1/Terreille
A day or two had turned into nearly a week. Lord Willem had been back to the inn several times to assure them that everything was fine and that Lady Claudia would hold an audience as soon as possible. He never said directly what the delay was, though. Even Bethaeny had to admit she was getting nervous. And Ettia…
"We're going to die here," her cousin muttered for the thousandth time.
"If they wanted us dead, it'd be done by now."
"You can't know for sure."
"And neither can you."
Bethaeny sighed, and grabbed the Protocol book on the table. Over the past few days, she'd spent more time reading it. Once or twice, she'd been able to debate with Lord Shaede about the things that were the most confusing. Ettia had joined them a few times, even if she was just trying to point out the flaws.
"There's nothing in that book that's going to save you, you know."
"That's not why I'm reading it," she snapped back.
Now Ettia sighed. She collapsed wearily into the chair opposite Bethaeny's and stared up at the ceiling. For a while, only the occasional page turn broke the silence between them. She was startled when her cousin finally said something.
"Do you really think I'm no better than Meredith or Valinna?"
Bethaeny looked up, surprised by the sincerity she heard in Ettia's voice. She closed the book and set it aside. How did she answer that question honestly without ruining what was left of their relationship?
"I think that the path you are leading us down will be no different than theirs in the end- even if that's not what you mean to do."
"I don't ever want to be like them."
"Nor do I."
Ettia's eyes didn't leave the ceiling, but she gestured to Bethaeny with her left hand.
"You're never going to be like them, cousin. I knew that the first day Aunt Berda sent you to Meredith's court."
"And that I'd get myself killed one day."
Her cousin didn't need to answer, having already said as much during their argument in the inn common room. So it wasn't surprising when she didn't. Instead, Ettia shifted in the chair to look at her, expression troubled.
"I've been in her court for decades, and I've been wondering these past few days if what I've witnessed- what I've been a part of- is too late to undo." Ettia tapped her chest. "In here."
"Of course we can undo it," Bethaeny protested. "It will just take some time."
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, cousin, but I don't feel so optimistic."
Bethaeny couldn't speak at first, frightened by what she was hearing. Ettia almost sounded like she was giving up on their cause. Would she really just give up and join Meredith? She'd lose her cousin for good if that happened. And Hayll would lose even more.
"What are you suggesting, Ettia?"
"If we're meant to live through this like you seem to think we are," she started slowly. "Then I think you should take over in our group."
Her jaw was probably scraping the tabletop in shock, judging by the way her cousin was looking at her.
"Surprising to hear me say that, isn't it?"
"Well…yeah. I mean, this whole thing was your idea. And now you just want to give up?"
"I'm not giving up. I am just…trying to accept that I may not be the best choice to lead. Not until I know if I'm really changing anything for the better."
As much as she wanted to believe that Ettia was having a breakthrough, Bethaeny was still wary. Had to be. She didn't want to believe that Meredith and Valinna had poisoned her cousin, tainting her with their ideas. She wanted to believe that Ettia was simply caught up in her own lies that kept her alive in court. But the longer someone lived a lie, the more it became true.
Bethaeny had nearly stood on those crossroads herself, even though Ettia thought she hadn't. She couldn't deny that anyone caught on the wrong side of that line was dangerous.
Which was why she needed to watch her back. She would do what she could to help Ettia break whatever hold Meredith and Valinna had on her, but she couldn't be careless enough to risk everything for her. The good of Hayll had to come first- even before family.
It was a bitter choice to make.
"All right. If that's what you want, I'll do it."
Just then, the door opened and Lord Willem stepped inside. He looked grim, nodding to both of them. Bethaeny jerked to her feet. So did Ettia.
"Lady Claudia has scheduled an audience for this afternoon. She'd asked me to escort you both to the Queen's Residence."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now."
Apprehension ran through her, and Bethaeny tried to hide that her hands were trembling. She'd done well convincing herself this whole time that they'd be fine. Those terse words and the lack of any smile just about undid all of her confidence. Bethaeny clutched the folds of her skirt and took a step towards the door.
"We're ready," unable to hide a quaver in her voice.
Lord Willem heard it and the grim look softened a little.
"It won't be that bad, Lady Bethaeny."
"Hard to believe it when you come in here with a look that could sour milk," Ettia remarked.
"Ettia!"
Bethaeny gaped at her cousin, not believing what she'd just heard her say. Apparently, neither could Lord Willem. His eyebrows nearly disappeared into the long raven hair that tumbled over his forehead. The three of them stood there in stunned silence for a few minutes before he regained his composure. She cringed, waiting to hear what he'd have to say.
"Well you'd know best about that, wouldn't you , Lady Ettia?"
The harsh words were belied by his teasing tone.
"Beg your pardon?"
"Your talents are no less impressive when it comes to souring milk with a look," he replied with a wink.
Before she could sputter out a retort, he'd already taken her hand and guided her out of the room. That left Bethaeny standing behind them, quite bemused. What in the hell just happened? She was still stumped when Lord Shaede came in to fetch her next.
"Are you all right, Lady Bethaeny?"
"The male gender is so strange," she told him. "I don't think I'm ever going to figure it out."
"Quite frankly, the feeling is mutual," he grumbled good-naturedly. "I don't see myself ever understanding females, either."
"Wonderful. Shall we go, then?"
Lord Shaede held out his right hand. For a minute, Bethaeny just looked at it, frowning. She'd read enough in the Protocol books to know he wasn't doing that right. His Jewels out-ranked hers- shouldn't she be on his left and not the other way around?
"What's the matter now?"
"That's the wrong hand."
"What?"
"I don't want to look like an idiot walking through Amdarh. You're supposed to be on the right, not the left."
"Since when do you quote Protocol at me?"
"Since when I know I'm right."
He glanced over at the Protocol book lying on the table and rolled his eyes. But he switched sides without arguing about it. Just as well, since he'd lose. She couldn't resist giving him an 'I told you so' look. A few times on the walk, she did hear him muttering something under his breath. Bethaeny pretended not to hear.
2/Terreille
Claudia studied the two witches carefully. Lady Bethaeny and Lady Ettia were typical of most Hayllians as far as looks went. They had the same black hair, browned skin and golden eyes as all three of the long-lived races. If they'd been Dhemlan, their Jewels wouldn't be overly impressive. The Green for Ettia's Rank and the Blood Opal for Bethaeny. For Hayllians, though, those were quite dark.
They were noticeably uneasy about being brought before her for an audience. In their place, she wouldn't blame them. They'd openly confessed to being spies for Hayll- for that bitch Meredith. As Territory Queen for Dhemlan, Claudia had no mercy for anyone who posed a threat to her people. She knew Meredith had even less for anyone who threatened her.
According to Lord Willem, though, something was off about their confession. He had given her a brief overview of the conversation he'd had with them in the Hayllian quarter of the city. Based on what he'd said, Claudia felt it was necessary to hear from her sources in Draega before meeting the witches. So she'd postponed the audience until the next report came.
It had taken much longer than she'd expected. And having seen its contents, Claudia knew why.
Never in her life would she have been prepared for what she'd read when it arrived yesterday. The state of things in Hayll was even worse than she'd imagined. Far worse than they could ignore for much longer. Meredith was planning a slaughter in Dhemlan, and she was honing her techniques in her own city. Monstrous.
Raenel, why didn't you say anything about any of this? Where have you been for the past four months?
Claudia wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to those questions. She feared the witch had gambled once too often against Meredith and lost. No matter how important or complicated the errand, Raenel should have finished it by now. Or at least sent some kind of word that she'd been delayed.
She swept her concern for Raenel aside to deal with the witches before her.
"Lady Bethaeny. Lady Ettia. Lord Willem has given me an account of how you came to be in my Territory."
They both winced, but said nothing.
"He's told me that Lady Meredith sent you to Dhemlan to spy for her. Now I want an explanation why I shouldn't hand you over to my Master of the Guard."
The witches exchanged a glance before Bethaeny stepped forward. Interesting. Claudia would have expected Ettia to be the one to respond. She was older and wore the dominant Jewels. So why was she deferring to her younger cousin? That was something to keep in mind.
"Because we're not spies, Lady Claudia. At least, not spies for Meredith."
Ahhh, the nuances one heard in those words. She knew what would follow, but asked all the same.
"Do explain."
"We're spies against Meredith. My cousin and I have been working with other witches in secret back in Draega for the past few months. We want to get rid of her and Valinna." The witch paused slightly. "And everyone else in Hayll who supports their rule."
Claudia said nothing, letting Lady Bethaeny complete her story before asking any questions. She did notice how Ettia's face tightened. Did her reaction stem from fear or anger? Claudia wasn't sure, but either way, she was not happy that her cousin provided that information so quickly.
"That's the real reason Meredith sent us here, of course. We've been careful enough that she can't prove we've been plotting against her, but either she or Valinna suspected something was going on."
Bethaeny's voice gained strength as she continued.
"Quite frankly, Lady, they want us dead. But they're too smart to do it directly. So when they cooked up this idea about Dhemlan spies in Hayll, naturally we were the ones they sent here to spy on you. It was a win-win. You discover us- we're dead; We come back without anything useful- they call us traitors and we're dead."
"We had no choice but to come to Amdarh," the witch continued. "That aside, I wanted to come, anyway. To see what life was like in another Territory and to get ideas how to fix things in Hayll. And that's about the point where I met Lord Willem and Lord Shaede. They showed me exactly what I'd been looking for."
The words were sincerely spoken. Claudia would have known if the witch had told even the tiniest lie, thanks to a spell Raenel had taught her long ago. Nothing fancy- just a simple compulsion spell. But it was subtle. Almost undetectable, actually. Even by someone wearing dark Jewels.
So what did all this mean if what Bethaeny had said was true? Might as well find out.
"And what was that, Lady Bethaeny?"
"This," she said, gesturing to the audience room and the members of the Court present. "A Blood society with laws that protect everyone and where everyone- no matter what caste they belong to or Jewels they wear- is held accountable if they're not followed."
Hell's fire. The witch sounded determined enough to try to change Hayll single-handedly. Claudia wished that Raenel were here to meet her. Not only would they get along, she'd also be a welcome asset in their existing network. Maybe if she sent word to the Keep in Askavi, Claudia could find out where Raenel was. It couldn't hurt to try, anyway.
Or maybe it could. Lady Bethaeny's intentions were clear, but her cousin's were less certain. A schism there that could make her dangerous. Ettia wanted something like what she saw in Dhemlan, but either she doubted it could work in Hayll…or she was afraid it would.
Claudia had seen that before in other witches. They didn't want the fear and pain of their old life in Hayll, but were terrified to embrace something new. Even if it was a better life. Some adjusted with time.
Others didn't. They usually went back to Hayll to make a life as best they could. But a very few tried to recreate in Dhemlan what they knew of Hayll. As much as it pained her to do it, those individuals were destroyed.
Which fate would befall Lady Ettia? She couldn't say. And because she couldn't, Claudia hesitated about trying to contact anyone at the Keep about Raenel. At least until she had more time to sort this out.
"I'm curious, Lady Bethaeny. After serving in her court for so long, what inspired the two of you turn down this path?"
"It just seemed like the best time to try. What with the Rings gone and Prince DeSade with them. The coven was starting to break apart, and we thought maybe we could use that against Meredith."
"Yes, Lord Willem mentioned that the Rings were all stolen from Hayll, and that's the basis for this rumor about Dhemlan spies. Do either of you have any insight on how that happened?"
Bethaeny hesitated, a queasy look on her face. Ettia must have noticed and stepped forward to answer.
"There was this witch. She managed to slip amongst the rest of the staff unnoticed. Apparently, her aim was to relieve the coven of the Rings."
Claudia fought to keep her expression neutral. But inside, her heart jumped. Raenel. It had to be her. She'd said her next errand would shake Hayll to the core.
"Well, Meredith caught her in the storage room, stealing the extra Rings. She summoned the whole coven and had Valinna interrogate the witch for hours. Never did any good, though."
"How do you mean, Lady Ettia?"
"I don't know how the witch withstood it, but they couldn't get a single answer out of her. No matter what Valinna did to her. Not a peep about where she'd stashed the missing Rings- not even her name or Jewels."
She didn't want to, but she had to ask.
"Can you recall what the witch looked like?"
"Black hair- probably fell somewhere halfway down her back. Brown skin. Although, it did have a little more of a golden hue to it than most Hayllians. I don't think she stood much taller than either of us. But her eyes…"
"What about them?"
"They were unusual. Sure, they were gold typical to the long-lived races. But the color was…" Ettia paused to think. "When I was young, I lived near a river. In the summer, I'd go out early to fetch water. When the sun hit the surface just right, the color was a dazzling shade of gold."
Claudia's heart sank. No other witch in any of the Realms had eyes like that. She braced herself before asking the witch her next question. No matter how Ettia answered, it would be bad news. Meredith commanded the Gray, and Valinna the Red. Raenel wore only the Sapphire. There was no way she could have survived any retaliation from them.
"Can you tell me what happened to her?"
"Mostly," Ettia said uneasily. "I know what I saw and what my cousin saw, Lady."
"Even that much would be helpful."
"Meredith was furious when she realized the witch wasn't going to give her what she wanted. So she dosed her with safframate and handed her over to Grael, one of her pet Warlords."
"No," Claudia whispered in horror.
"It would have been bad enough if it had gone as Meredith planned. Grael would have broken her and given the witch back to Valinna to scoop out the information Meredith wanted. But the Prince changed all that."
She knew which Prince Ettia meant. Even as far away as Dhemlan, witches heard stories of the notorious Prince DeSade. Meredith's most lethal and mysterious weapon. Lethal based on the stories of what he did to witches. Mysterious because no one in Dhemlan had been able to find out where he'd come from or what he looked like.
"Prince DeSade killed Grael and took the witch to his suite," Ettia continued. "Meredith was livid at first, but when she realized he wanted to- well, I'd rather not think about what he wanted to do with her- she gave him three days with the witch. Said she didn't care what he did, so long as the witch was still alive when she came back."
"And was she?"
The witched glanced at her cousin, who looked ready to be sick.
"Bethaeny?"
"I can't," she said with a shake of her head. "Please don't make me tell her, Ettia."
"You're the only one besides Meredith and Valinna who saw the room. Not me."
Lady Bethaeny took a few shallow breaths to steady herself. When she seemed calm again, she looked up at Claudia.
"Meredith had us come with her three days later," she began slowly. "When he didn't answer her summons, s-she sent me into his suite. No one goes into the Prince's suite. I thought I was as good as dead, but I went. Didn't have much of a choice."
The witch paused again.
"Take your time, Lady," Claudia said soothingly.
"There was so much…rage…in that room. I've never been so afraid of anything in my life. Especially as I got closer to the bedroom. That's when I looked in and saw…" Bethaeny's eyes filled with tears. "So much blood. It was everywhere- on everything. What little was left of the witch was still in the bed. Didn't even look like it could have been human once. I ran away so fast I didn't even realize that Prince DeSade was missing."
The room was deathly silent. The entire court was stunned, unprepared for the gruesome account. For those who'd known Raenel, the news hit especially hard. She saw Lord Willem's fists clenched in impotent fury. There was nothing any of them could do. Ettia wrapped her arms around her cousin and held the trembling witch.
"It'll be okay, Bethaeny. Just let it go."
"I can't. I wish she'd never undone that spell so I'd remember what I saw in that room."
"What spell?" Claudia asked as soon as she found a steady voice.
"Valinna used her Black Widow Craft to make us forget what we'd discovered. She and Meredith wanted to hide from the coven that the Prince had escaped. But when they didn't find him after two months, Meredith revealed what really happened. She had Valinna release the spell she'd put on us so Bethaeny could testify to the others what she'd seen."
"And where is Prince DeSade now?"
"No one knows," Ettia replied. "We all thought he'd rip Draega apart- the coven especially. But he just vanished without a trace."
That was far more ominous than a Territory wide slaughter. Prince DeSade could be anywhere- even in Dhemlan. What Jewels did he wear? They'd never heard a whisper of that in the stories. Could she possibly stop him if he was hunting in her Territory?
"Could he have taken down the coven- and Meredith- if he wanted?"
"He wears the Ebon-Gray, so if he somehow got free of the Ring Meredith put on him, he absolutely could."
Mother Night. The Ebon-Gray. No one in Dhemlan wore Jewels that dark. Or in Askavi, either. In fact, she didn't think anyone in all of Terreille had been gifted with the Ebon-Gray since Lucivar Yaslana lived here.
Only one answer. They would need help from the Blood in Kaeleer to subdue Prince DeSade. Just as well, Claudia thought dismally. She needed to tell their Dhemlan kin in the Shadow Realm- Jaenelle Saetien especially- that Raenel was dead.
That was a message she was not looking forward to sending. Jaenelle had asked Claudia to keep an eye on Raenel when she was in Terreille. She'd said that Raenel had little sense to worry herself over it. Letting the witch get herself killed was far from keeping that promise.
"You know who she was," Bethaeny said, suddenly very alert. She stepped away from her cousin. "The witch the Prince killed. You knew her."
Too many people in the audience chamber to answer that question. Not so much answering the yes or no. It was the how. Claudia needed to conclude the public session before she went any further with this discussion.
"Before we get to that, I think we should conclude our official business here." She stood and swept her eyes over the room. "Lady Bethaeny and Lady Ettia have explained themselves to my satisfaction. All accusations that they are spies for Lady Meredith are dropped. This is my will as Queen of Dhemlan."
Her Master of the Guard, Prince Vaerill, approached with the Steward, Prince Kholt. They both bowed.
"Your will is my life," each of them said solemnly. "We will ensure that it is carried out as you command."
"That will conclude today's audience. I would like to speak with my First Circle at this time. Warlords Willem and Shaede- you will remain as well. With the Ladies."
The audience chamber was swiftly emptied. In no time, only a handful of people remained. Claudia nodded to Kholt and Vaerill.
"I think perhaps we should finish our discussion about Lady Raenel somewhere less formal."
"The blue salon down the hall would be more comfortable," Kholt suggested. "Should we call for the other First Circle members who weren't at the audience to meet us there?"
"No, I think we have who we need present. You may use your discretion as to informing the others later on."
"Understood, Lady."
They all walked down to the smaller salon. She called for refreshments, and let everyone get settled while waiting for them to arrive. Several trays of sandwiches and tea appeared moments later. Claudia noticed that neither Bethaeny nor Ettia took anything at first. Lord Willem eventually succeeded in goading them into taking something. Interesting.
"All right. Now that everyone is settled, I'd like to address your question, Lady Bethaeny. Yes, I knew her. The witch Meredith caught stealing Rings was Lady Raenel. She was a friend of mine."
3/Terreille
So Meredith was right, Ettia thought. Dhemlan is sending spies into Hayll. Who would have known the bitch would have such a lucky guess?
"So she's Dhemlan and not Hayllian."
"Yes, but not quite in the way you're thinking."
"What the heck does that mean?"
"Raenel is from Dhemlan Kaeleer, not Dhemlan Terreille."
The wheels in Ettia's head ground to a screeching halt. Kaeleer? The Shadow Realm? It just couldn't be possible. Everyone knew Kaeleer was just a myth. A legend from long ago. She shook her head in disbelief.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
"It absolutely is," Lady Claudia replied. "One of the first things Meredith and Valinna did after they had control of Hayll was to purge all references to the Shadow Realm. They wanted to cut off any chance someone would appeal to Kaeleer for help."
Now that was entirely believable.
Ettia had seen time and time again how Meredith covered up the truth when it suited her. So why would it surprise her that she'd lied about Kaeleer? She and Bethaeny were too young to know what had happened in those early years. By the time they were adults, the Shadow Realm was already established as a place of legend.
Could things have been different in Hayll if someone had thought to ask for help before it had gotten to that point? Why hadn't anyone thought to try it? Ettia had no answer to those questions, so she asked another.
"And would they have helped if we'd asked?"
The Queen hesitated, sadness clouding her eyes before she could hide it.
"I don't know if they could have. But maybe there could have been a way…" she trailed off.
She wasn't going to say anything more about that, not even if Ettia asked. Whatever reasons Kaeleer might have for not helping Hayll, the Lady wouldn't divulge.
"Why would you let your friend come to Draega to do something so dangerous," Bethaeny asked.
"No one ever let Raenel do anything," the witch replied sharply. "If she said she was going to do something, she did it. I argued with her for several days before she went this last time. She went, anyway."
"Oh."
"So what I'm hearing, Lady Claudia, is that you didn't send her to Draega on purpose," Ettia spoke up.
"I've never sent Lady Raenel into Hayll. She always went on her on accord."
Ettia caught the slight change in emphasis of the Queen's words, and pounced on what she thought she heard in them.
"Never sent Lady Raenel- but you have sent other Dhemlans into Draega. Haven't you?"
The Queen studied her and Bethaeny for a long time before she answered the question. Ettia had the feeling that she was measuring something about them. Whatever they'd stumbled upon here, it was big. And depending on what Lady Claudia decided, they'd either end up dropped in the middle of it or shut out.
I'm not sure which of those might be worse.
"Yes, Lady Ettia. Dhemlan has had eyes and ears inside Hayll for some time now."
"Why?"
"To observe, primarily. I can't interfere with how Meredith chooses to run her Territory, but I can take precautions so that none of what she does will spread to Dhemlan- or any other Territory, for that matter."
"Why can't you?"
That question came from Bethaeny, her tone a few steps short of polite. Ettia glanced over at her warningly. Just because Lady Claudia publicly dismissed the accusations that they were spies didn't mean that they shouldn't be cautious around the Queen. No need to squander the reprieve by insulting her.
Lady Claudia acknowledged the outrage in her cousin's tone without any show of anger. Quite the opposite, actually. She was very patient and understanding in her reply.
"It's one of the most vital- and yet frustrating- laws set in Protocol. A Queen's will is the law in her Territory. She may rule it as she sees fit and a Queen from another Territory cannot interfere without invitation. Not even if it means letting her rape the land and destroy its people."
Meredith had certainly done a lot of both over the centuries. It explained why none of the other Territories had done anything about the situation in Hayll. If all of them followed this version of Protocol, they were bound by it not to intervene.
Without invitation.
Ettia jackknifed in her chair when those last two words registered. Her eyes flicked over to Bethaeny, but her cousin hadn't realized what those words might mean for them. When she looked back at the Queen, she got the feeling that the phrasing of her answer was deliberate. Now it was up to Ettia to decide what to do with it.
"Invitation from who?" she asked cautiously.
"From anyone living in the Territory."
Now Bethaeny's attention was caught. Her cousin suddenly had a death grip on the arms of the chair. Ettia ignored her and asked a question she suspected would change everything.
"And if someone did ask- what would a Queen be permitted to do then?"
"It all depends on what was asked."
Not the most explicit answer she could have given in Ettia's opinion. No telling what boundaries or limits they'd run into unless they actually asked for something. She didn't like the risk that whatever Lady Claudia could give wouldn't be enough.
*Mother Night, Ettia, I think she's telling us that Dhemlan could help us against Meredith if we asked*
*But how much, cousin? Do you think Lady Claudia would send an army of Dhemlans into Hayll if that's what we'd ask for? Somehow, I doubt it*
*Maybe we don't need an army*
*I don't know what we need*
*Then maybe we should start with that- ask for help figuring out how to oust Meredith and Valinna*
It wasn't a bad idea, Ettia had to admit. Except for the nagging worry that Lady Claudia and her Court might have some hidden agenda in all this. The Queen may spin a convincing story, but what did she really hope to gain in all this? No one did anything without wanting something in exchange. And that was fine, so long as whatever they wanted didn't interfere with what she wanted.
But the reality was they needed help, and Dhemlan sounded like it was offering to supply it. Ettia couldn't really afford to turn it down. Especially if it would help her with this situation with Bethaeny.
The past few days had given her time to think. Like it or not, her cousin was growing into a strong witch. Far stronger than Ettia had expected or anticipated a few short months ago. The time in Dhemlan had only magnified traits must have lain dormant while they'd lived in Hayll. Traits that Ettia was starting to realize she didn't have in herself.
It was galling to think that maybe she wasn't the leader she'd always thought she was. And maybe she was, but those instincts had been withered and stunted thanks to so many years serving Valinna and Meredith. The longer they stayed away from Draega, the more she began to question just how much of who she was now was really her. And how much was what those two created.
Am I tainted?
If she was, Ettia wasn't sure there was a way back to what she had been. Until she had answers to both of those questions, she had no choice but to let Bethaeny assume leadership of their group. Not because she wasn't capable of managing things. Even if she was tainted, Ettia still thought that her vision of Hayll would be better than Meredith's.
No, she had to give up her position because now Bethaeny had grown too strong to follow someone who'd been tainted- even if that someone was family. And the others wouldn't be able to ignore her questions for very long. Then they would start to question her and the whole thing would fall apart. Meredith and Valinna would win and nothing would ever change.
But if she put Bethaeny in charge and formally stepped down…
Their efforts to take down Meredith and Valinna wouldn't fizzle and she could work behind the scenes to keep her cousin's crazier ideas in check. Like teaching this new Protocol to everyone when they got back. It might seem like a good idea, but it was just dangerous. Especially if Meredith or Valinna got wind of it.
Bethaeny was waiting for her response. Ettia nodded slightly and tried to sound non-committal.
*I suppose it couldn't hurt*
*Did you want to ask?*
*You ask-might as well practice now for when we get back to Draega*
*Oh…okay*
Her cousin turned to address Lady Claudia. She started a few times before finding phrasing that suited her.
"Lady Claudia, as witches born in the Territory of Hayll, my cousin and I would like to request Dhemlan's assistance on behalf of our people to end Meredith's rule."
"I see," the Queen considered. "What sort of help did you have in mind, Lady Bethaeny?"
"Tactics advice, as a start. We know what we don't want, and we think we know what we do want. But that's not the same as knowing how to get them. Our hope is that maybe you and your Court might."
Lady Claudia's face clouded with a hint of sadness and regret. Was even this request too much for Dhemlan to give? Ettia hadn't thought it was very much, but who knew with these people. Beside her, Bethaeny's hopeful spirits began to wane. And then the Queen spoke.
"We can certainly help. I can make arrangements for you to meet people who have knowledge you will need."
"We than k you, Lady Claudia."
"I only wish that you could have spoken with one of our greatest experts on the subject."
"We could delay our return to Hayll until the person returns, if that helps."
"I'm afraid it won't. Based on what I've heard today, she won't ever be back to Amdarh."
"You mean Lady Raenel," Ettia specified after a moment's pause.
"Yes, Lady Ettia. She had one of the greatest minds I've ever known when it came to healing a Territory."
Well that explained the look on the Queen's face. Did Lady Claudia regret the loss of the witch, or just the loss of a valuable asset? Either way, Lady Raenel and her skills were no longer available. Ettia measured what she'd just heard against what they saw in Hayll. A question formed before she could bottle it up.
"That's why she was stealing the Rings, wasn't it?"
"I believe so."
"I thought you said Dhemlan couldn't interfere with Hayll unless asked?"
"A Queen cannot take action outside her own Territory," Lady Claudia repeated. "Lady Raenel wasn't a Queen of Dhemlan- or anywhere else for that matter. She was breaking no Blood law in Hayll."
Interesting, and something Ettia would keep in mind for later. For now, she let everyone think that answer satisfied her curiosity.
"Well, I'm not sure what the Lady hoped to accomplish by stealing those Rings, but it certainly has ripped Draega apart in the past few months."
"And if not for that, we wouldn't be here in Amdarh in a position to find the help we need," Bethaeny added with a meaningful look at Ettia. "So I'm at least grateful for that."
"I think Raenel would have been glad, too."
Bethaeny must have replied, but Ettia wasn't really listening.
She studied a patch of late afternoon sun on the area rug, its deep purples and blues dusted a reddish-gold. She knew she ought to pay more attention to the conversation, but fatigue was setting in. The stress of the past four days had been draining. And now this audience seemed like it would never end. It was all she could do not to yawn.
"I think maybe this would be a good time for a break," Lady Claudia announced. "Dinner will be served in the main dining hall in a few hours, and I think we'd all like a chance to rest before then."
Thank the Darkness.
"Will my cousin and I be returning to the inn, then?"
"This evening you both will remain here in my Hall, and we'll discuss later how to get you the help you requested. Warlord Willem and Warlord Shaede?"
"Yes, Lady?"
"Would you coordinate with Lady Hattie to find rooms for Lady Bethaeny and Lady Ettia for the evening?"
"By your command, Lady."
Well, I guess that's that, Ettia thought dismally. The Queen's Residence may be better furnished, but the inn provided a little distance between her and Lady Claudia's Court. Not to mention the Queen herself. Some space to think and gather her thoughts before dinner. But if she couldn't get that, at least Ettia could console herself with the thought that she didn't have to walk across the city again today.
The Queen and the males of her First Circle left the salon. Lord Willem was already waiting for her, his expression amused.
"What say we find the two of you a room or you'll be passing out in the soup."
"And you'd sit there and let me drown no doubt," she retorted wryly.
"Nope," he replied with a teasing smile. "A well-placed fork would revive you quick enough."
Bethaeny giggled behind her hand, and Ettia shot her cousin a glare. Then she turned it back on Lord Willem.
"You'd better not dare!"
"Oh I do. So are we going or not?"
Ettia leapt out of the chair and snarled as she let him escort her from the room.
