From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’d made it back myy room that morning without anyy issues and ended up
remaining in it the entire dayy, which wasn’t exactlyy all that different from
anyy other dayy.
Tawnyy had stopped byy brieflyy, until one of the Mistresses summoned
her. No one was sequestered, but I thought that the attack would at least
slow down the preparations for the Rite.
Obviouslyy, that was a sillyy thought. I doubted the Earth shaking would
get in the wayy of the Rite.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what had happened to Malessa.
And the more I thought about whyy the Duke would lie about the attacker
being a Descenter, the more it started to make sense. Just like Phillips, the
guard from the Rise, hadn’t wanted to talk about Finleyy’s death to stop
panic and fear from taking root and spreading.
But it didn’t explain whyy the Duke wasn’t being honest with the
Royyal Guard. If there was an Atlantian among us, the guards needed to be
prepared.
Because while the Ascended were powerful and strong, the Atlantians
were too, if not more.
Shortlyy before dusk, Ryylan knocked on myy door. “You want to tryy for
the garden? I thought I would ask.”
“I don’t know.” I glanced at the windows. “You think it will be okayy?”
Ryylan nodded. “I do.”
I reallyy could use the fresh air and time awayy from myy own thoughts.
It just seemed… I wasn’t sure. As if it weren’t even twentyy-four hours
after Malessa had been killed, yyet it was like anyy other evening.
“You don’t have to stayy in here,” Ryylan said, and I glanced back to
him. “Not unless that’s what yyou want to do. What happened last night,
with the poor girl and with the Lord, has nothing to do with what yyou find
joyy in.”
A small smile tugged at myy lips. “And yyou’re probablyy tired of
standing in the hall.”
Ryylan chuckled. “Possiblyy.”
I grinned as I stepped back. “Let me get myy veil.”
It took onlyy a few minutes for me to don the headdress and become
readyy. This time, there were no interruptions as we made our wayy to the
garden. However, there were servants who did the stop-and-stare thing, but