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Vinay clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m glad I finally had a chance to speak to the woman who has caused so much” ?she glanced over the crowd? “excitement.”

“I hope I’m not a disappointment, after hearing such tales.”

“No.” Vinay’s lips curled. “That seems impossible. Though, you may want to be careful what company you keep, my dear. Some friendships are downright dangerous.” With that, Vinay turned and walked away, disappearing into the satiny masses.

Nerys frowned. What was that supposed to mean? At that moment, she caught sight of Jesta, smiling and laughing with the rest of the Pelian delegation. Odd, someone wasn’t happy she made a friend. Too bad for Vinay that making such threats was pointless when one wasn’t going to be at court for long.

“Have you thought about my offer?” Adelyna asked Nerys the next morning as she worked her way around a snow-covered tree, leaving Nerys to waddle through the knee-deep snow in the woods behind her.

The winter weather hadn’t improved of late, and piercing wind swept over the snow banks, sending flakes spearing into Nerys’s eyes.

This time, Nerys kept her stone eyes called, watching the bare trees for signs of both the living and demonic, with Vine following, dropping brilliant red drops of blood onto the pristine ground.

They weren’t going to be taken unawares again, no matter what.

No matter how many snow fairies or pixies or whatever kept trying to distract her with their obnoxious flittering, tugging at her hair, and pulling at her cloak.

Some strayed close to Vine. He snatched one out of the air, followed a moment later by a small screech and a sickening crunch. It was best not to think about that.

Today, Nerys was far from court and on a buck-scouting mission with Adelyna—in the woods, in the middle of winter, again—a sign of just how desperately she needed to keep the Kor’yitz’s favor after how the R?ll seemed to have forgotten about her like last night’s leftover stew.

Or a couple weeks’ old stew, to be more precise.

Why was the R?ll still obsessed with the three chattering sisters, the three sluts of Corlin?

195 All she needed was one night, one hour.

Apparently, three women took longer to tire of than one, despite Qiana’s confidence that the R?ll would soon move on.

And time was running out—who knew how long they had before the R?ll finished the ritual and summoned the demon?

If something didn’t change soon, she was going to fail.

At least she still had Adelyna’s favor, and that made her important to the court. The R?ll would notice her again—he had to.

“Callidora?”

Nerys jolted. “Yes?”

“Aren’t you listening?”

“I’m trying not to freeze to death.”

Adelyna chuckled, a sophisticated sound out of place in the woods. “You can thaw out later. Now tell me, have you given any thought to my offer?”

“Your offer? Yes. I did.” She had thought of little else. Well, she had thought of Idris. But he didn’t count, because that was a given.

“And?” Adelyna smiled, making Nerys’s heart flutter. “Will you be one of my High Maids?”

“Are you sure I’m suited for the role?” Nerys hesitantly asked.

Adelyna stopped walking and turned around, a smile on still her face. “Suited? You saved my life.”

“I didn’t… I don’t… I mean…”

Adelyna reached out an arm and drew Nerys close to her. The Kor’yitz smelled of jasmine mixed with pine, a princess of the woods. “You did. You could’ve let the demon have me. You could’ve left and decided this wasn’t your concern.”

“It was luck.” And Vine.

“Luck you decided to use.” Adelyna’s bare hand felt warm against Nerys’s back.

Nerys had never had anyone look at her that intensely, other than Idris.

Nerys trembled—what it would be like to kiss those lips, to lose herself in that warmth?

Suddenly Adelyna broke away with a grin, as if she knew the conflict rising in Nerys’s mind.

Nerys took a deep breath. Such thoughts were not for her. Not now.

“Besides” ?Adelyna winked? “you forget the fun we’ve had since. You’re not like the other courtiers. You say what you mean, and that’s it.”

“How so?”

“Well, you told me last night that my dress didn’t suit me.”

Heat bloomed on Nerys’s cheeks. Sure, that part of her body was able to get warm. “You asked me what I thought.”

“And you were the only one brave enough to tell me—what was it?—that the dress was the color of ‘rotten fat floating on cold beef broth.’”

“It was.”

“Or that you don’t like to play seven knights.”

“It’s not my favorite. And again, you asked.” More like Nerys didn’t know how to play and was not about to admit it.

Adelyna cocked her head, grinning as if Nerys had made her argument for her.

“And no one dares to say ‘no’ to the Kor’yitz.

There’s no point in having fun if I’m the only one having it.

Like lovemaking.” Nerys’s eyes widened. Adelyna caught her reaction and laughed.

“Oh, did I embarrass you? I didn’t think one at court could be so innocent. ”

“I’m not, I haven’t been here long—but I’m not innocent.”

“Oh?” Adelyna crossed her arms. “Now this is interesting. And what lover did you leave in Cow’s Fancy?”

“No one important.” Her cheeks had to be cranberry red by now. Someone important? More like someone she couldn’t see. For all Nerys knew, Idris had abandoned her and taken up wooden clog dancing in the city square.

“An evasive answer—a true courtier.” Adelyna resumed walking.

“You had better get used to telling me such things—I have no secrets where my High Maids are concerned, and I don’t let them keep any from me.

Or I try.” Adelyna didn’t have many secrets at all, Nerys had gathered since she had been at court.

Everything from Adelyna’s romantic life to her bowel movements made for common topics of discussion.

Nerys grinned and followed the hunting royal. What had happened to her? She came to court to kill the R?ll, and here she was, becoming acquainted with the Kor’yitz. Caution be damned—the mission be damned. Part of why she wanted to be High Maid was to be near Adelyna. Because she liked her.

“I’m glad you enjoy my company,” Nerys said. “I’m still not sure I’d be a suitable High Maid.”

“Why?”

“For one, I can’t style hair to save my life.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that. I have other ladies for hair.”

“I don’t know the first thing about applying cosmetics.”

“Again, there are other ladies.”

“I’m horrible with remembering etiquette. You’ve seen it. How am I going to figure out who handles your underclothes? ”

Adelyna’s eyes sparkled. “Well, we can discuss my underclothes later. For now, will you at least trust me enough that I’m not going to throw you to the wolves? I want you for your company—I have other ladies for the other things. And more than I know what to do with.”

“…You aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“I never do.”

Nerys smiled. “May I have one more night to think?”

“If you insist—just the one,” she said with knowing grin.

Despite Nerys’s boldness towards Qiana, she herself hadn’t yet decided what to do, because Qiana was right—there was risk in this role and she hadn’t let herself fully consider it. But what was she doing besides dancing with risk the entire time she was at court?

Whatever happened, Nerys wanted to see more of the heir, and the sooner she admitted it to herself, the better.