She assisted Theodosia with her makeup and costumes and errands, and helped the other maids and footmen wait on the nobles and wealthy merchants who attended the performances. But she was no more a maid than her name was Marina. Five years ago her mother had murdered her father, and the Ghosts, the spies of the Emperor of Nighmar, had taken her in. They had trained her in stealth, in disguise, in fighting with knives and with her bare hands. The nobles and the merchants paid no attention to servants, which made it so easy for Caina to listen to their secrets as she poured their wine and brought them food. And then she reported their secrets to Theodosia, who was the Ghost circlemaster of the Imperial capital.Like Caina, she was more than she appeared. At the moment, chaos reigned in the cavernous workshop below the Grand Imperial Opera’s main stage. Carpenters and painters swarmed over the massive wooden sets, double-checking the pulleys that would raise the scenery to the stage.
