The corner of her mouth twitched. Her gaze shifted to Raven. ‘Yes, we do.’

Raven lifted his head.

‘You were the White Queen’s executioner,’ she said, ‘and now you will be mine. Serve me dutifully and we shall both have our vengeance.’

He remained silent for a long while, still as a statue. Then he spread his wings and stepped off the rail. Like an ink splatter on stone he transformed into the hooded figure. His face cast in shadow, his gloved hands gripping the handle of the glinting axe. Now, in the light of the courtroom, Cath could see that his hooded cloak was made from raven feathers.

The guards drew back, leaving Peter Peter alone in the centre of the room. Though he held fast to his defiance, Cath could see him beginning to shake.

Raven’s shadow lengthened across the floor, dwarfing the murderer. He hefted the axe on to his shoulder.

‘For the murder of Jest, the court joker of Hearts, I sentence this man to death.’ She spoke without feeling, unburdened by love or dreams or the pain of a broken heart. It was a new day in Hearts, and she was the Queen.

‘Off with his head.’