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“Thanks, Tif.” She tried to keep the edge out of her voice but after reading that article, she was on the verge of tears. After peeling off the protective wrapper, she popped the cupcake into her mouth and the sweetness was perfect, the cake thick and warm. It was heavenly. “This is wonderful. It’s definitely the best cupcake I’ve ever had.”

“Why, thank you. Now, it’s a fine day, isn’t it? The sun is shining, and no sign of the creepy Black Mage to come steal you away. Although I will say that something feels a bit odd. The birds are squawking about shadows and a cloaked figure. But did the cupcake make you feel better?”

Layala nearly choked. “The birds are saying what?”

“You don’t think… I mean, it’s probably nothing.” She chewed on her fingernail and with furrowed brows looked toward the window.

“The Black Mage won’t be stealing me or anyone here,” she reassured, not wanting Tif to go into a panic over bird gossip, but this was the first real clue she’d heard in months.

“I sure hope not. You don’t think he’d wantme,do you? I’m afraid if he heard my yodeling, he’d want me as some sort of court jester to entertain him while he’s having people tortured and maimed. And I simply cannot yodel while such things are happening. If you see him, make sure to tell him I’m not useful at all and dreadfully annoying. Both of which are obvious lies but he don’t need to know that.” She smiled and patted her rosy cheeks.

Her yodeling would be almost worse than the sound of people being tortured. “I don’t think that’s anything you have to worry about. Did the birds mention where this cloaked figure might be?”

Layala got up and stood at the wide windows with her arms crossed. The guards patrolled as usual, the sun shined bright, and not even a cloud marred the blue sky. The lack of songbirds was a little disturbing but then an owl caught her eye. It was camouflaged in the shadows of Luminor’s star-shaped leaves and thick branches. Big amber eyes blinked as it watched her with unnerving awareness.

“Whew! That’s a relief,” Tif said. “Anyway, what’s on the schedule today? Oh, can we watch the new recruits train? It’s hilarious watching Piper smack the boys in the back of the head. I peek sometimes.”

“Tif, where did the birds say the cloaked figure was?”

She tapped her chubby fingers together nervously. “Oh, umm, they didn’t say. Just that a cloaked figure was seen in the woods somewhere and it was dark there even in the day.”

Her gaze swept across the land one more time. The waterfall roared white, flowing with more water than ever with the spring rains; horses trotted in the field near the stables with servants leading others, and the vast green landscape that stretched into the golden city was as bright and beautiful as ever.

“Dark even in the day” could mean the unnamed forest which wasn’t even half a day’s ride from there. The information wasn’t much to go on, but she needed to inform Thane. Although they did just have an argument about her looking for the Black Mage. He wanted her to stop. To leave it be.

Maybe she was better off not bringing him up.

Layala crawled back into bed, buzzing with anxiousness even though her body craved rest after so many sleepless nights. She rolled onto her side and pulled up her lavender silk blanket. “Wake me up if you hear anything else.”

“Are you in a melancholy? Mama says when people sleep during the day, they’re in a melancholy, and you’ve been sleeping during the day for a long time. Months. I could yodel to make you happy.”

“I’m fine, Tif. Just tired.” She closed her eyes and even if it took hours, with a little hand patting her shoulder, she fell asleep.

* * *

Wake up.

Wake up. You’re in danger.

Layala’s eyes fluttered.

Get up now, Valeen. Get up,the deep voice urged. Layala’s eyes flew open, and she shot upright in bed.

The sound of a door closing prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. Blinking away the blurriness in her vision, she turned to see who entered her room. But there wasn’t anyone there. Slowly, she pushed herself upright and swept her gaze around the room. The fertility fern that hung on the shelf looked dull, and brown leaves settled on the floor below it. The two miniature statues, one of Layala, the other of Thane reaching toward one another needed polishing. Clothes hung out of her dresser drawers, and she noted the pile of dirty laundry had gotten rather tall. Pearl had taken two weeks off and Layala hadn’t chosen another lady’s maid. She didn’t trust anyone else to come into her rooms for any reason. And she couldn’t talk herself into cleaning. It was in desperate need of it, but it was easy to ignore when the effort was more than she could muster.

She dragged her fingers across her scalp and through her tangled black hair. Had she dreamed the voice warning her?

Or was it… No.

She hadn’t heard his voice since before he woke up. Maker above, she hated always being on edge and feeling nervous and jumpy in her own home.

“Tif?” Layala called. Perhaps it was her who’d gone out of the room. No answer. “Piper?”

Did she forget to lock the door? One leg slipped out from under the blanket, then the other and bare feet hit the cold, stone floor. She reached under her pillow, pulled out a dagger and slid it from its sheath. The coiling in her gut grew tighter as she stepped silently toward the bathroom. She barely let her breath loose.

With her dagger poised to strike, she paused outside the doorway and listened. Afternoon birds sang merrily outside the windows and the sound of water dripping into the tub,plop… plop… plop, came from inside. In one leap she hopped inside and glanced around to find it empty.

I’m losing it.