“Keep that tiger of yers close, ye ken?” Jeros said to Lexi before grudgingly letting her go. “Closer than ye have ever kept him before.
“I will.” She eyed him for a long moment, then dove back into his arms and hugged him as if she feared she would never see him again.
He felt the same. The thought of her out of his sight drove him mad. But he had to be brave, for both their sakes. “It will be all right, my own,” he whispered into her hair. “As soon as my parents show their arses, I’ll spell us back home.”
She smiled up at him. “Promise?”
“I swear it.” He nodded to Rill. “Maintain a readiness to return to Sevenrest at a moment’s notice.”
The maid bowed. “Aye, Yer Highness, I will.”
As Lexi, her tiger, and the maid disappeared into the lavish suite on the east side of the hall, Jeros debated standing guard.
“Ye must prepare as well, old friend,” Darkcord said as he came up beside him. He rested his hand on the dark iron knob topping the hilt of his sword. “Fear not. No one will get past me.”
“I possess a sense of dread the likes of which I have never known.” Jeros turned to stare at the door through which Lexi had disappeared. “This will be a dark day. I feel it.”
“Maybe so,” Darkcord said, “but we shall win it.”
Jeros nodded and clapped a hand on the commander’s shoulder. “To victory, my friend.”
“Aye, to victory.”
* * *
“You are sewingme into the gown?” Lexi twisted around, attempting to see what the seamstresses were doing.
“Yer ladyship, please.” Lorilin hovered higher, baiting Lexi to turn back and face forward. “The silk, satin, and lamé are delicate fabrics that dinna take well to hooks, eyes, or buttons. Kelmila’s exquisite embroidery will ensure the folds hang perfectly and not gape.”
“And you’ll have to rip through it to get me back out? That seems wasteful.”
Phina laughed and zipped around in her usual hummingbird fashion. “Nay, my lady. Kelmila hides threads made to release the seams. Everything will remain whole to be useful again.”
“Most royals would not worry about waste,” Kelmila said around the mouthful of pins.
“I am not a royal,” Lexi hurried to correct. “And I hate to see anyone’s workmanship wasted.”
“Our ladyappreciatesus,” Rill said to the three seamstresses. “Never forget that.”
All three fluttering needleworkers dipped in the air with graceful bows. “We consider ourselves most fortunate to belong to the Sevenrest household.”
“Yes,” Kelmila added as she stitched with such rapid-fire strokes that she soon had the long train of the dress shimmering with panels of glittering black that mimicked Aylryd’s stripes. “Thank the goddesses we were not cursed enough to end up here at the palace. None are happy here.”
“They were talking about me, weren’t they?” Lexi knew without asking, but couldn’t resist seeking confirmation. Mammaw would call her a sucker for punishment, but Lexi just preferred to have all the cards on the table before she dove into the game.
“They dinna know ye as we do,” Rill said in a placating tone. “And they are trained to see nothing but that which is in front of them, my lady. They would have no idea how to focus on the shining of a person’s soul rather than their appearance.”
“How fast does gossip travel through this place?”
Rill made a face, flattening her lips together as if wishing she could keep her mouth shut. “I feel certain the queen and her courtiers have been informed. As for the king…” The poor maid seemed almost pained. “I dinna ken for certain. At times, it seems as though His Majesty battles for that which is just and good, but then other times, he gives the queen whatever she wishes. Almost as if he is too weary to fight her.”
“Give her anything to shut her up.” Lexi fiddled with the satiny folds of her gown, noticing that the longer Kelmila sewed, the heavier the thing became. If worst came to worst, and she needed to run for it, she would be doomed.
“Yer necklace, my lady.” Rill moved in to place a glittering onyx choker at her throat and fastened it.
Lexi rested her fingertips on the large onyx cabochon dangling from the center of the necklace. “In my world, onyx represents protection, balance, and strength. Sometimes, it’s even used as a talisman against evil. Quite appropriate for today. Don’t you think?”
“Most definitely,” Rill said as she stepped back to eye her work, then went to fetch the earrings and bracelet.
