The prince stood in time to catch her, Sonah’s embrace making him almost fall back into his seat as he laughed. He squeezed tight before pushing her back and lifted a hand to her face, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as he grinned at her.
“Been a while,” he murmured, and she laughed, hugging him again.
When she finally let go, she swatted his shoulder. “What are you doing here? I thought you were Lerek!”
“I just got here,” he said, retaking his seat. Sonah looked around before moving to a seat nearby and pulled it close to Isher. Sighing, she sat and gazed at him while he settled back.
“I’m waiting for Lerek,” he added.
“Does he know you’re here?”
Isher shrugged. “I sent him a note this morning.”
Sonah opened her mouth and made a noise. “So it wasyournote he got at breakfast,” she said, snapping her fingers and pointing at him. “That’s why we didn’t leave.”
“What areyoudoing here? Not that I’m not glad to see you, Little Changeling,” Isher said with a wink. Sonah blushed, loving the nickname he’d given her when she first arrived at the White Palace because of her different colored eyes. She had been self conscious of them, one brown and one green, when she’d first come to court, the other ladies making fun of her for them. But Isher loved them, exclaiming how unique they made her, which made the other ladies jealous, especially since Isher showed so much interest in her. It wasn’t in a romantic way, Sonah knew, but in a cherished, younger sister way, making her feel loved and protected.
Sonah sighed and opened her fist, the crumpled missive in her hand. “I’ve a note saying Prince Lerek was to have drinks in his rooms before dinner, so… here I am.”
“A Royal Taster’s duty never ends,” Ishersaid with a trace of disgust. “Thank the gods he’s the heir, Sonah, because I’d run you ragged.”
Sonah laughed and ducked her head to hide the flush of color in her face. “It’s too bad we’re leaving in the morning,” she groaned. “It would’ve been nice to see you for more than a few minutes.”
Isher leaned forward and rubbed the back of his neck. “I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of me soon, Little Changeling.”
Sonah’s eyes widened. “Truly? The emperor will allow you to come back?”
The harsh laugh greeting her words made Sonah startle. “Let me come back? No. I doubt my father would let me, but I see some changes coming.”
Sonah’s brows furrowed, but she didn’t dwell on his words for long. Looking around, she saw the wine decanter and crystal goblets on the sideboard and cocked her head at Isher. “Well, I supposed I should at least do my job and taste the wine before he gets here. I need to get going.”
Isher inclined his head and motioned with his hand, smiling at her as she rose and went to the decanter, pouring herself a glass. She arched an eyebrow at him, shaking the decanter in question.
“Of course,” he said with a laugh, and she poured a glass for him.
Taking both goblets, she walked over and handed him his wine, then tapped her glass against his. Sonah took a long drink, closing her eyes and savoring the sweet taste.
“How long do we wait until you’re dead?” Isher joked with a grin.
She scowled at him and set her glass down on the rim of the fire pit. “So, you never said why you’re back. Are you going with us to see the new northern king?”
Isher made a face. “Lerek wrote to me about the trip north, but it was Serephina who told me to come home. Apparently, I’m a surprise for my brother.”
“That’s weird,” Sonah said. Lady Serephina was the emperor’s second wife, and she disliked Lerek and Isher, mostly because they were ahead of her own son in the line of succession.
“Aye,” Isher said with a deep sigh and stretched. He shrugged andtook a sip of his wine. “I think she’s trying to get on my good side. Anyway, I wanted to make sure he’d still be here, so I sent him the note. It’ll be good to see my mother, too.”
“The empress has kept to her rooms in recent months,” Sonah said, lifting sad eyes to the prince. “It’ll be good for her to see you.”
Isher nodded and looked down at his goblet.
“Will you still be here when we get back?”
Isher stared at her for a few long seconds before he nodded. “Aye, Sonah. I’ll still be here.”
“Good,” she said and stood. The blood rushed to her head, and dizziness swamped her vision for a moment and she snapped her hand out. Isher bolted from his chair and grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Are you good? Was it the poison?”
