“No! Don’t let her run off. No, no. Not like that. Now you’re holding her too tight! She doesn’t like to be held like that. Like that, that’s better.”

  Felit?a did her best to approach the throne without drawing attention to herself. Even though the herald had announced her arrival, she felt it best not to interrupt anything. Sinit?a was making enough noise as it was anyway.

  Sinit?a had an easel and paints set up at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne. Anita sat on the throne, trying to hold onto a shaggy, brown-haired dog that clearly did not want to be there. Standing beside the throne, with a somewhat bemused look on her face was Nin-Akna.

  “Your Highness,” Anita said as the dog tried to yank itself from her grip, “while I appreciate you doing this, it is supposed to be an official portrait. The dog isn’t mine, so why should I be holding onto it?”

  “Her,” Sinit?a said. “She’s a she, not an it.”

  “Sorry, but why do I need her?”

  “Because cute animals make people like you more. When people look at your portrait, they’ll think, what a nice person. I like her. I’m glad she’s my ruler.”

  Anita frowned and continued to struggle with the dog.

  “That seems a little far-fetched,” Nin-Akna said. “I certainly don’t look at portraits like that.”

  “Well, I do,” Sinit?a said.

  “If I might interject, your Ladyship…” Eti?nne Gen, who had been standing off to the side amongst a small group of courtiers, came forward to stand beside Sinit?a.

  Anita managed to hold the dog’s head down, so her own was visible. She nodded.

  “I have to agree with her Highness. She may not be the most worldly person and is probably basing her judgement on instinct, but I can speak from experience that would support her supposition. People do react better to such things. It’s not so much the cute animal, as her Highness puts it, but rather the general air of calm and kindness it represents. People do react subconsciously to images around them. A picture of you seated on your throne with a warrior woman at your side projects strength, which is a nice thing to have in a portrait, but having Jeanne there as well, also projects kindness. People seeing your portrait, will see you as both a strong ruler and a kind, just one.”

  Sinit?a grinned. “Thank you, Eti?nne!”

  Eti?nne gave a deep, flourishing bow. “My pleasure, your Highness.”

  “Oh, very well,” Anita said, “but can you please help me calm her down? She keeps panting in my face, and her breath...oh my, can anything be done about her breath?”

  “Apologies, your Ladyship.” Gen strode up the steps to the throne, and looked at the dog sternly. “Jeanne.”

  The dog stared at him, mouth open, tongue hanging out.

  “Be a good girl and lie down on her Ladyship’s lap.”

  The dog continued to stare, head tilted, and pant.

  “Jeanne! Lie down.”

  With a tilt of her head to the other side, Jeanne finally lowered herself down to lie in Anita’s lap.

  “Apologies, your Ladyship,” Gen said. “She’s well trained, but not accustomed to lying in someone’s lap. This is a new thing started by her Highness.”

  Anita simply nodded.

  “Okay,” Sinit?a said, “try to keep as still as possible.”

  Jeanne raised her head.

  “And keep Jeanne’s head down!”

  Anita used her hands to gently push the dog’s head back down.

  “I’ll stay nearby in case I’m needed,” Eti?nne said as Sinit?a set to work.

  Again, trying to be unobtrusive, Felit?a decided to cross the room to where the courtiers were standing. Gen’s first mate, Miana Ting was standing with them. A meeting with Anita, Gen, and Ting was the reason she was here.

  Her path took her close to Sinit?a, who spread her arms and tried to cover the easel. “Don’t look! It’s not ready!”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.” She had actually caught a glimpse of what was there: just a few charcoal outlines. Sinit?a had nothing to be embarrassed by, but it was best just to let Sinit?a be Sinit?a.

  When she reached Miana Ting, the first mate bowed their head slightly. “Your Highness, it is good to see you again.”

  “Please, just—”

  “Felit?a, of course. Sorry, I get so used to formalities that it can be hard to ignore them sometimes. You’re looking well. Much better than the last time I saw you, I think. More...rested?”

  Felit?a nodded with a smile. “Yes, I’m actually sleeping again. How much have you heard about...well, everything?”

  “A little. I know you were prevented from sleeping for quite some time.” They looked up at Felit?a with those piercing grey eyes. “I confess I also asked Meleng about the images in your head you mentioned last time. I was...curious since you said I was one of them.”

  Felit?a grimaced a little. She had forgotten about that. Truth be told, she had forgotten most of that encounter, and only knew what Zandrue kept teasing her about.

  Miana had not broken eye contact, and Felit?a began to feel a little self-conscious, so she sputtered, “Yes, the...uh...line-up I call it. Or just the queue. I’m not really sure how to refer to it.” She looked away, towards the throne, where Anita was struggling with the dog again.

  “So, tell me about it,” Miana said.

  “Huh?” Felit?a looked back at them. “The line-up? Oh, it’s a bit hard to explain. Sometimes, when I meet someone… Sorry, that’s a bit inaccurate. It actually seems to be when I first learn of someone. It’s not necessarily when I meet them. But anyway, when I first learn of them, I get an image of them in my head. Or rather, the image was already there, just blurred out. When I learn of a person, that person’s image clears. You’re the eleventh in the line. The line is in the order that I meet them, even if that’s different from when I learn of them. My friend, Quilla, for example, I learned of her before I met her and her image cleared before some of the ones in front of her. Does that make sense?”

  Miana raised their thin eyebrows. “It was a bit rambly, but I think I understand.”

  “You don’t find it strange?”

  A light hint of a smile crossed Miana’s lips. “Of course I find it strange. I only said I understood what you were saying.”

  “Right, that’s good, because it is pretty strange. I don’t really understand it, though I think the images might have been put there by a woman I might have met when I was very young.”

  “And these images, do they do anything?”

  Felit?a shook her head. “They stand still as statues, each looking forward at the person in front of them. Well, except for Zandrue, who’s at the very front. She just...sort of stares straight ahead. They do seem to reflect your current state though.”

  “So my image is currently dressed as I am right now, in uniform with my cap in my hands?”

  “Uh, no, not exactly. I actually can’t see you right now because Mikranasta over there is blocking it, but, um…” Her cheeks warmed. “When you’re there, you’re all...um...naked. By state, I mean if you’re injured or something like that.” She was grateful she couldn’t see the image right now.

  Miana looked up at her with raised eyebrows. “So there’s a naked image of me in your head.”

  Felit?a tried to avoid eye contact, but those eyes just drew attention to them. “Well, like I said, technically not right at this moment, but yes.” Her cheeks warmed more. “I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

  Miana cracked a smile. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to think, but I will confess, Meleng warned me of that part in advance. I just wanted to hear you explain it.”

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  “Ah, right.” Felit?a broke eye contact and looked back over at Anita and Nin-Akna. The dog had turned around but was back to lying in Anita’s lap.

  Miana chuckled. “You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

  “Thank you,” Felit?a said.

  Awkward silence between them followed. Felit?a tried to watch Sinit?a paint, afraid to look back at Miana. She wanted to look back, but also didn’t want them to think she was staring at them.

  Eventually, she said, “So...um...you ferried Sinit?a around. And Meleng and Jorvan, of course.”

  “Yes.”

  “What was that like?” She risked a quick glance at Miana, who was looking up at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Your sister is…” Miana looked over at Sinit?a, and took some time to answer.

  “You can be honest,” Felit?a said. “I won’t be offended.”

  “A handful.” Miana looked back at Felit?a and smiled. “But most of the difficulties of our trip were not her fault. We had some problems in Beldrum that could possibly be attributed to her. People were looking for her because she had run away. But other than that, nothing else had anything to do with her.”

  “I’m glad she wasn’t a problem for you,” Felit?a said. “I’ve travelled with her before. I know what she can be like.”

  Miana chuckled. “As I said, she can be a handful. We failed to complete almost our entire trade route. Lost a lot of profit.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can—”

  Miana chuckled again and shook their head. “No, it’s fine. Sinit?a paid us enough to more than double what we’d hoped to earn. I would never have let Eti?nne break our route otherwise.”

  “Isn’t he the captain?”

  “Yes, but he knows when to defer to me.” They looked up at Felit?a and grinned.

  Felit?a laughed.

  “I will confess, I’ve grown very fond of Sinit?a. But don’t tell her that.”

  Felit?a looked them in the eyes.

  “I have a reputation to maintain.”

  “I promise I wouldn’t dare.” She didn’t look away this time.

  Miana stepped up closer beside Felit?a, close enough that their arms almost touched. They looked up and lowered their voice. “It occurs to me, you do owe me something though, if you’re up for it.” Their hand brushed against hers.

  “Oh?” She almost looked away again, but she forced herself not to. Her heart beat faster.

  “That image of me sometimes in your head. You’ve gotten to see me in such a state, you should return the favour.”

  Felit?a gulped, her heart racing. Gods, she hoped her face wasn’t too red. What would anyone looking at her think was going on? “I, um…” She gulped again. “I think I’d like that. Unfortunately, there are a few complications.”

  Miana raised their eyebrows. “What complications?”

  Felit?a nodded towards Mikranasta, who was standing some distance away. The Isyar was watching the two of them, but Felit?a was reasonably sure she couldn’t hear what they were saying. “Her, for one. I can’t do anything without her or her son monitoring me.”

  Miana glanced momentarily in Mikranasta’s direction, appeared to think for a moment, then shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

  Felit?a gulped. “It does, kind of.”

  Miana shrugged again, and stepped back to where they had been standing before. “A shame, but I understand.”

  “Thanks, I…” She wanted to explain herself more, but the right words were not suggesting themselves.

  “Lady Zandromeda Armida!”

  At the sound of the herald’s voice, Felit?a looked straight over towards the main entrance doors, glad of a reason to break eye contact with Miana.

  Zandrue hurried straight over to Felit?a, receiving a brief “Shoo!” from Sinit?a when she passed between Sinit?a and the throne.

  “Zandrue!” Felit?a said. “Have you...um…” She indicated Miana. “Have you met Miana?”

  Zandrue glanced briefly at Miana and nodded. “Yes, same time you did, remember?”

  Felit?a frowned. “Right, of course. I...uh...forgot.” Her cheeks warmed again. Gods, she was so out of sorts around Miana. She had thought the first time had been because of her tiredness, but now… She really needed to stop letting a simple attraction get the better of her.

  Zandrue looked again at Miana, who looked back, head tilted upwards, eyes angled almost down as a result. They said nothing.

  “We’ve just been chatting about Sinit?a, and what it’s like to travel with her,” Felit?a said.

  Zandrue looked back at Felit?a. “Right. Listen, can I speak to you for a moment?”

  “Of course.”

  “Sorry, Miana. I’ll bring her back to you in a moment. Good to see you again.” Zandrue took Felit?a’s arm and led her off to the side a little.

  “What’s up?” Felit?a asked.

  Zandrue paced a little before saying anything. “I’ve been thinking.”

  Felit?a waited a moment. “About?”

  Zandrue stopped pacing and looked her in the eyes. “About the business with the church and the messages. I’m starting to think the problem isn’t here. It’s in Arnor City. I think I should go to Arnor City.”

  “Zandrue, you found three dead bodies in the cathedral. How is that not something?”

  “Yes, okay, that’s something. I agree. However, I found nothing else. I’m sure there are Darkness Worshippers at work, but I doubt Bandren is one of them. I suspect the problems with the messages are on Arnor City’s side.”

  Felit?a watched Zandrue a moment and sighed.

  “Well?” Zandrue prodded.

  “You’re sure this isn’t because of Rudiger?”

  “Of course it’s about Rudiger. I’m fucking worried about him. But that’s not the only reason. I really am convinced the source of the problem is there.”

  “It’ll take months to get there.”

  Zandrue half-nodded, half-shrugged. “Yes, but there’s a faster way. The Pearl. It got me here. It can get me back.”

  Felit?a sighed again. She’d expected Zandrue to bring that up. “We don’t know how to use the Pearl.”

  Zandrue grabbed Felit?a’s arm again and leaned in close. “Then we figure it out. Insist that Agernon start work on it.”

  “He refuses to start without me there, and he won’t do it if either Mikranasta or Hedromornasta is there.”

  “Then insist, like I said. Tell him he has to do it. He has to fucking get over his dislike of those two. I don’t like them much either, but I’ll work with them, and he needs to, too.”

  Felit?a sighed and stared into Zandrue’s eyes for a moment. Gods, she wished she could sense emotions right now. She hated having to go by instinct, but she was fairly certain there was fear in those eyes, and she remembered well what Zandrue’s fear was like.

  There was also the fact Zandrue was right. She needed to be more insistent with Agernon, as much as she didn’t want to—as much as she didn’t want to confirm his fears that she was becoming too much of a noble. Too much of a princess. But they needed to know what was happening in Arnor City, regardless of what was or wasn’t happening here. And to know that, they needed the Pearl.

  The side door near where they were standing opened. A courtier entered and hurried towards the throne.

  “Please,” Zandrue said.

  Felit?a nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to him. I’ll try to make him understand.”

  Zandrue gave a thin smile. “Thanks.”

  Felit?a hugged her. “I’m sure Rudiger will be fine.”

  Zandrue shuddered in her arms. “I know. I just…” She shook a little more and hugged Felit?a tighter. “I just need to know for sure.”

  “I understand.”

  They held each other for a moment, while Zandrue’s shuddering gradually calmed.

  There was a bark from the dog, and they let go of each other and looked over to the throne.

  Anita had stood up, and the dog was waddling back over to Captain Gen. The courtier who had entered a few moments ago hurried away again.

  “I’m sorry, your Highness. We’ll have to continue this later. Something’s come up.”

  Sinit?a nodded sadly. “That’s okay.”

  Anita looked aside and beckoned in Felit?a’s direction. “Your Highness, I think you should come join me over here.”

  Felit?a nodded and approached the throne, Zandrue beside her. “Honestly, Anita, you can just call me Felit?a.”

  Anita gave a small smile. “In private, of course, but I’d prefer to maintain the proper decorum in the audience chamber, especially when we’re about to have an audience.”

  Felit?a curtsied. “As you wish, your Ladyship.”

  “What’s up?” Zandrue asked.

  “Father Bandren from Saints Cathedral is here with news from Arnor City.”

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