Page 7 of A Filling of Fables and Firelight

He beamed angelically.

“Was there a reason you were shouting in the hall loud enough to be heard on the other side of the palace?” She dropped her hands to her hips.

“I was looking for you.”

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling as she took a deep, measured breath before continuing, “Yes, I gathered that when you hollered my name. Why were you looking for me, Jasper?”

“I have a delivery for you.” Jasper looked over his shoulder and whistled, long and low. A moment later, Spot emerged from one of the empty rooms further down. He padded the length of the hall, with Zade trotting closely at his heels. “Teta said that she thought you might want a familiar face while you’re here,” he explained.

Rana shook her head. “She just didn’t want to have to put up with him for six weeks.”

“That’s probably far more likely.” He grinned. “She practically threw him out the door when I came to collect him.”

Unbothered by their speculations, Zade skirted past her through the open doorway with his pointed nose held primly in the air and jumped gracefully onto the divan. She watched as he used his forehead to nudge one of the pillows down from where it was angled against the low back, then curled up with his fluffy tail under his nose, looking like a furry replica of one of Teta’s honey buns.

“He probably got into her pantry and made a mess of the kitchen.” Rana turned back to the page boy. “But what am I supposed to do with him? I can’t keep him here.”

“Why not? Nobody cares when Spot comes to work with me.”

“Yes, because no one is going to argue with you when you have a tiger. This is different. Zade is the love of my life, but I’ll be the first to admit that he’s often a menace.”

Jasper waved her concerns away. “Nah. He’s cute, and they’ll love him. Samira will probably ask where she can get one of her own. Just watch out for the chef—Nassir will likely try to sneak him food, and then you’ll have to roll Zade home when all this is over.”

Rana pressed her lips together. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely!” he said, confidence lifting his chin. “And Spot will be so happy to have a friend.” He straightened his vest. “Now that I’ve made my delivery, is there anything else you need? Are you settled in here? Do you need a tour of the palace?”

Her face softened with affection at the edge of protectiveness in his voice. For all his incorrigible exuberance, the boy loved fiercely and was sincere in his desire to help. “Samira already showed me around, but I appreciate it. Really, as long as I can find my way from here to the kitchens and back, I don’t need much else. It seems like things will be fairly quiet, at least for the next day or two. From what I can gather, I’m just on call in case of a clothing emergency.”

“Are you sure? No errands you need run, or messages you need me to take to His Majesty?”

Her lips curled as she scrunched her nose. “What in Adhavi could I possibly have to say to the Sultan?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I asked. Maybe ‘Thanks for the hospitality. You have a lovely home’?”

“No messages are necessary,” she answered blandly. “In fact, the less he knows of my existence, the easier my life is likely to be.”

Jasper nodded sagely. “You’re worried he’ll fall in love with you and you’ll have to turn him down and break his heart.”

“What?” Rana reared her head back. “No! I just have no desire to deal with him.”

“And then he’ll fall into a deep depression, and the economic state of the Empire will collapse, and it will be all your fault,” he continued, ignoring her protest. “I can see how not announcing your presence would be preferable to becoming responsible for the downfall of an entire kingdom.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled slowly. “Jasper?”

“Yes?”

“Go back to work.”

Chapter Five

KAMARAN

Kamaran waited until the strains of music had completely faded away before he allowed his face to relax, dropping the easy, charming smile that he had worn as a mask for the previous hours. He knew better than to hope that his exit from the party would go unnoticed and it was likely that he would receive a reprimand from Zamar later, but in that moment, he didn’t really care. He tugged at the collar of his shirt as he strolled down the wide hallway, loosening the ties that held it in place. The cool breeze that brushed against his skin was a welcome relief.

The room had felt warmer than normal, though whether that was due to the number of people in attendance, or rather the fact that his matrimonial prospects were both present and on the prowl, he wasn’t entirely sure. Despite his reputation as being something of a flirt, he had never desired the attention of more than one woman at once. Having six of them vying for his favor was both uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially as every interaction was now under even more scrutiny. It was exhausting, and it didn’t help matters any that the dull, ever-present ache of grief in his chest took so much mental energy to ignore that there was little left for small talk and social niceties.

Distant voices echoed down the hall behind him, and the high-pitched giggles that accompanied them had him ducking into the next door he came to. He closed it slowly, careful to ensure the latch clicked softly, then pressed his ear to the heavy wood, waiting to see if the voices would pass by.