Elara walked back to her desk and sat down.
"When did you realize?" she asked. "That they were trying to kill me, not just watch me."
"The eastern docks," Lisa whispered. "When you came back and told me six assassins were dead. That they'd been waiting exactly where I'd reported you'd be, exactly when I'd said you'd be there. That's when I knew. That's when I understood what I'd been doing."
"And you didn't confess then."
"I was terrified. I thought if I confessed, you'd kill me. And then my sister would die too because I'd failed my handlers." Lisa looked up with red, swollen eyes. "I know that sounds cowardly. I know I should have told you immediately. But I was paralyzed. I kept thinking maybe I could fix it somehow, find a way to protect both you and my family, but I didn't know how, and then the Shadow Guild found me anyway."
Elara leaned back in her chair.
