded her impassively, her thin lips set in a challenge.

“You cannot punish me for doing what’s right. Mistreating prisoners is not an example we should set for the world.”

Una grabbed Wren’s shoulder. It was a warning:Calm down before you make it worse.“Your Majesty, Wren and I have worked together from the beginning. I need her.”

“There are equally qualified healers who don’t let their feelings get in the way of their orders. War is coming. I need someone who is focused to support you in battle. Even one mistake will cost your life against someone like Hal Cavendish.”