Rook

Myfanwy. “Frankly, I like the idea of you two being in a secure place. Head down there and make the calls. But first, please get a car ready for us right away. You two are coming with me,” she said to the bodyguards.
    “Yes, Rook Thomas,” Ingrid said, “but you may want to put some shoes on.”
    “Shoes?” repeated Myfanwy incredulously, her wrath momentarily subdued. “Right.”
    “And a jacket. It’s chilly tonight.”
    “Okay, fine.”
    “Rook Thomas, what…?” Ingrid trailed off helplessly.
    “You remember what we talked about in Scotland?” asked Myfanwy quietly. Ingrid looked blank. “The infiltrator in the Court?” The blood rushed from Ingrid’s face as she nodded. “I’ve figured it out.” She looked hesitantly at Pawn Alan, Emily, and the large bodyguard, and then leaned close to her assistant’s ear and whispered a name. Ingrid cringed at the news as Myfanwy spun on her heel and walked away, with Emily and the large bodyguard following her closely.
    M yfanwy was sitting in the car, lost in thought, as the garage door rolled up. Emily and the large bodyguard watched her with wideeyes as she kneaded her temples with her hands and ran through her accusations.
    This person is a traitor to the Checquy and the country.
    This person embezzled massive funds, and in conjunction with the Scientific Brotherhood of Scientists started a private army within the Checquy and abducted non-powered British children to be troops.
    This person… this person can tell the Court that they stole my memories.
    This person can point out that I’m the amnesiac who woke up and claimed a position of power that she didn’t know anything about. They can prove it.
    This person can destroy my life.
    “What am I doing?” she asked herself. “What am I going to—what the hell is going on?” The car had stopped abruptly, and there were rumblings outside. It proved to be the protesters, who had gathered around the limousine that they saw as tangible evidence of a secret conspiracy, or at least of somebody worth irritating. “I don’t believe this.”
    Myfanwy opened the sunroof and stood up, poking her head out and risking the possibility of having eggs or rotten vegetables thrown in her face. “You people, just bugger off ! We have a woman in here who is going into labor. We have to get her to the hospital!” The protesters quieted for a moment. “And she’s a lawyer!” Myfanwy added triumphantly, pulling out Ingrid’s mobile phone and taking photos of monumentally bad quality. The group scattered, and the car drove on.
    “Unbelievable,” she said, breathing heavily. The bodyguards made muted sounds of wary agreement, and she closed her eyes. With an effort, she calmed herself and returned her thoughts to where she was going.
    Am I going to do this? Am I really going to confront them with this?
    This person can destroy my life.
    She thought of Gallows Keep and the terrors that waited there for a person the Checquy could not trust. Of the penalties that would be inflicted on an infiltrator.
    And then she thought of all the letters she had read. She recalled the despair and the hope and the effort that Thomas had put into them.
    Into
her
.
    This person can destroy my life. But they already destroyed Thomas’s, and by God, they’ll pay for that.
    She turned her attention to Emily and the large bodyguard.
    “We’re about to go accuse a member of the Court of treason,” she said. “And there may be some tension and unpleasantness. Are you two ready to fight?” The bodyguards exchanged startled glances. “Are you ready to die? I’ll level with you—there’s treachery afoot, and I can’t afford to call in anyone else, since you already possess astoundingly sensitive information. I can’t really be certain I can trust you, but at least I know you can’t make any calls to warn anyone, because I’m watching you.”
    “Rook Thomas, I am loyal to the Checquy. I swear to God,” said the large bodyguard seriously.
    “As am I,” said Emily.
    “I appreciate that, but I’ve already had some disappointments,” said Myfanwy. “Which is why my powers will be reading you every moment. And I say this with all due appreciation for your willingness to take a bullet or a blade for me: If either of you makes a move against me, then you’ll be shooting yourself in the head. And that is
not
a metaphor.” Myfanwy stared at them fiercely and was pleased to see that they both met her eyes without