Woo In stiffened, growing even more ashen. “We took measures to ensure none would die,” he replied. “No one except—”
“An innocent boy who had never hurt anyone,” snarled Kirah.
My brows shot into my hairline. “Wait. You know about Woo In setting the fire? Who told you?”
“He did. He told me a lot of things. And for someone so determined to be free, he acts an awful lot like a puppet.”
“I have nothing against your prince,” Woo In murmured. “Kirah, please. I was just following orders. I was trying to prevent more deaths—”
“How do you even know Woo In?” I blurted, head swiveling back and forth between them. The tenderness in his tone, as well as the flush in Kirah’s cheeks, was beginning to make me uneasy. “I haven’t seen him since our council was crowned at Ebujo. And even then, I didn’t remember who he was.”
“I met him on the road,” she replied. “He was following me—and he’s been spying on us! Remember how we used to sit on the Children’s Palace roof? He was there, all last year. Listening.”
“Following orders,” he repeated wearily.
If Kirah was right, then Woo In had heard my most vulnerable secrets: my dreams, lusts, worries. And by eavesdropping on us … I stiffened as Woo In stammered excuses at Kirah. In the last year, he had gotten to know her, as well. He had grown … fond of her.
Sanjeet came to stand between them, scrutinizing Kirah’s right hand, which was heavily bandaged.
“This is fractured,” Sanjeet growled, rounding on Woo In. “If you laid a hand on my council sister—If you threatened—”
“Actually,” Kirah said calmly, “I threatened him. I first met Woo In on my way from Yorua. He stopped me in the road, so I pulled a knife. It didn’t come to blows then. He only wanted to know where Tarisai had gone, thinking the emperor might have taken her, like he took—” She broke off and gasped. “Oh, Tar. I’m so sorry—”
“It’s all right,” I said. “We know what happened to The Lady.”
“If he didn’t fight you, then what happened to your hand?” asked Sanjeet.
“Oh—” Kirah winced at her fingers. “This happened yesterday. His face was denser than I thought.”
Only then I noticed the bruise on Woo In’s cheek. “You punched him,” I said in shock. “Did he … Did he try to—”
“Of course not,” Woo In rasped. “I would never disrespect a woman that way. I would never hurt Kirah in any way. I was just—”
“He confessed about trying to kill Dayo,” Kirah said. “That’s why I hit him. Before that …” She frayed the edge of her prayer scarf. “We were getting along, actually.”
Why would Woo In tell Kirah the worst thing he’d ever done? “Why are you traveling together?” I asked, shaking my head to clear it. “And how did you get here so quickly?”
“Besides riding Hyung? We flew.” She paused. “I didn’t know anyone could fly until Woo In showed me. In Nyamba, we flew up a mountain at sunset. I’d never seen anything so—” She stopped, turning pink. “Anyway. He knew the way to Bhekina House, and I would never have found it without him. He didn’t have to bring me along, but he needed a way to influence you. At least, that’s what he said. So here I am: his leverage.” She beamed at me. “Is it working?”
I laughed and Kirah smiled, though her expression hardened. For the first time, she rounded on Woo In.
“You’re a fool to serve The Lady, you know,” she said. “So what if she promised to free the Redemptors? You don’t even know how she plans to do it—and you’ve served her for years! She doesn’t care about innocent Songland children, Woo In. For Am’s sake—she tried to kill Dayo. Her own nephew!”
“She cares,” Woo In insisted. “You don’t know her.”
“And you do?” Kirah snorted. “Is The Lady your lover or something?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Woo In spat. Then he sighed, collecting his temper. “The Lady found me when I was a boy, Kirah. I had only just escaped from the Underworld. Everyone else saw a cursed child, but The Lady saw a son. She was a mother to me, and a friend.” He paused, staring hard at Kirah’s sandals. “I should not have tried to kill your prince,” he whispered. “I was young, and desperate, and I’m sorry. The Lady told me it was the only way. That to free the Redemptors, Olugbade and his line