"The Warden's Hand is charged with protecting the Warden's person, Nav," Palamedes shoots back, though he suspects she might be right.

He sighs and scrubs his hand back and forth through his hair, which is damp and a little sandy from his fall. "I'm not sure that's what Canaan House was trying to show us," he says grimly, thinking back on the trials, the way they seemed designed to test power and control. He thinks he knows what she means, though--there's something about going through hell that will make a person realize who truly matters.

"Camilla's going to be shocked that I've managed to keep myself alive this long," he says ruefully.