Assistant to the Villain

The next day, Evie discovers that a map is missing from Trystan’s collection. As they debate what this means, voices discussing the traitor drift down the hall, and they both hide in the map closet to listen, where they are forced to be pressed against one another. The voices are disrespectful of Evie, and the speakers don’t understand why Trystan is so defensive and protective of her—even hurting one of the interns because he said something nasty about her. After they leave, Evie asks Trystan what the intern said, but he doesn’t tell her. This makes Evie not want to know because “it must be unbelievably bad if even someone with as evil a heart as Trystan couldn’t bear to repeat it” (227).

Trystan drives Evie home, and on the way, Evie spots one of the king’s guards in the forest near the mansion. Evie gives chase and discovers that the guard is really Becky in disguise. She meant to sneak into the king’s palace in hopes of finding a cure for her grandmother’s mystic illness. Evie admits that her father also has this illness, and because neither woman likes having something in common with the other, they resolve to “never speak of it again” (232).