The 'corner' that the woman found for them turned out to be two of the loveliest bedrooms that Erin had ever seen. They were directly next to each other, and there was a door set into the wall between them.

“That’s so we can go to each other's rooms early in the morning without having to go out into the public hallway with our nightgowns and bed hair,” Kirchel explained with a smile.

Erin stood in the middle of the room, gazing around with her mouth slightly open. It was more than twice the size of her bedroom at home and had its own adjoining bathroom. There was a stone fireplace in one wall, surrounded by a small table and several ornate but comfortable-looking chairs. Against another wall was a canopied bed with thick, embroidered curtains and piles of soft-looking pillows and furry blankets. Beautiful tapestries depicting flowers and animals hung on all the walls except one, which had large windows with stained glass accents and a glass door that led out onto a small balcony overlooking the palace gardens.

“Being the emperor’s friend really pays off, doesn’t it?” Erin said, very impressed.

Kirchel laughed. “Well, it does have some advantages, yes.”

The woman who had led them here had gone to see about getting them something to eat. After a few minutes, there was a soft knock on the door, and she entered the room again, carrying a large tray loaded with dishes. She put the tray down on the table in front of the fireplace and asked Kirchel something in Silmarith. Kirchel answered, shaking her head, and the woman made a small curtsey and left the room.

“She was asking if there was anything else we needed,” Kirchel explained, seeing Erin’s curious look. “I can see I really need to start teaching you Silmarith. In fact, you might as well learn a little bit now, since you’re going to be staying here for a few days.”

While they ate their lunch, she taught Erin some basic words and phrases in Silmarith that might help her if they were separated while staying at the palace.

“'Lo seh iveh nur Silmarith,'” Erin repeated slowly. “‘I don’t speak Silmarith.’ Well, if I can say that, I should be fine, right? As long as whoever I say it to can find someone who speaks English, anyway.”

“Well, while you’re in Katan Jyrat, it’s possible that they can. There are quite a few humans from English-speaking countries who come to study at Zeiryn, and many of them stay and live here afterwards. Now, let me hear you introduce yourself again.”

After they had finished eating and Erin had memorized a few lines of Silmarith, Kirchel suggested that they both rest for a while before doing anything else. Erin, who still felt tired and shaken from the events of the last two days, readily agreed, and Kirchel left her to go to her own room.

After she was gone, Erin crossed over to the bed and climbed onto it. As she burrowed into the pile of blankets and pillows, she couldn’t help feeling that this all had to be some kind of fantastic dream and that she would find herself back in her bed at home when she woke up.

She was still trying to decide whether that would be a relief or a disappointment when she drifted off to sleep.

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“So how was your first day in Katan Jyrat?” Arturyn asked at dinner that evening.

Erin swallowed her mouthful of vegetables and thought for a moment. “It was...kind of overwhelming,” she said truthfully.

She had woken up from her nap feeling a little disconcerted from sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Then Kirchel had shown her around the main parts of the palace, which seemed enormous and was filled with such a flurry of activity that it made Erin’s head spin.

Arturyn smiled. “I can certainly understand that—especially when you’re seeing the city for the first time the day before Council starts. There’s a lot going on right now. But this week is the perfect time for you to see Silmarith culture at its finest. And as long as you stick close to Kirchel and remember to wear that badge I gave you, you should get along fine.”

Erin glanced down at the small bronze circle that was lying on the table next to her plate. Arturyn had given both her and Kirchel one when they had arrived at his study, where a table and chairs had been set up in the middle of the clutter of preparations for the next day so that they could join Arturyn for his short dinner break. The badges were about two inches across and were engraved with a picture of the same winged snake that was on the imperial crest. Wearing them, Arturyn had explained, would show that they were there as his guests, which would afford them some extra courtesy from the other guests and the palace staff.

“Oh, the badges reminded me,” Kirchel said suddenly, putting down her cup and turning to Arturyn. “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare rélim around, would you?”

“Probably,” Arturyn said, frowning slightly. “Why?”

“For Erin,” Kirchel said grimly. “I think it would be a good idea for her to have one in case Wraith shows up again. Then maybe she could protect herself if he tries to make her jump off the balcony or do who knows what else.”

“Oh, I see.” Arturyn’s expression also turned serious. “Yes, I think that’s a very good idea. He could get her into a great deal of trouble here, if he felt so inclined.”

He stood up and walked over to his desk, which was covered with stacks of official-looking papers. Moving around behind it, he bent over, and Erin could hear a drawer opening. When he straightened up a minute later, he was holding what looked like a necklace in one hand. He returned to the table and handed it to Kirchel.

“There, you can set it however you think is best.”

“Thanks.”

Kirchel took the long, thin chain from him and began fiddling with the pendant hanging from it. Erin could see colored symbols glowing faintly on its dark surface. Kirchel prodded at these with her finger, and they moved and changed. When they were apparently arranged how she wanted them, Kirchel pressed the tip of her finger against the pendant and held it there. After a few seconds, the entire pendant glowed briefly white. When the light faded, Kirchel removed her finger and handed the chain and pendant to Erin.

“Here. Put that on.”

Erin put the chain around her neck and then took the pendant in her hand and looked at it more closely. It was a kind of flat tear shape and was made from some kind of shiny, dark grey material. The glowing symbols were gone now, and the pendant’s surface was completely smooth except for a thin crack running down the center. Erin stared at it curiously for a moment and then looked up at Kirchel and Arturyn, hoping for an explanation.

“That’s a rélim,” Kirchel said. “I want you to always keep it with you from now on. Even when you sleep. It might be a little awkward, but the point is to have it with you if Wraith appears again, which could be at any time. You see the crack in the middle? If he shows up, pull the two halves apart. Hitting it against a hard surface should work, too. It will create a magical shield around you that should prevent him from doing anything to you. Even if by some chance he can use a kind of magic that it doesn’t block, the shield will hold you inside it, so he can’t force you to go anywhere you can get into trouble. And the rélim will alert me when it goes off, so I’ll know to come and help you as quickly as I can. Got it?”

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Erin nodded, but she was frowning at the same time. “What if he knows I have it and won’t let me use it?”

Kirchel sighed. “Well, we’ll hope that isn’t the case. But if it is, just keep trying. You might be able to get it apart if he lets his guard down for a few seconds. And even if you can’t use it until after he’s gone, it will still at least let me know that you’re in trouble and might protect you if he forces you into another dangerous situation.”

Privately, Erin still had some doubts. Wraith didn’t seem like the kind of person that could be easily outwitted. But she didn’t want to voice such pessimistic thoughts when Kirchel was already looking so worried. And wearing the rélim wouldn’t hurt, in any case. It would be awfully nice to have it on hand if she ever ran into any more Mataiths. She tucked the little pendant inside her shirt and turned her attention back to finishing her supper.

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“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kirchel said, her voice slightly dreamy.

They were sitting on the balcony outside Erin’s bedroom, watching the sun set over the mountains to the west. The clouds over the mountains were a blaze of orange and pink that was mirrored in the calm, clear water of the lake. The entire valley was cast in a pale red light that made it seem even more magical than normal. Which was saying quite a lot.

“Well, I like it better than the last sunset I watched,” Erin said. “Not being tied to a tree and surrounded by a gang of Mataiths does improve it a lot.”

Kirchel turned away from the sunset to look at Erin. There was remorse in her expression. “Yes, I guess it would...." She was silent for a moment before she went on with a sigh, “Your mother is going to skin me alive if she finds out what’s happened to you. And I have to admit, I probably deserve it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Erin said, surprised by Kirchel’s tone of self-condemnation. “You didn’t know Wraith was going to force me through the cave and into all that mess. Neither of us even knew he could make me do things like that. And you did come after me. You got there before...well...before anything really bad happened to me. And you figured out a way to save us from the Mataiths. Arturyn and I would both be dead or worse now if it weren’t for you.”

“I suppose…” Kirchel said slowly, though she didn't sound very convinced.

They both turned back to the sunset and sat in silence, watching the colors change and fade into night. When the last pink streaks had disappeared and stars were starting to sparkle overhead, Kirchel stood up and stretched.

“Well, I think it’s time to call it a day,” she said. “The festivities will be starting early tomorrow morning, and we don’t want to sleep through them.”

Erin stood and followed her back into the bedroom. Kirchel paused before reaching the door to her own room and turned to give Erin a brief hug.

“Try to stay out of trouble tonight, okay?” she said with a faint smile. “You still have your rélim?”

Erin nodded and pulled the pendant out from inside her shirt to show Kirchel.

“Good. Just remember to use it if our ethereal little troublemaker shows up. And feel free to come and get me if you need anything, all right? Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning.”

After Kirchel had disappeared into the next room, Erin went to the closet and pushed aside the curtain that hung over it. There was a column of drawers on one side and a variety of garments hanging from a rod in the center. Kirchel had said there would be nightgowns in one of the drawers. Erin rummaged through several of them before finally pulling out a long white nightgown made of a soft, flannel-like material. She pulled it on and then went into the bathroom to brush her hair and wash her face.

When she was ready for bed, Erin sat down on the edge of the bed and looked uncertainly up at the small chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. It held eight candles that were each glowing with a bright white flame. They lit the room just as well as regular light bulbs would have done, and the wax never seemed to drip or go down.

Erin hesitated and then pointed a finger at the chandelier. “Setrá,” she said, as Kirchel had instructed her.

The candles immediately went out.

“This place is so weird…” Erin muttered to herself, shaking her head at the sudden darkness.

She was just climbing into bed when she heard the sound of voices coming from the next room. She paused, still sitting up underneath the blankets. Kirchel had left the door between the two rooms slightly ajar. There was a crack of light coming through the narrow opening. Erin watched it, listening intently. There were two voices coming from the other side of the door. One of them she recognized as Kirchel’s. The other was a man’s...Arturyn, maybe?

Erin frowned. The voices sounded agitated, as though the two were arguing about something.

She slipped out of bed and moved quietly over to the door.

Now she was sure it was Arturyn’s voice she was hearing. She eased the door open another inch and peered through it. She could see Arturyn pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace and Kirchel sitting in a chair to one side of it.

“Well, maybe if we just went through the laws again we could find something,” Arturyn was saying. He sounded frustrated, even desperate. “There has to be some kind of loophole somewhere. There just has to be!”

“We’ve been through the laws time and time again, Arturyn,” Kirchel replied in a voice of forced calm. “There are no loopholes, no exceptions, no anything. There’s nothing we can do! Nothing, except move on and try to forget—”

“Haven’t we already tried that?” Arturyn interrupted her angrily. “And has it worked?”

Kirchel didn't answer. Erin could see her staring down at the floor.

Arturyn stopped pacing and stood in front of her. “I’ve tried to forget,” he said in a low voice. “For five years I’ve tried. But I haven’t come any closer to forgetting than I was the day you left Zeiryn. I can’t forget, Kirchel.” His voice was intense, determined. “And I’m not going to just let you give up and walk away. Not again.”

Kirchel stood up. “‘Give up and walk away?’” she repeated, her voice breaking with emotion. “You think that’s what I did? You think I don’t feel the same way you do? We’ve already looked for a way around the law—we spent years looking. We went through every law and statute and policy and adjudication that could possibly be relevant, and there was nothing! So what exactly do you expect me to do?!” She nearly shouted the last question at him.

They both stood silently, facing each other. Then, very abruptly, Arturyn took hold of Kirchel’s shoulders, pulled her close to him, and kissed her.

After a long moment, they broke apart. They stared at one another for several seconds, as though neither of them could quite comprehend what had just happened.

Then, slowly, Kirchel’s face crumpled, and she burst into tears. She buried her face in Arturyn’s shoulder, and he put his arms around her, holding her tightly and stroking her dark hair.

Erin realized that her mouth was hanging open. She closed it and swallowed hard, stepping quickly away from the door. She stood in the darkness, feeling stunned by what she had just witnessed and devoutly hoping that neither of the two people in the next room had noticed that she was watching and listening.

Several minutes passed. Then she heard Arturyn’s voice again, much gentler than it had been before.

“Kirchel…” he said quietly. “Kirchel, I….”

“Arturyn, go.” Kirchel’s voice was still shaking with sobs. “Please…just go….”

Erin half expected Arturyn to argue, but he didn’t. After a moment, she heard footsteps and then the sound of the door opening and closing. Not long afterward, the light in Kirchel’s room went out.

Erin quietly got back into bed. But she lay awake for a long time, listening to the faint sound of Kirchel crying in the next room.