A/N: Once again, thank you for the reviews! Spring break has given me more time to play around with this. I think I've managed to plan it out so that I'll wrap up the story in about four more chapters or so. To Tsukinoko, I don't really know who the ninth person was. S/he was to me what the red shirt crew members were to the Original Star Trek. They existed for the purpose of dying and furthering the plot. Same situation here. Where in Japan do you live? I used to live there as well in Yokohama. To Fireblade...me? Looking at you? Whyever would you think that? coughltmcough

Oh, and the punctuation disclaimer still applies. Weird.

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Chapter 15

I delayed in answering Lord Ehnley for as long as politely possible—only a few days—and when I did answer him, I told him that there was much work being done to the House and that, of course, I would be delighted to entertain him, but warned him that he would not be catching me at my best.

He didn't take the hint.

He sent back a reply stating that he understood all about such things, and that the sight of me would balance out the ugliness of construction, or some such disgusting nonsense. So, there was no getting out of it. He would be arriving in three days for dinner and would I mind putting him up for the night, it being too far to travel back to his own estates to arrive there at a decent hour?

I tossed his note back on the desk and sighed heavily.

Marin picked the note up. "There's no point in responding to this, except for appearances' sake. By date of this letter, he is due to arrive later today. By the time you could get a messenger sent, he'd probably be here."

"How convenient for him," I replied.

Marin shot me a look. "You must work on your charm a little more." He tossed the note back onto the desk. "I still wish you'd give me permission to...detain him."

I shook my head. "We can't. We don't know where Orthallen is, or what Ehnley is capable of." I reached for my goblet. "For all we know, he could be Mage-Gifted!" I downed some of the water and set the goblet back on the desk. "For that matter, Nestor could have been crazy! We can't just go attacking nobility without some real proof, and the only way we're going to get that is for Selenay to send a Herald to Truth Spell the man."

"Do you really think Nestor was crazy?" Marin asked, giving me a knowing look.

"Of course not," I replied. "But one thing is as certain as Ehnley's guilt—the servants' minds have been tampered with, and we don't know who did it. We can't afford to take the chance of attacking Ehnley, only to find that he's hiding a powerful Gift." I shook my head again. "I have a daughter now, and a whole household to protect. I will not take that chance."

Marin started to protest, and I held up my hand to stop him. "I don't doubt your abilities. If Alberich trusts you, you have to be at least as good as he is. But the answer is 'no.'" I pushed my chair away from the desk and rose. "He will come. He will have a nice dinner, and I'll be sweet and charming and kiss up to him all I need to convince him that I—and everyone else in this house—am harmless."

"My Lady," Marin said, looking decidedly uncomfortable, "I don't need to know the details of your intimate intentions."

I frowned in confusion for a moment, but then realized that he misunderstood my meaning. I smiled at him. "It's just a phrase, Marin. I have no intention of kissing—or doing anything else—with that man."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just a phrase, huh? I would suggest you not use it anymore. Ever. Especially around nobility or gossiping servants."

I nodded contritely, and hid another smile. I could only wonder what his reaction would be to the variations on the theme of that phrase.

A knock on the door of the library interrupted us. Elsa entered with a letter on a silver tray.

"This was just delivered, m'lady," she said. "A lady Herald brought it."

My heart beat fast as I reached for the letter. It had to be from Selenay regarding the papers, for I couldn't imagine what other matter would warrant delivery by Herald. I took the letter. Sure enough, the royal crest of Valdemar was imprinted on the seal. "Is the Herald still here?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, m'lady. She said she had business she needed to attend to, and rode away."

"Thank you, Elsa," I said.

She smiled at me and nodded to both of us and left the room, closing the door behind herself. I waited a few more moments before speaking. "See, Marin? Selenay is sending a Herald to take care of this, just as Landon predicted." I broke the seal on the letter. "Perhaps she can reach Ehnley's estate before he leaves, or intercept him on his way, and we can avoid the whole messy situation altogether."

I began to read. It was a cryptic response, to be sure, but that was probably for the best. I was sure Landon had told Selenay that I would be entertaining Ehnley, and it would hardly do for her to send back something explicit.

It was just a short note thanking me for my "gift," and that she knew "just where to put it," followed by silly, trivial information and a message for Lucia from Kyrah. Once I finished reading it, I passed it over to Marin.

He scanned it and then nodded towards the fireplace, which held a substantial blaze within it. "I think it would be wise to dispose of this."

"You're probably right," I said. Even though there was little, if anything, suspicious in the letter, there was no need to take chances.

Marin walked over to the fireplace and dropped the letter into the flames. He didn't budge until the entire paper had turned to ash and soot and the wax seal had melted.

Watching the fire cheerfully consuming its lunch reminded me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. "I'm going to get some lunch and then have Ila set up one of the guest rooms."

"Put him on the other side of me," Marin said. "That way, I'll be between him and you."

Given that his job was to protect me, I didn't argue. I also made a mental note to have Lucia stay in my room with me that night. One could never be too careful.

A few hours later, Ehnley's carriage pulled up. I was dressed in my finest gown and was wearing a smile that would won me a spot on a toothpaste commercial.

Ehnley emerged from his carriage and smiled at me. I coyly batted my eyelashes at him as he walked up, and held out my hand for him.

"Lord Ehnley!" I gushed. "It's so lovely to see you again! We were just torn apart the last time we met, and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to you."

"I'm flattered that you remember me," he said, kissing the back of my hand.

"But, of course I did," I said. "I could never forget someone so charming!" I realized that I was beginning to effect a southern accent in high Scarlett O'Hara fashion, and I cut back on some of my "charm." "Allow me to show you in."

"Of course," he said, following me inside. "Did you receive my note?"

"I did," I replied, "just this morning. I—"

"I do apologize for that," he said, interrupting me. "One of my servants was careless, else it would have come much sooner."

Liar.

He offered me his arm, which I took. "I've punished the boy most thoroughly for his error." He looked at me sideways. "I do hope I haven't caught you at a bad time?"

His tone was hoping I said no, but his eyes made it clear that he'd planned this whole meeting with just that purpose in mind. I suspected that I would soon find out why.

"Of course not," I said. "Shall I show you to your room?"

I showed him where he would be staying, and had one of the servants bring his things up. I didn't know what to expect in terms of luggage, but I was pleasantly surprised, and relieved, to see that he only had one small trunk. He clearly didn't intend to stay long.

Once he was settled, I took him on a riding tour of the grounds. It kept the small talk to a minimum, while wasting as much time as possible before dinner. Soon enough, however, we were back in the house, and he requested a tour.

Curious, especially as he and Nestor kept close company.

I complied, however, and it wasn't until we neared the library that I noticed (between my senseless babbling) him taking any interest. Once he saw the door, however, his eyes lit up like a cat in a dairy, though he tried hard enough to conceal his impatience to get there.

Once we entered the room, I noticed that his eyes immediately went to the lower portion of one of the bottom bookshelves.

Very curious. I had dusted all the shelves, and I hadn't found anything of interest in them. Perhaps I just hadn't looked hard enough. I would have to remedy that.

"Well," he began, "this room looks very neatly kept." He looked all around now in polite interest.

"It's my favorite room," I said. "I love books, and the view is magnificent from the windows."

He nodded. "I gather this place was quite a mess when you arrived. My understanding was that Nestor wasn't very good at keeping this place clean."

"Your understanding is correct," I said, dropping my tone to a near-conspiratorial whisper. "The other rooms weren't so bad, but this room was simply awful."

Another nod. "I suppose he had a lot of papers around," he said casually. "I heard he liked to write."

Of course. The papers. He would want to know where they were. I decided not to try to conceal my knowledge of them—to an extent, that is.

"He did have quite a few papers," I said. "I didn't really know what to do with them all!"

Ehnley smiled, but it was a tight, stiff smile, that reflected his whole posture. "What did you do with them?"

"I burned them," I said. One of the first lessons learned from my ethics class was that criminals, by definition, have relinquished all right to expect to hear the truth. I didn't feel the slightest guilt for lying to his face.

His eyes grew wide, and his control slipped for just a moment. "You burned them? All of them?"

I pretended not to notice. "Yes," I replied. "I couldn't make any sense of them. He wasn't even writing in Valdemaran, and I'm certain I have no idea what language it was. What possible use could there be in keeping them?" I moved closer to him, and dropped my tone once more. "Personally, I think he was crazy. What do you think? You lived near him for a quite some time, didn't you?"

Ehnley visibly relaxed, apparently convinced that all evidence against him was now destroyed, and I felt myself relax in turn. "I wouldn't normally tell anyone this," he replied in an equally low tone, "but since he's gone and you saw his things, he was on the verge of madness in his later years." He shook his head sadly. "I suspect it finally caught up to him."

I shook my head with him. "What a shame." I heard the faint tinkling of the dinner bell and smiled up at Ehnley. "Dinner is ready. Shall we go?"

"Of course, my dear," he said, offering me his arm.

Dinner was a long, drawn-out affair that involved a great deal of smiling and empty-headed comments on my part, and a veiled suggestion from Ehnley that he might be interested in pursuing a relationship with me.

Preferring to set my hair on fire instead, but not wanting to offend him, I merely pretended to misunderstand what he was saying.

He seemed delighted with Lucia, and wary of Marin, and he completely ignored the servants. I was grateful for that, for Ila's eyes nearly jumped out of her head when she heard me talking to him like a butterfly-brained courtier, and I was able to silence her with a glance before Ehnley noticed our interchange. Thankfully, Ila was clever enough to understand, if not my strange behavior, then at least what I wanted from her, and she promptly resumed her "servant" expression.

Once dinner was over, Ehnley claimed exhaustion and retired to his room, stating that he would leave early in the morning to return to his estates. Marin and I retired to the library with a word to Ila to keep careful watch and inform us immediately if Ehnley left his room.

I told Marin of my earlier exchange with Ehnley regarding the papers. "But if that was what he was so concerned about," I said, "why didn't he come looking for them sooner?"

"What good reason could he present for entering the house after Nestor died?" Marin asked. "To say nothing of coming in here and going through the papers." He sat down in the chair next to himself. "He had to wait until he found out who was taking over the estate, and then he had to wait a proper amount of time before calling on you."

"Sounds logical," I said.

"Furthermore," Marin continued, "the papers were coded, and he probably assumed that whoever took over would be too busy to try to decode them. So you would have been if you hadn't had good ears and a nosy Companion those first few days here."

"Too true," I said. I would never have given those papers a second thought if I hadn't overheard the girls mention Orthallen's name, and I doubt I would have broken the code so quickly without Landon. "And this would explain his showing up now to get them," I said, "before I did find the time to decode them."

"Exactly," Marin said. "By the strict rules of etiquette, he should have waiting longer before calling on you."

"I'd be a little nervous if I were in his shoes," I said.

"As would I," Marin replied. He stood up, glancing out of the windows at the moon. "I should 'retire' as well, just to keep an ear out."

"Goodnight," I said, watching him go. Truth be told, I was as exhausted as Ehnley had claimed to feel. It was emotionally draining, pretending to be someone I wasn't. I rose from my own chair, and followed in Marin's wake.

Ila met me at the door. "Mistress Lucia is in your room, bathed and waiting for a story."

"Thank you, Ila," I said. "I appreciate all your help this evening." Normally, I would bathe Lucia, but I had asked Ila to do it, as I had to entertain our guest.

Ila smiled. "It was a delight, m'Lady." Her smile quickly faded, however, and she grasped my hand. "I know it's none of my concern," she said in a low voice, "and you'd be right to set me in my place or dismiss me, but please, my Lady, don't marry that man! He isn't trustworthy!" Tears collected in her eyes, and I quickly drew her into the library before someone could hear her.

"Don't worry, Ila," I said softly, "I'm not going to marry him. Surely you could see that I wasn't being myself around him."

"Aye, my Lady, but—"

"Trust me," I said. "I can't explain it to you now, but believe me, I want nothing to do with him." I smiled at her and offered her a handkerchief. "I appreciate your concern, and that you care enough to tell me what you really think."

Ila dabbed at her eyes. "He's evil, that man. I don't know how, but I feel it in my bones." She looked at me. "We all care for you, you know."

"Yes," I replied with a smile, "I know." I had a sudden thought. "Ila, there is something you can do for me."

"What is it, m'Lady?"

"Sleep in here tonight," I replied. "I know it won't be comfortable, and I can't explain why, but I'd really appreciate it if you would do so."

She looked at me for a moment. "I'm guessing you'll want me to sleep with one eye open."

"Yes, Ila," I replied. "That's exactly what I want you to do. And please don't tell anyone about this. Just say you were cleaning up and sat down to rest and fell asleep before you knew it."

She smiled at me knowingly, and then drew a long knife from a slit in her skirt. "Marin has been training us well."

I raised an eyebrow at the sight of the weapon, but did not take it from her. "Don't use it unless your life depends on it," I said. "I just want to know if Ehnley 'wanders' in here during the night."

"You can count on me," Ila replied.

"That's why I asked you," I told her. After the way Ehnley had looked at that bookshelf, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something there. I didn't dare look until he had gone, and perhaps it may have merely been the place where Nestor hid his papers, but I too curious to let it be. If there was something else there, there would be no better time for Ehnley to try to get it than tonight.

I retired to my room, where Lucia was nearly buried under the covers. It was late autumn and the world of Velgarth knew nothing of central heating. I undressed as quickly as I could and shrugged into a warm flannel chemise and crawled into bed.

"Would you like a story?" I asked my daughter, who was being unusually silent.

She shook her head. "Mama, I don't like that man."

"Do you mean Lord Ehnley?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Why don't you like him?" As though there weren't a million reasons to detest the man, but a child had a unique perspective on people.

"He thinks bad thoughts," she said. "He doesn't like you, or me, or Marin, or anyone!"

I was completely taken aback. "Sweetling, what do you mean, he thinks bad thoughts? How do you know what he's thinking?"

"Because I can hear them in my head," she replied.

I think my jaw dropped to my knees. Was this child telling me she had the Gift of Mindspeech? How in the world was this possible? She was four years old, and wouldn't even be five for another few months, as best as Talia had been able to determine. I knew from the books that Gifts didn't usually show up until a Trainee was in his or her third year at the Collegium. Lucia wasn't even Chosen!

Jisa. The name suddenly came to my mind from all the jumbled memories of the books. If I remembered correctly, she was Vanyel's daughter, and she showed signs of Gifts at a very early age, as Lucia was doing.

"Lucia, how long have you been hearing voices in your head?" I asked.

She shrugged. "It started after Landon left, I guess."

"Do you hear them all the time?"

She shook her head. "Only when they're really loud."

I brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Another shrug. "Doesn't everyone do the same thing?"

I shook my head and gathered her in my arms. "No, sweetheart. Most people can't do what you do."

She looked up at me. "Is there something wrong with me? Is that why they wanted to get rid of me?"

I thought I was going to cry. "No, not at all," I said. "Nothing is wrong with you. You have a Gift, that's all, and we're going to have to get you some special lessons to learn how not to hear the voices. In fact," I continued, "you'll probably be Chosen by a Companion when you're older."

Her whole face lit up with wonder. "I want to be a Herald more than anything," she said.

I smiled back. "You know, we may have to go back to Haven for lessons." I couldn't imagine who would possibly have the experience in teaching Gifts up in this part of the kingdom.

"And I can see Kyrah?" she cried.

I nodded.

"When can we go? Tomorrow?"

I hugged her close and kissed her. "No, sweetie, not tomorrow." I wanted to wait until the whole situation regarding Ehnley was over before leaving. "We have to wait until all the repairs are finished on the House."

"Oh," she said, clearly disappointed.

"How about if you write to Kyrah tomorrow and tell her you're coming?" I suggested.

She brightened back up. "All right!" She gave me a big hug, and then climbed back under the covers. Within a few moments, she was asleep.

I had to remember to be careful what I thought around her. Her comment about thoughts being 'loud' didn't make much sense. I suspected that her Gift was probably not fully open, and so was only working some of the time. I made a mental note to tell her to inform me whenever she could hear my thoughts. That might make it easier to determine if her Hearing was random or if it really was because those around her were thinking 'loud' in some sense.

Her information about Ehnley proved interesting. Not that his feelings about me were any surprise, but if he was broadcasting his thoughts like that, it was probably safe to say that he wasn't Gifted, and so wasn't the one who had tampered with the servants' minds.

I blew out the candle and pulled the covers up around my chin. I suspected that tomorrow would promise to be very interesting.

I was disappointed, however. I rose early only to find that Ehnley was nearly ready to leave. We ate a hasty breakfast, and then I saw him to his carriage with the promise to invite him back when the house was in more order. He seemed pleased with this, reiterated his not-so-subtle desire for further relations with me, and then climbed into his carriage and set off. I kept the toothpaste-commercial smile on my face until he was out of sight. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and turn back into the house.

Marin and Ila were waiting for me just inside the door.

"I couldn't help but notice the look he gave you when he saw you this morning," I said to Ila. Based on what I saw, had she been his servant, her employment would be in severe doubt.

She nodded. "You should have seen the look he gave me when he saw me last night in the library."

I looked from her to Marin, speechless.

"It's true," Marin said. "I stayed awake all night, and when I heard him leave his room, I followed him at a distance. He went straight to the library."

"Why?" I asked. I turned to Ila. "What did he say to you?"

"He was clearly startled to find me there," she replied. "He claimed he was looking for the privy, but it was clear he was quite angry with the whole situation. He went back upstairs, and I didn't see him again until this morning."

"What did you say to him?" I asked.

"Just what you told me, that I had fallen asleep there doing work." She smiled a bit. "I thanked him for wandering in and then mentioned that you wouldn't be happy to find that the work wasn't done, so I would have to stay in there until I finished. That was when he seemed to get angry and left."

"You did very well, Ila," I said. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to any of the other servants."

"Of course, m'Lady," she replied.

"Thank you. I promise, I'll explain all of it as soon as I'm able."

She smiled at me again. "I don't need no explanation, my Lady. You have your reasons, I'm sure, and that's enough for me." She dropped a curtsey. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be getting to the sewing now."

"Thank you," I said, a little stunned. Landon had said they were loyal to me, but I hadn't expected anything like this.

"With your permission, I'll be going as well," Marin said.

"Did Ehnley come right back to bed?" I asked.

Marin nodded. "He didn't look very happy about it, either."

"Thank you for all your help," I said. "Hopefully, that will be the last we see of Lord Ehnley."

"Indeed," he said before turning away.

I headed straight for the library and closed the door, and then made a beeline for the lower bookshelf. I got on my knees and removed about half of the books and reached back to find an open space where there should have been the wall.

I peered into it, but I couldn't see anything. Where was a decent flashlight when I needed it? I rose and searched around the room for a short candle. Spying one that was nearly burned down, I lit it in the fireplace and returned to the bookshelf, carefully pushing it back. I had no idea what was back there, if anything, and it certainly wouldn't do to set my house on fire.

I still couldn't see anything, so I retrieved the candle and blew it out. I then got down on my stomach and reached my arm into the open space as far as I could, searching for whatever might be back there.

If I feel any bugs, they're going to hear me screaming all the way in Haven! All I could see in my mind was that scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Indy had to reach into that crevice full of bugs in order to pull that lever. I got shivers and a vague sense of nausea just thinking about it. So when my hand brushed against something, I nearly jumped out of my skin. It took a moment for my brain to register that it was hardwood and not slimy and soft, so I felt around for it again, and shortly found it.

It was a box, it seemed, though more like a small chest than a simple square. I found a handle on the side and I grasped it and pulled. The box barely moved.

What's in this thing? I wondered.

I braced myself and pulled again, this time with more determination, and the box slowly gave way. Once I had it close enough, I sat up and reached in with both hands and pulled it out.

It was a small, dusty, wooden chest, as I had thought, and there was a small lock keeping it closed. I tried the lock, but it wouldn't budge. I needed to find a key.

There was no way I was going to be able to pick it up and put it on the desk, so I rose, looking all around the room.

"Where would he have hidden the key?" I asked aloud, as though the books could answer me in return. I tore the room apart as neatly as I could, looking under bookshelves and chairs and even the desk, but to no avail. I even felt back around inside the open space where I found the chest, but there was nothing more in there. An hour later, I was no closer to opening the box than when I'd started looking. I'd have to pick the lock, then.

As I looked around the room for a suitable lock pick, I remembered my own set of keys I had in my book bag. I had a little pen knife on that keychain that just might work. I ran to get it. I spent the next half-hour working on that blasted lock.

Magnum, P.I., I was not.

I was about to give up when it finally clicked open. I set the knife aside and removed the lock. I lifted the lid with more than a little trepidation.

My jaw dropped as I gazed on the contents. No wonder it's so heavy.

The chest was full of gold. There was a whole box full of the shiny coins. My mind started to whirl. Was it blood money? Ehnley's payment to Nestor for letting Orthallen stay at his house? A bribe of some sort? I really wished I'd been able to decode the rest of those papers so that I'd have some answers!

I supposed the answers would be coming soon enough, what with Selenay sending that Herald to Ehnley's place. Patience, however, was not one of my virtues that day, but there was little I could do. I didn't dare leave until I heard from either Selenay or Landon that the situation had been resolved.

I also didn't know what to do with the gold. Ehnley obviously knew it was there, and Selenay certainly needed to know. I debated about moving it, but decided it was probably best kept where I found it.

No wonder Ehnley wanted to marry me, I thought as I pushed the chest back behind the bookshelf. He had to have known he wouldn't have had much success at stealing the chest. Easier, then, to marry into it.

Well, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

I put the books back on the shelf and straightened the room up and then set about my daily tasks.

It was later that night when all hell seemed to break loose.

We had just finished eating dinner and were leaving the dining room when I heard the screaming begin. It was female and sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. Lucia instinctively clung to my skirts.

"Lucia, sweet," I said, as calmly as I could, while Marin drew a long dagger from his boot, "I want you to go hide upstairs in my room. Don't come out until I say so, do you understand?"

She nodded and ran up the stairs as fast as she could. Marin handed me his dagger, and drew another one. I nodded to him that I was ready and we slowly advanced towards the kitchen. A moment later, however, Ila and Sara burst forth from it, both sobbing like children.

"What's wrong?" I demanded. "We heard a scream."

Ila buried her face in her hands and burst into a fresh round of tears. Marin motioned me back and he went into the kitchen. He returned a few moments later and shook his head. "There's nothing there."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "I searched the whole area. No one is in there." He looked at the women. "I'm going to get my swords from upstairs."

I heard sobs coming from behind me and looked to see that several of the other female servants were emerging in the same state as Ila and Sara.

"What is going on here?" I said.

"We didn't know, my Lady," Tera said, her shoulders shaking.

"Didn't know what?" I asked. "What are you talking about? Is someone hurt?"

"We didn't know about Orthallen!" cried Sara, and as if on cue, the others started wailing.

Orthallen? I felt my blood run cold, but there was no way I was going to figure this out with the noise level as it was.

"Enough!"

The entire room fell instantly silent, and they all gazed wide-eyed at me.

"I need you to tell me what's going on." I turned to Ila, who had always seemed to be the strong one of the group. "Ila?"

"It—it was like we just started remembering," she said. "Like we'd woken up from some dream, all of us, all at once."

"What did you remember?" I asked as Marin came back into the room, a sword in either hand. He shook he head slightly. There was nothing out of place upstairs.

"We remembered who he was," Ila replied. "He's been here, and Lord Nestor entertained him and Lord Ehnley, and we knew, but—" She broke off, unable to continue.

"But we didn't know," Sara said. "You have to believe us, my Lady. If we had known, we would have said something—"

"We're loyal to the Crown!" Tera cried.

I held up my hand for silence. "I do believe you, Sara, and I think I know what's happened." I handed Marin back his dagger. Clearly, the spell on their minds had been broken somehow. "Gather everyone together," I ordered. "I'll explain everything as best I can." I approached Marin and told him my theory.

"I agree," he said. "I've seen it before when I fought with Karse. Those who were suffering under spells were released once the one casting the spell was killed."

My eyes grew wide with understanding. "So you think that whoever set the spell is now dead?"

He nodded. "I would stake a small fortune on it."

I mulled it over in my mind. "It couldn't have been Nestor, then, who bespelled them, since he's been dead. I don't think it's Ehnley," I said, and related to him Lucia's emerging Gift.

"That would leave just one person then," he said.

"Orthallen."

Marin nodded. "From the information we have, it would appear that way. We could be completely wrong, however."

"Don't say that," I replied. "I'm getting enough gray hairs as it is." Where was CNN when you needed it! This waiting for information from Haven was going to kill me.

The servants were assembled, and I did my best to tell them what had happened to them and what we knew of the situation. Marin made sure to stress what we didn't know, and to make sure that everyone understood that they were not to speak of this to anyone until the matter was completely settled by the Queen.

Marin then armed some of the servants and patrolled the grounds around the House just to make sure that all was well. It was a very, very late night before anyone went to bed, and even later before sleep came.

The following week was torture. I kept waiting for word that never came. Even with the routine of daily life, it was still difficult to concentrate. I filled my time by writing letters to everyone I knew. I sent one off to Treven, to the place he'd estimated he'd be by then. I sent another to Selenay, telling her of Lucia's emerging Gift, and how we were planning on making a visit to Haven to see about training. I wrote to Alberich to thank him for sending Marin, hoping he could read between the lines and understand. I even wrote to Landon. And, just to keep myself from going crazy, I wrote to both Elspeth and Talia, and sent in a letter from Lucia to Kyrah. Between all the bland news, I was hoping someone would get the hint and write back. I knew things took time here, but honestly! I was going mad! What was going on? Were Orthallen and Ehnley dead? What if Selenay had just forgotten to send word to me? I quickly banished that last worry. Even if she had forgotten, I reasoned, Landon would have remembered and gotten someone to write a note.

It wasn't until the next week at breakfast that Elsa came in with a letter. It bore the royal seal, and I had to restrain myself from snatching it off the tray.

"It's about time," I commented under my breath. Marin had stopped eating, waiting to find out what the letter said. Even Ila and Elsa lingered, waiting.

With trembling fingers, I broke the seal and hungrily devoured the words before me. I wasn't but a few sentences into the letter when I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Oh, dear God," I whispered, a true prayer. "No...it can't be."

"What is it?" Marin asked, his tone as cold and dreadful as I felt just then.

I looked up to find that even Lucia had stopped eating, waiting expectantly. Tears filled my eyes, blurring their images.

"Selenay is dead."