Ducking behind a high hedge line, I sighed with relief. No one had seen me jump over the balcony rail, and I had managed to avoid dirtying my fine clothes in the process. No one would notice my absence for quite some time, not with my two charming brothers to take my place. Jonathon was wed and Connor promised to a Marenese princess, but that didn't keep the young noblewomen from flocking about them like a pack of gulls. But I insult them, saying that. The gulls make much less noise.

Wiping my perspiring palms on my breeches, I set off through the garden, determined to put as much space between myself and the party as possible without technically leaving it. It was my party, after all, and I wasn't about to anger my father by leaving it outright. The moon was nearly full and there was not a cloud in sight, leaving the stars fully in view for me to admire them. With the white light from the moon, there was no need for me to fetch a torch of conjure a light, so I walked on, whistling softly with my hands in my pockets.

My mother, Queen Shinkokami, had taken charge of my wardrobe personally for this particular event. While I would have preferred to simply wear my dress uniform from the Own, Mother had insisted on dressing me to fit my station as a Prince of Tortall. Third son or no. I wore fine black breeches tucked into calf-high black boots, polished mirror bright. A black silk shirt with full sleeves was under a velvet tunic of sapphire blue, the family color and the same shade as my eyes. The tunic was cut halfway down my thighs, the hems embroidered with fine black and silver silk thread. A black leather belt around my waist held the only weapon I was allowed at a party, my dagger of fine Yamani steel with a sapphire set in the pommel. My hair was combed back and tied in a neat horsetail, but through the course of the night shorter strands above my forehead had worked their way free to fall over my eyes.

I was close to the northern wall when I heard singing, and realized that I wasn't the only one who had escaped the party. There was a very high line of shrubs between me and the owner of the voice, so for a moment I simply stood and listened.

It was a woman, young but I could hardly guess her exact age from only her voice. She wasn't the best singer I had ever heard, but she had a pleasant voice, and the song she sang was soft, a country tune from the mountains of Galla, if I guessed right. It was a welcome change from the harsh clamor of the party I had just escaped. I stood there for a good ten minutes, listening to her sing, until finally I had the courage to walk around the bushes and introduce myself to her face to face.

Upon seeing the singing woman, it took me a long moment to realize that I already knew her. She wore a dress styled after the latest court fashion, with a low neckline, tight waist and a skirt that belled slightly around her legs. It was made of Yamani silk, silver with a bluish hue when the moonlight hit it just so. Over the dress was an open black mage's robe, pushed back so it was almost completely off her slender shoulders. Both the robe and dress were hiked up to reveal long, graceful legs and bare feet. When I looked around there were no uncomfortable dancing slippers in sight. She'd walked here barefoot, I realized with a small smile.

Her hair fell loose around her shoulders to the middle of her back, save for the silk ribbons of the same silk as her dress woven into her hair to keep it away from her face. Almost as black as my own, her hair wound itself into tight, crisp curls, bouncing when she moved her head to look at me. Her large eyes were a pleasant shade of blue-grey, surrounded by long black lashes, set under slender, slightly slanted brows. Her skin was naturally several shades darker than mine, smooth and unscarred. A full, sensitive mouth concealed straight, white teeth. Her mix of features made it hard to guess at where she could have come from, until I remembered her name.

Nicola Salmalin. One of my father's warrior mages, a black robe who'd returned from studying in Carthak only two years before. She was the daughter of Numair Salmalin, my father's chief mage, and Veralidaine Sarrasri, the Wild Mage. I'd met her at several meetings since she'd come to the palace, but we'd never really spoken. I'd seen her earlier, inside, looking as uncomfortable as I felt at being around so many people and surrounded by noise.

All of this entered my thoughts and left as quickly as it had came, leaving my mind a blank slate. Sitting in the moonlight, her skirts awry and her feet bare, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.

When she saw me, Nicola stopped singing, her cheeks flushing slightly to be discovered with her clothes in such disarray and all of her court etiquette thrown to the winds. But the flush faded quickly, and she gave me a warm, shy smile, her voice rich and velvety. "Good eve, my lord. I apologize for my lack of manners; I'd not thought to be discovered so far from the party."

Somehow I managed to find my voice and spoke without fumbling. "Please, don't move on my account. I didn't come here to interrupt your peace, just to escape and save my sanity."

She laughed, a clear, bell-like sound, and patted the stone next to her. "Would you care to join me, Prince Raenef? 'Tis a lovely view of the garden from here."

I moved closer to the wall, looking up at her with raised brows. The wall was at least ten feet tall, and I saw no rocks or benches she could have used as steps so she could grab the top and pull herself up. "How did you get up there?"

The shy smile broke into a lovely grin. Holding up a graceful, long fingered hand, she twiddled her fingers, a gesture to indicate magic. "I cheated."

I laughed, for the first time that night, and followed her example. Reaching for my Gift, I magically lifted myself up to sit besides her on the wall, my legs swinging over the side. "How long have you been out here?"

"Since the dancing began after the banquet. I knew I couldn't stay when Padriac of Golden Lake came after me for a dance." She chuckled. "He's a nice man, but much too drunk for my tastes."

I nodded. Padriac was a good friend of mine, a commander in the First Unit of the King's Own. He had a bad habit of drinking too much in too short a span of time, and it made him rather volatile. "You don't like dancing?"

Nicola shrugged. "I like it well enough, but it's hard to be comfortable around so many nobles who think they're too good to wipe their own noses." Looking at me, she blushed, remembering that I was about as noble as one could get. "Begging your pardon, my lord."

I waved a hand dismissively. "Don't bother, really. I understand what you mean. But we're not all like that, you know."

"I do." She winked at me. "But the decent ones have the brains to stay home and avoid the chicken coop."

"I suppose you're right." I smiled. "If I could, I would have been one of them tonight. I don't do so well at parties like this."

"Perfectly understandable. I saw how those old vultures were after you. They're merciless, aren't they?"

"By the Goddess, yes." I sighed, wiping a hand over my eyes tiredly. "I'm just a prized stud to pair with their best breeding mares. They don't care about my deeds, just my blood. For all they know, I could be a horrendous drunkard who beats his women and squanders his family's gold."

Nicola smiled at me and the warmth I say in her blue-grey eyes made my heart quicken in my chest. "But you're not."

I felt my cheeks heat and flush, and I quickly changed the subject. Glancing at her feet, I smiled. "What happened to your shoes?"

"Have you ever worn women's slippers?" I shook my head and she pulled a face. "They are one of man's cruelest inventions, made for the sole purpose of torturing women with the pretense of fashion."

When I laughed she gave me a good-natured scowl, and I held up my hands in surrender. "I believe you, truly. My sisters often told me of the crimes of fashion when they attended balls and I was their escort."

She smiled, wriggling her toes happily. "I never wore them until I came to Corus. Sandals are perfectly acceptable as fine footwear in Carthak, and gods are they comfortable. Sometimes I could even go barefoot."

"Like going from a goose down mattress to a straw pallet?"

"Exactly."

"What was Carthak like?"

"Hot." She laughed, making my heart flutter. "Even when they told me it was winter I had to check my calendar. And everything was always green and golden."

"Were you homesick?"

"Constantly." Her smile faded, but didn't disappear. "I have friends everywhere I go, thanks to my wild magic, but I missed my parents dearly. Mama and Papa visited me twice a year, but it was still hard." She shrugged. "It was the path I chose, and I don't regret it. And I made friends, mostly other students but a few of the natives. And I met your sister."

"Sophie?"

Nicola nodded. "She was just as lonely as I was when she married Khurda and moved into the Imperial Palace. Even though I was only twelve and she was eighteen, she sought me out as a friend. We still write letters, and I've been back to visit once, and I plan to go again this spring."

Sophie had mentioned it in her letters to me, befriending a Tortallan girl studying at the university as a mage. It had helped her through the first lonely year when she knew few people besides her servants and Carthak was alien and unfamiliar to her.

"I remember. Having you there meant a lot to her. For my sister's sake, I thank you." I knew I sounded pompous and lordly, but I meant it. Of my four siblings, I'd been closest to Sophie. She was the middle child, between Connor and Helena. Being married off into the imperial family of Carthak had been hard for Sophie, but she saw it as her duty to her kingdom. Something I still have trouble understanding, but I have always respected her for it. And by the grace of the Goddess, she grew to love her husband and her new home.

She smiled, wordlessly accepting my thanks, and we sat in companionable silence, watching the stars and listening to the faint music from the party. I mused over my own peculiar behavior. I could count on one hand the times in my life in which I'd been alone with a woman. And every time my nerves had gotten the better of me and I had fled, leaving only a lame excuse and kicking myself for it. Now I sat with Nicola, alone, perfectly comfortable, my heart beating with a kind of excitement totally new to me. I went over our entire conversation several times in my head, and smiled, resting my chin in my palm as I looked at her.

"This might seem pert, but I have a good deal of leave saved up with the Own." She raised her elegant brows in curiosity. "If you go to Carthak next spring, would you mind if I came with you? I haven't seen my sister since she married Khurda, and I'd really like to see Carthak."

Large grey-blue eyes blinked in surprise; that was one of the last things she'd expected. "Forgive me for asking, my lord, but why do you wish to go with me? You're a grown man, you've traveled before."

I smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I've only traveled to places in Tortall, never to another country. You lived in Carthak for ten years; you know the city and all the places worth seeing. If I went by myself I'd end up with some palace noble as a guide and be bored senseless."

That made her grin. "Alright, I see your point. And I can't say I blame you. Traveling abroad for the first time can be frightening." She held a slender hand out to me, merchant style, as if we were sealing a bargain. "I'd be happy to show you Carthak. But I warn you now; I know quite a few places that are unsuitable for a young prince of your breeding and an educated woman like myself. If you want to see all of Carthak, you'll have to visit some of them."

I laughed, hoping down off the wall on a whim. "Mistress Salmalin, good breeding or no, I've been to my fair share of shady places, quite a few of them right here in Corus. Somehow I think I can handle myself."

"You're very sure of yourself."

"Of course I am, it's the Conté blood. We're an arrogant lot." I gave her my most winning smile, and offered her a hand. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, Mistress Salmalin?"

She thought on it for a brief moment, and then I was rewarded with a musical laugh. She pushed herself off the wall, allowing me to catch her and set her down. Placing one hand in my own and the other on my shoulder, she grinned up at me. "I would love to dance with you, Prince Raenef."

And we danced.