Rhyan’s eyes met mine from across the room. It was nearly midnight, our last night of prep before we switched into engagement mode. He was scratching his palm again, the silver of his ring glinting in the citrine light.
I’d almost forgotten about his betrothed. About Lady Amalthea.
“You okay?” he mouthed, his one eyebrow raised.
I glanced quickly at Dario, poring over a map, and then at Aiden, debating a passageway with Meera. “I need to talk to you,” I mouthed back. “Alone.”
He nodded, his lips tight. “We’ll find a way,” he said.
Our guards came, moving us from the room, conducting their daily search and marching us back through the library towers, onto each bridge, and back to the lift.
There, Rhyan stepped aside again, the movement quick, as he spoke in a hushed voice to the librarian. He looked back at me, his eyes filled with concern, then back to the librarian, who he thanked before rushing to the lift as it arrived.
I watched him carefully as we went down, a question in my eyes, one I knew he could read. He sighed and nodded, the most he could do while being watched. But I understood. He’d fill me in. When we could actually talk.
I woke Saturday morning to an offensively loud knock on my door. Throwing off my covers, I stalked across the cold floor and slung the door open, ready to curse at Dario. But Kenna was waiting for me instead.
“Your Grace,” I gasped. “It is wonderful to see you.” And I meant it.
“As it is you, my lady. Today should be exciting. You’ll get to see more of Glemaria, and in turn they shall get to see more of you. Something our people are very excited for.” She motioned to a trio of mages behind her. They floated in two racks full of gowns with their staves.At a quick glance, they appeared mostly green, cut from satin and velvet, but there were a few white numbers thrown in alongside velvet and furred soturion cloaks. At least I wouldn’t freeze.
“Thank you. You may go,” Kenna dismissed them. Dario started to move into my room, but she held up her hand. “I don’t think so. You’ll wait out here.”
“I’m under orders, Ken.”
“To guard her—out there. Now move aside, Dario. We have dresses to try on.”
“You hurt me, Ken,” he said, placing his hand over his heart. “Assuming I don’t want to try dresses on, too.”
Kenna laughed, taking his hand in hers. “I’ll make it up to you.”
He winked. “I’ll be right out here. Not trying on dresses, and trying not to cry.”
“The difficulty of your life,” Kenna said, gliding into my room.
“You’re awfully close,” I said, once we were alone. Dario was so different from the standard sort of Glemarian stoicism I’d seen in Rhyan and Aiden. Even in my few interactions with Rhyan’s uncle Sean, there was a seriousness to their auras, to the way they stood, that Dario seemed to lack. And yet, he was as harsh and cruel as any other soldier I’d encountered.
Kenna shrugged. “Dario’s been one of my best friends for years. And … well, for a time, we were … more.”
“Dario was your lover?” I had so many questions.
“It was quite a while ago. And you can clearly see, he’s just as torn up and heartbroken about it as I am.” She pulled a green dress out, and laid it over the chaise.
“How? Why?” I asked.
Kenna glanced around the room. “Something to do. At our rank and stations, our choices can be limited. Sometimesit’s nice to just be with someone you at least care about, even if they’re not … exactly what you want.” She shrugged. “What about this one?” she asked, her voice loud. “A perfect example of Glemarian green, but it would look lovely with your complexion. I think our people would—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You can speak freely. No nahashim.”
Relief spread over her face as she walked to me. “You’re sure?” Her eyes flicked back and forth across the room, her body still.
“Positive,” I said. Though my ears were strained, fully ready to catch the exact moment things changed.
“Good. Now tell me, how are you doing?” she asked urgently, her voice low. “How’s Rhyan?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. We never get to really talk. I see him every day, but we’re never alone. We never have anything remotely like privacy. No ways to really communicate.”
“You need to talk,” Kenna said decisively.
