AN: Hello! Cat is back from the scary land of cyber-darkness. Actually, Cat's job is easing up a bit for a couple of weeks and this is a good thing. Sorry for the delay in getting this written, but things have been nuts in the annoying reality that some fools call "real life". Actually, I had a chapter written, but as I looked at it, I realized that I hated the whole freaking thing. Hated what happened, where it took the story and how freaking cliché it was. So I started over. To make up for it, the next chapter is ten pages and one character does something that has been the funniest mental image I've gotten from anything I've ever written. I think you guys will approve when you read it

Again, thanks for your patience, and taking the time to do reviews. I won't be shy. I love reviews. Love seeing them in my inbox. When having a rough day, I reread them to get reminded that there are good things. What can I say, I'm a junkie. But I really appreciate my junk, so all is well. All right, no more babbling, we got story to get to!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Four days later Karla was in her office with her Steward, working out the plans for her autumn travels around the Territory. Jastian was at her normal post in the corner of the room where she seemed to be distant and ignoring everything around her. Anyone with guard training would have been able to tell she was positioned so that she could see every entrance and exit and would be able to get in front of the Queen in a heartbeat if needed. It had been a quiet day, mostly dealing with paperwork and planning, so when the door to Karla's study flew open, everyone leapt about a foot in the air.

Lucivar Yaslana was standing in the doorway, his dark wings stretched to make him look even bigger and imposing than he really was. Which wasn't really needed. The man was damned scary-looking as he was. Lucivar's wings flicked down as he stormed into the room. Jastian took a step towards him, knowing that there wasn't any stopping the Ebon-gray, and walked smack into an Ebon-gray shield. Lucivar shot her a glance that ordered her to stay where she was and not to make trouble. Karla's Steward, who wore the Opal, had enough sense to already get out of the way. Besides, he had seen the Dark Court's First Circle first hand. Karla was likely to get soaking wet when tangling with Lucivar, but never harmed.

Lucivar slammed his hands on the desk hard enough to crack the wood. "What did you do?" he snarled.

"Kiss kiss," Karla said in a tone that translated her greeting into something closer to 'and your horse too". "I was planning my autumnal tour of the Territory."

Lucivar leaned towards her even more menacingly. "I've seen my father in a lot of situations," he said. "Seen him at the peak of happiness, and so enraged that he fell into the Twisted Kingdom. But I have never, NEVER, seen him read something that made him choke so hard on his yarbarah that it squirted out of his nose!"

Karla made a funny noise that was either clearing her throat or trying desperately to hold in a peal of laughter. "I simply asked him for some research material," she said, looking up at him with wounded innocence.

Lucivar knew that look. The last time he'd seen it just like that, Karla had told him that of course she knew how to make a simple casserole and wouldn't he just leave them alone! That was roughly an hour before the Hall's kitchen had been blown to smithereens by Karla and Jaenelle over a "simple little error that could have happened to anyone". He pointed a finger at her.

"The High Lord wants to see you at the Keep, now."

Karla knew that protesting would mean being slung over his shoulder and ending up at the Keep soaking wet. And that wasn't how she wanted to be when the High Lord started questioning her over the letter. Which really should not have been that big of deal. Should it?

Karla rolled her eyes. "You didn't need to be so dramatic," she said calmly. "If Uncle Saetan wants me, then of course I'll go to the Keep right away. Are you going to be my escort?"

"Lady, I'll be more than happy to take you to the Keep," Jastian said, tapping on the shield.

"No," growled Lucivar. "I'm taking her." Jastian felt the timing spell slide into the shield and knew it wouldn't be released until they were well on their way to the Keep. She wanted to scream and pound against the shield, but knew that she'd have to badly drain the Red in order to make a dent in the shield, and might not be able to ride the Winds. She might have done it anyway but Karla called in her cane, stood, and then gave Jastian a small wink. It suddenly hit Jastian that Karla was going to be alone with a furious Eyrien Warlord Prince that outranked her, and she wasn't worried a bit.

Karla really wasn't worried about Lucivar as he drove the small coach through the Winds towards the Keep. Lucivar was a lot of yelling and dunking in fountains, but he would never hurt her. Neither would the High Lord hurt her, but she was very worried about what he might say. Karla straightened up a bit. Well, it didn't matter. Sure, he was the unofficial Steward of a Court that didn't officially exist anymore, but she was an official Territory Queen, the absolute law within her boundaries. She would not allow anyone to bully her into dismissing Jastian because of her preferences. Uncle Saetan had shown himself to be a tolerant man when dealing with Rainier, so he was going to have to extend that tolerance to Jastian as well.

When they reached the Keep, Lucivar escorted Karla quickly to the study that the High Lord had made into his own private chamber where the man himself was waiting for them. He smiled as they came in and Lucivar immediately propelled Karla into the chair next to the desk. "All right" Lucivar growled. "Now talk!"

"Lucivar," the High Lord said quietly. "Draca has set up a place for you outside."

Lucivar turned and looked at his father for a long minute. Then his shoulders slumped. "Mulch or wood?"

"I believe there's an axe and barrel," Saetan said. "Your choice."

Lucivar left the room quickly, leaving Karla alone with Saetan, who was giving her a very thorough looking-over. It was easier to stand up to Lucivar than to not squirm when the High Lord gave that long and piercing stare. "New clothes?" he finally asked. Karla glanced down. She was wearing the outfit Jastian had picked out with the addition of a black jacket with the same red and orange design on it.

"Yes," she said.

"Not your normal wardrobe," he said.

You mean it makes me look slightly feminine and not an amorphous blob like the rest of my clothes, Karla thought. "I went shopping with Jastian," she said. "She got me to try it on and I liked the way it looked."

Saetan had to hide the small smile that wanted to erupt at her bristling tone. He wondered if Karla understood what the significance of her dressing better was, and if he should tell her if she didn't "It does look very nice on you," he finally said. That seemed to calm her down just a bit.

"I guess you didn't have me come up here to discuss new clothes," she said quietly. Saetan sat down in the chair behind his desk, a quiet symbol of speaking from authority, father to daughter, rather than a discussion between equals.

"No," he said, calling in a letter. Karla almost wilted when she noticed that it was covered in a fine dark-red spatter. "I was...well...I was a bit taken aback when I got your request," he finally said. "Am I right to assume Lady Jastian is the reason for your request?"

Her ice-blue eyes flashed fire at him. For a man who was supposedly retired from the living Realms, he certainly had a good idea of what was going on. He didn't say, but Karla suspected he'd received a full report about Jastian from Jaenelle and Daemon. "She's a good person, no matter who warms her bed," Karla snapped. "Jastian's been a loyal guard and a good friend as well."

"I never thought otherwise," Saetan replied calmly. His demeanor and calming tones helped to fade a lot of the anger out of Karla. When she had written the letter, she had thought Saetan would be a little shocked, but honestly, after dealing with the First Circle since they were children, the man must have heard everything by now, but he'd send her a book or two with the information she wanted. When Lucivar had hauled her to the Keep, it was the first time that she had worried that Saetan wouldn't want Jastian anywhere near her.

"I am, however, curious as to why you asked for this particular information," he said.

Karla shrugged. "Jastian told me that she prefers women, but wouldn't say how two women would...well, anyway, I wanted to know. She was too embarrassed, I think, so I figured there had to be a book or two in the library that would give some detail." Color suffused through her cheeks.

Saetan opened his hand and called in three books. "There were a few books covering that particular topic," he said, handing her the books. "I thought those three to be a good start, and if you're interested, I'll pull some more for you." He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers. "But my darling, you still hasn't explained why you were curious."

"Well, Jastian wouldn't tell me," she said defensively.

"I understand that," he said. "But most people aren't interested in the sexual techniques of those who work for them."

That got Karla's attention. She sucked in a small breath. "I have no intention of embarrassing her," Karla said quietly. "If I had demanded that she tell me, she would have. I thought asking for a book would be a better choice."

"Keep in mind where she's from," Saetan said. "It wasn't long ago that a twisted Queen might force someone like Jastian to perform in front of the entire court." Karla paled. "If Jastian does ask why you wanted to know, she's not going to like hearing 'because you wouldn't tell me'." He gave her a piercing look. "You need to know for yourself why you asked so that you can at least give her the truth."

Karla squirmed. Curiosity was the only reason, right? It was such a strange idea, women together, that she wanted to know more. She could hear the High Lord's voice in her mind. Why do you want to know more, his voice asked. What do you really want from it? She wasn't sure what he meant, but it was important to him, so she needed to think on it carefully. She straightened in her chair.

"Thank you for your advice, High Lord," Karla said formally. "There were things I didn't realize, and others that I need to consider more."

It was Uncle Saetan that smiled back at her. "Good. Think about it. And next time, a little warning before asking something that...unusual. Warm yarbarah is pleasant. Warm yarbarah through the nose, not so much."

Karla's laughter rang out in the room. She vanished the books and grinned. "So, think Lucivar will still get me dinner?"

Saetan rose and glanced out the window. "I think you're another half a barrel from dinner. And in the meanwhile, I'm going to take some rest before Draca calls us to eat." Karla gave him a wicked smile that made Saetan very glad that he was leaving and his son could deal with this witch for the rest of the day.

Karla waited until he closed the door before settling herself onto the couch, calling in one of the books Saetan had given her, and began to read.

*~*~*~*~*

Jastian wasn't sure what to do with the unexpected day off. Neither the Steward or Master of the Guard seemed worried about Lucivar hauling Karla out of there, and seemed to take it as a matter of course. Lord Kemmerick had told her flat out that if anything happened to Karla, it was because they had gotten through Prince Yaslana. And the only two men who could get through Yaslana were the High Lord and Daemon Sadi, and if either of them had turned on Glacia, then the Darkness have mercy because they were all going to die.

Jastian had gone flying for a while, thinking about what they said. A Warlord Prince had, in effect, kidnapped a Territory Queen, and nobody was worried about it. Their opinion was that she was now his responsibility to care for. Maybe if it was another man, they would be worried, but nobody doubted the integrity of Lucivar. As a matter of fact, the Steward's only concern was to warn the housekeeper since Karla would probably come back dripping wet. It took Jastian a long time of flying for the truth to begin sinking in how different Kaeleer was, and how she had been assuming Kaeleer would keep with Terreille's prejudices.

Well, there was only one way to find out for sure.

She banked to the left and headed back into town. The cool, crisp air washed past her skin and through her hair, her mouth parting slightly so she could taste the air, letting it move through her as she moved through it. She could pick up the psychic scents and feels of the people below her, most of which weren't used to seeing an Eyrien flying, but she caught no fear, no anger, and it was wondrous to fly over a proper city where the inhabitants didn't stink of fear and degradation.

She landed on the front patio of the eating house that she and Karla had enjoyed during their outing. Jastian had gone there alone once since then, they made the best pie within a hundred miles, and got the same serving girl as the time she and Karla had been. This time the girl had introduced herself and Lyria, and although her actions couldn't be called flirting, they were a definite invitation for flirting. Jastian knew she wasn't ready for any kind of relationship, even if physically...well, the mind and body didn't always agree on what was best, but she wanted to know how Lyria would respond back to flirting.

She walked in and Lyria looked up at the door, a delighted smile on her face. Jastian glanced around. It was early, but there were already a couple of customers at the bar, and a man and woman at a table. Lyria came up to her quickly.

"Lady," she said with a warm smile. "Welcome. Is Lady Karla with you?"

"It's Jastian, please," she said, pleased to see a slight blush in Lyria's cheeks, "and no, I'm alone today and thought I would stop in and see if you still have that wonderful lemon pie."

"Of course," Lyria said. "Our customers would riot if we didn't."

"Is the garden still available for customers?" Jastian asked. The dining house had a small garden with a few tables outside. With the weather turning cold, places with outside dining were closing those areas off, so there was a much better chance of privacy out there.

"It is available, if you don't mind the crisp temperature," Lyria said.

Jastian grinned. "I'm Eyrien," she said as Lyria began to lead her through the restaurant towards the garden door. "We love to fly through crisp air."

Lyria's eyes raked over Jastian's lean form, taking in the leather pants and skimpy top under her cloak. The top tied around the waist and neck in the back, leaving Jastian's wings fully unencumbered. "And I bet you know how to warm up later." She turned and opened the door, taking Jastian to a table in a tucked-away corner, giving all the privacy Jastian could get at a public place.

"Hot coffee with your pie?" Lyria asked.

"Please," Jastian answered and Lyria left to get the food. Jastian leaned back, using a warming spell to take away the worst of the cold weather and warm the chair under her and the one across from her. It wasn't long before Lyria returned with a generous slice of pie and carafe of coffee. She glanced behind her and called in a plate with two nutcakes on it.

"Specialty of the house," she said in a low voice. "The cook only makes these when she's got a big aristo party coming in. I snitched a couple for you."

Two nutcakes on top of pie. Jastian smiled. That was a blatant request. "Are you busy?" she asked. "I don't think I could finish off two, and I wouldn't mind some company."

"Well, if you don't mind," Lyria said. "They are my favorite, and my only table besides you just left." She slid into the seat, her eyes flashing with appreciation on feeling it warmed beneath her. She was a Yellow Jeweled witch and using power for little courtesies would drain her quickly, so she appreciated the small gestures by the darker Blood.

Lyria took a nutcake and began to delicately nibble on it. "How do you like working for Lady Karla?" she asked. Jastian felt a thread of concern and wanted to demand why she was interested in Karla, but held back. The girl probably rarely talked with anyone in the Queen's household, and would naturally be curious as to what the Queen was really like.

"She's wonderful," Jastian replied. "I immigrated from Terreille and Queens there...well, until the Purge, almost all of the Queens would have seen a Red-Jeweled Black Widow as something that must be broken and killed. Karla is someone you can be honored to serve."

"I guess you're pretty busy," Lyria said. "I haven't seen or you much around town, and trust me, the Eyrien Lady is noticed when she goes out." There was a sparkle in Lyria's eyes that made Jastian smile.

"I am busy usually," she said. "But I happen to be off-duty tonight. Know anything about the nightlife in town?"

Lyria leaned forward, nutcake forgotten about. "My shift ends at nine. If you want, we could meet up and I could show you some of the fun places to go. They're not aristo establishments, but my friends and I have fun there."

Jastian gave her a grin that bordered on predatory. "I'm not aristo. I'd rather have a good time than a proper time any day of the week."

"Then I'll see you at nine?"

"You better believe it."

*~*~*~*~*

By the time Karla came home, it was late. Jaenelle, Daemon and Marian had come up to the Keep and Karla enjoyed a pleasant dinner with them and chatting for a while later before Lucivar decided it was time to get Karla home. Daemonar was spending time with his little friend Orian, and Marian needed to pick up the boy and assess whatever damages he'd done. Lucivar had already resigned himself to going over to Endar and Dorian's eyrie the next morning to personally apologize and pay for all damages incurred. Maybe if they were very lucky, it wouldn't be too bad. Orian was a Queen. A small one, but a Queen was still a Queen, and Daemonar's young Warlord Prince instincts were starting to kick in. Hopefully he would follow her lead rather than pulling her along for one of his "adventures". Karla had found that amusing and wondered if any Queen would be strong enough to slip a leash on Daemonar.

Karla had checked in with her staff when she returned to make sure nothing had happened that required her attention. Her Steward told her that they could finish planning her autumnal tour in the morning, and there was some paperwork that perhaps she could look at if she wasn't too tired. Her Master of the Guard said that everything was fine, however, Lady Jastian was out for the evening, and wasn't expected back until late. Would she mind if Lord Jerrod was assigned as her personal guard in the morning?

That had caught Karla by surprise. Jastian had gone out? Where? With who? Karla told Lord Kemmerick that Jarred was fine for the morning and went to her suite with the paperwork her Steward had given her. She could have used her Gray Jewels to track Jastian's Red - the only Red in Glacia - but decided to give Jastian her privacy. She'd barely left Karla's side in the months that she'd been in Glacia, and hadn't socialized with anyone outside of the Hall before that. It was a good thing then that she felt comfortable enough to spend an evening out. Even if curiosity was killing the Queen she served.

Karla settled herself on the couch in her sitting room and put the paperwork on the table in front of her. She then called in the book she'd started reading earlier, promising herself just one or two more chapters and then she would get to work. The book was actually a love story with a witch who was a carpenter falling in love with a Black Widow who owned a small farm that she had inherited from her parents when they died unexpectedly. The Black Widow had hired the carpenter to make some repairs to the farm, and as the story went on, they'd become attracted to each other. There'd been a rather spicy love scene that had Karla's mouth gaping open the whole time. She couldn't help but wonder if Jastian had done the same things, and if this was a realistic depiction of two women falling in love. In any case, the story itself was quite good, and the subject material was well, very, very interesting.

A few chapters, a signed document granting a land claim, and then a dozen more chapters, and Karla finally had to admit she needed to go to sleep. The story had become very intense, but she'd read the last page three times and still didn't know what was going on since her eyes kept trying to close. She vanished the book and straightened up the papers, promising herself she'd get up early and read through them in the morning.

She got off the couch and went to her bedroom, deciding to wear the silk nightgown Jastian had given her. She had to admit that she liked the way the silk felt against her skin and although it was "girly" it wasn't like anyone else would see her in it. As she slipped the gown over her head, a rippling feeling caught her attention. Karla's head jerked up sharply, her senses sharp as she identified the sensation. The locks. Someone was trying to penetrate the locks on the front door.

Karla's former Master of the Guard, a Warlord Prince, had retired a few months after Witch went to war with Terreille due to injuries he'd sustained in the fighting. He had trained Galen to take his place. Galen was only a Warlord, but he wore the Green, the darkest Jewel of any male in Glacia. Every night he put Green locks on the doors when the household had retired. Karla called in a robe and slipped out of her room, cloaked in Gray sight and protective shields. She glided to the stairway so that she could see the main entrance. It could be kids playing around. That had happened before. But if someone did come in they would be getting a blast of Gray power as she called for the alarm.

The locks rippled again, and then Jastian passed through the door. Karla's muscles locked painfully as she forced back the power she had come within a breath of using. Her hand dropped and she let down the shields. And then watched in amazement as Jastian's normal feline grace had turned into stumbling and wobbling as she made her way across the entrance hall to the stairs.

"Jastian?" Karla called. "Are you okay?" Jastian jumped at the sound of a voice, knocking into a small table. She caught the vase that wobbled dangerously near the edge of the table and pushed it clumsily back on.

"Shhhhhh," Jastian said, pointing at the vase. "You...you gotta be...gotta be quiet." She took a step back from the table, tripped over a piece of lint on the floor, and landed flat on her ass.

Karla used Craft to float quickly down the steps just as Jastian was pulling herself back to her feet. One whiff and Karla's nose wrinkled. "How much have you had to drink?" she asked. The darker Jewel someone wore, the more it took them to get drunk. And Jastian was full-out blitzed.

"Just enough," Jastian said. "And then a few more." She giggled at the joke and Karla sighed. At least she was a happy drunk.

"Let's get you to bed," Karla said.

Jastian made a little grumbling noise. "But I wanna...wanna..." she took another stumbling step. "Wanna go to bed."

Karla put Jastian's arm around her neck to give her some balance and then used Craft to float them up the steps. "Where did you go to get in this state?" she asked when they got to the top of the steps. Karla was still keeping Jastian's arm around her, using Craft to take the weight as she tried to maneuver the other woman towards her room.

"Oh Karla, you should have come," Jastian said. "We had soooooo much fun. Lyria met me with her friends and they're all nice and you'd like them cause you're real like them too and we danced and danced and had a few drinks and danced and then...then..."

She stopped suddenly and grabbed Karla by the shoulders so that they were face to face. Karla's breath caught at the dismay in Jastian's expression. "Did you know there are people who have no idea what it's like to fly?" Jastian demanded.

Karla smiled a little and got Jastian moving again. "Not everyone has wings," she said.

"I know," Jastian moaned. "And that's sad. So I showed Lyria and then her friends wanted to go, so I flew around and around and I think Meggie threw up a little." Jastian started giggling. "And Braedon thought he was soooo tough cause he's a Warlord Prince but I showed him a free fall and he was screaming like a little girl."

Karla had to bite back a laugh at the image of a terrified Warlord Prince plummeting to the ground with only a drunk Eyrien keeping them from splattering. And she wondered if anyone was going to complain about how puke got on their roofs. So she'd gone dancing, huh? Who would have guessed that Jastian liked to dance? They had made it to Jastian's room. Karla opened the door and dragged them both through.

"So, you made some friends?" Karla asked.

"Mmmm...lots of people," Jastian said, falling onto her bed. "Lyria's pretty."

Karla felt herself stiffen for no discernible reason. There was no reason for her to be surprised, or hurt, but for some reason, she was.

Jastian's eyes opened and focused on Karla. Her robe had come open, revealing the lavender gown beneath. Jastian gasped and sat up quickly. The room spun wildly and she grabbed at one of the three Karlas in the room, finally getting her hand on one of them. "You wore it," she breathed and smiled happily. "You didn't say if you liked it. I hoped you wouldn't be mad cause it's kinda a weird present, but you looked sad when you put it back and I wanted you to like it."

Karla smiled a little. "I liked it. I usually don't wear pretty girly things, but this is private and I thought you were very sweet for giving it to me."

Jastian swayed, almost pulling Karla onto her. She reached up and touched Karla's spiky blond hair. "You got pretty hair," she slurred. "Like icicles. But soft. And pretty." She ran her fingertips across the tips of the spikes and giggled. "And tickly. Pretty tickly icicles."

She giggled again, swaying a bit. Her hand slid down so that she was holding Karls's cheek in her palm. Jastian's body froze, locking into place. Her gold eyes met Karla's ice-blue ones, and they were no longer drunkenly dazed, but solid and farseeing.

"You're melting," Jastian said firmly. "The first drops are here. The ice will break and you must choose..." Her voice trailed off and the sudden surge of power faded. Jastian's eyes blurred, and she smiled again. "I think I want to go to sleep now," she said, leaning over so that she was on her side, her wings tucked in tight against her.

Karla could feel her heart beating in her throat and wanted to wake Jastian up and demand to know what she had meant. Had she meant her physical stamina? Please, Sweet Darkness, no, she thought. Not yet. There was still so much left she needed to do, and no Queen strong enough to take her place. She swallowed hard, trying to push past the lump that had formed. It could mean anything, she told herself. A drunken Black Widow wasn't the best at interpreting vision, especially without a web to help focus it.

Karla moved Jastian's legs so that she was completely on the bed and vanished her shoes, calling them in on the floor beside the bed. She thought about trying to get the blanket on top of Jastian and then grabbed the quilt at the bottom of the bed and flipped it over the sleeping woman. She had enough anti-freeze in her that she wouldn't get too cold tonight.

Karla called in her cane and limped to the door. She paused for a moment and looked back on Jastian, her face relaxed and peaceful and a blanket of silky black hair flowing over her shoulder and down her back. "Good night Jastian," she said softly.

A light snore was the only response.

Karla sighed, stepped through the door, and extinguished the witchlight.