“Sonah, breathe,” Terena said, her voice firm.
She watched as the girl took big gulps of air, nodding her head as she tried to control herself.
At length, Terena asked, “Are you okay to go on?”
Sonah nodded.
“Good,” Terena said softly, calm. “All right. Let’s go back to when you last saw… Prince Lerek. Was Isher with him?”
Sonah shook her head. “Prince Lerek wasn’t there. Only Isher.”
Terena started. “What? Are you sure?”
Sonah nodded. “Aye.” She sniffed. “I thought it was Prince Lerek at first, though.”
“Was anyone else there?”
“No.”
“No guards?”
“There was one at the door, as always. And another just inside the room.”
Terena nodded. “And Alexi?”
“He wasn’t there.”
But he was there when Terena was in the room. There had beenthree dead guards. The one near the door; Alexi on the settee. The third on the terrace near Lerek.
Terena frowned, thoughtful for a few moments, then lifted her gaze to Sonah.
“Good, Sonah. Can you do me a favor? Can you tell me if Isher had already been drinking?”
The girl tilted her head but didn’t answer. Terena watched her as she waited.
After a long pause, Sonah shook her head and said, “No, I don’t believe so. I walked in and saw Isher—Prince Isher,” Sonah corrected herself and lifted her eyes to Terena in apology, “and I went over and hugged him. I didn’t know he was even in Metilai until I saw him. Anyway, then I drank some wine, and we chatted a bit and then I left. Oh! Before I left he hugged me but… he looked so sad about it.”
A short silence filled the space between them while Terena thought on what Sonah had shared.
“And you weren’t sick at all? Afterwards, I mean. Didn’t feel dizzy or tired?”
“No. Nothing. It tasted like it always does. I was fine. Well… I was dizzy at one point, but I think it’s because I stood too fast. Right before I left.”
Terena caught on that for a second and filed it away for consideration later.
“Only one decanter?”
“I wasn’t paying attention, sorry,” Sonah said. “Did you know Isher grew out his hair?”
Terena looked over at the girl. “What?”
“It was weird,” Sonah said, almost to herself. “I know it’s been a while since he’s been to the palace but… I always thought… anyway, he had it long. Like Prince Lerek likes to wear it. They looked more alike than ever. I mean… obviously.”
Terena frowned. In all the years she’d known the princes, she’d never seen Isher style his hair anything like Lerek’s. He prided himself on his individuality. When she recalled the events of that night, she didn’t remember Isher looking different.
“Anything else you remember?” she asked after a pause.
Sonah shook her head.
