They entered what looked like a sitting room, with several armchairs and a sofa arranged around it, facing a fireplace set into one wall. There were also several more doors leading off of the room.

There was no one in sight, and Erin couldn’t hear anything coming from beyond the other doors. Neither, apparently, could Sarah, who was peering intently around the room with her ears held at full mast and her nose twitching.

“Wait here,” Jechrin told them in a low whisper. “I’ll see if I can find out which room she’s in.”

Anthony closed the door carefully behind them, and then the three of them waited, still and tense, while Jechrin moved silently to one of the doors in the wall to the left. He paused and listened for a few seconds before opening it slowly and disappearing inside.

A long minute passed. Erin could feel her heart thumping in her throat. She hoped she wasn’t going to panic and do something stupid that would get them all caught.

Jechrin finally reappeared, closing the door quietly behind him and shaking his head. None of them spoke as he slipped around a pair of armchairs and an end table, heading for a second door on the left side of the room. Again he paused briefly to listen before opening the door and going inside.

A moment later, Erin started as the sound of voices came suddenly through the open door.

“That’s Kirchel’s voice,” Sarah whispered, taking a step forward.

“You’re sure?” Anthony whispered back. “Can you hear what they’re saying?”

Sarah nodded, eyes and ears still fixed on the door. “Jechrin’s asking her where Teral is,” she said after a minute. “That must mean he’s not in there with her.”

“So do you think we should go in?” Erin asked anxiously.

“I….” Sarah hesitated. “Yes, I think so.”

She started forward, Erin and Anthony following behind her. They had nearly reached the door when Jechrin appeared. Seeing them, he nodded and beckoned for them to come into the room.

As they entered, Erin saw that they were in a study not unlike Arturyn’s in the Imperial Palace, although there were fewer piles of paper in this one. There was a large desk made of polished dark wood to the left of the door and a line of bookshelves covering the wall to the right. Across from the door was a large window overlooking the darkened gardens. Kirchel was seated in a chair near the window and looked pleasantly surprised to see them.

“I was just wishing you could be here,” she said happily, standing up and smiling at them as they came near. She looked positively radiant, but Erin noticed that her face was paler than usual, and there was a slightly unnatural gleam in her eyes. “Teral’s just gone to make the arrangements. But he’ll be back soon, and then we’ll have the wedding right away.”

“Wedding?” Sarah echoed. “Kirchel, you can’t be serious. You barely know him!”

Kirchel shook her head, still smiling. “But that’s not important. We were meant for each other—I can tell.”

“But…but what about Arturyn?” Erin asked, taken aback by Kirchel’s happy acceptance of the idea of eloping with a man who was not only practically a stranger to her but was probably a murderer and a traitor besides.

“Arturyn?” The smile on Kirchel’s face finally faded. She looked confused for a moment, but then she scowled angrily. “Arturyn’s nothing but a selfish coward! I’ve put up with him using me for years, but I’ve had enough of it. I love Teral, and I’m going to marry him. And I don’t care what the high and mighty emperor thinks about it!”

Erin and Sarah exchanged dismayed looks. Whatever Teral had done to Kirchel, it looked like it was going to make their job a lot harder.

Erin was beginning to understand why Relians had such a bad reputation....

“Kirchel…” Sarah began slowly. “We…well, we’ve found out some things about Teral. I really think you should wait until you’ve heard—”

“Whatever it is, I don’t care,” Kirchel interrupted. “Teral is a wonderful man, and I want to marry him. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says.”

Erin looked desperately at Jechrin. “Can’t you do something?”

“Do something?” Kirchel repeated. She was looking angry again. “About what? Is that why you three came here—to try to talk me out of marrying the man I love? Well, you’re wasting your time!”

“We’d noticed,” Sarah snapped irritably. “Look, Kirchel, Teral is a Relian. You don’t love him. You don’t want to marry him. He’s just making you think that you do. We’ve got to get you out of here before he comes back and you make the biggest mistake of your life!”

Kirchel’s face had gone very white, and she was gazing at Sarah through narrowed eyes. “Arturyn sent you here, didn’t he?” she said in a low, furious voice.

“What? No,” Sarah said, looking startled. “He told us not to come, actually.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Kirchel snarled. “He found out what I was doing, and he sent you here to stop me—I know it!”

Sarah stared open-mouthed at her, obviously at a complete loss for what to say next. It seemed clear that Kirchel was in no state to be reasoned with.

“No, Arturyn didn’t ask them to come,” Jechrin said quietly, stepping out in front of Kirchel and holding up a hand to warn the others not to interrupt. “I did.”

Kirchel blinked in surprise, her angry expression faltering. “You did? Why?”

“Well, I was worried,” Jechrin said, looking straight into Kirchel’s eyes. “I know how much you and Father care for each other, but when you marry him, that will make you my stepmother, won’t it? I was hoping maybe we could talk you into waiting just a little longer, since I really don’t know you very well yet.”

“But we’ve gotten along well so far,” Kirchel said, looking hurt. “Don’t you want me to be your stepmother? I’ll try the best I can to be a good one—really I will.”

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“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Jechrin told her reassuringly, still holding her gaze with his. “But you know, it’s going to be a big change for both of us. It will seem less frightening if we take things slowly. There’s no hurry, really, is there?”

“Well….” Kirchel was looking uncertain for the first time. “I don’t want Arturyn to ruin everything. If Teral and I get married quickly, then he won’t be able to do anything about it. But I guess…well, maybe it isn’t fair for you that way…. It is a big change, like you said….”

“Yes, it is,” Jechrin said, nodding. “For you, too. I mean, you haven’t learned much about living in Aner yet or what you’ll have to do when you’re the queen. And you haven’t met the rest of my family. My Aunt Celora and Uncle Meilas live here in Eloril. I’m sure you’d like them.”

“That’s right,” Erin said, having finally realized what Jechrin was trying to do. “We visited Celora just a little while ago, and she’s very nice. You really should meet her.”

“Oh…well….” Kirchel was still staring into Jechrin’s eyes, looking rather dazed. “You think it would be better if I met her before the wedding?”

“Yes, I think it would,” Jechrin said encouragingly. “Her house isn’t far away. It won’t take very long. Father might not even notice that you’re gone.”

“Actually, I’m afraid I would,” said a cold voice behind them.

Jechrin barely had time to turn around before an invisible force knocked him off his feet and into the air. He slammed against the desk and slumped onto the floor.

“Jechrin!” Erin cried, dashing over to kneel beside him. He was picking himself up unsteadily, grimacing with pain, but he didn’t look seriously hurt. She helped him into a sitting position, and they both turned to look toward the door.

Teral was standing on the threshold, looking icily down at his son. “I don’t appreciate you trying to confuse my bride,” he said in a soft, poisonous voice. “It’s taken a lot of time and effort for me to convince her that she wants to marry me.”

Kirchel was looking back and forth between Jechrin and Teral, her expression confused and troubled. But when Teral turned to look at her, the uneasiness left her face, and she smiled warmly at him.

“Is everything ready?” she asked. “Will we have the wedding now?”

“Yes, my dear,” Teral said, his tone becoming silky. “They’re waiting for us downstairs.”

Kirchel started forward, looking eager, but Anthony caught hold of her arm, and Sarah moved in between her and Teral, wings unfurled and hackles raised.

“Leave her alone!” Sarah snarled at Teral, showing a formidable line of sharp white teeth. “We’re not going to let you hurt her!”

“Let me go, Anthony!” Kirchel said angrily, struggling to break out of his grip. “What’s wrong with you two? Teral’s not going to hurt me. He wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

Teral gave Sarah a thin smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t hurt her. She’s far too valuable to me. For now, at least.” He took a few steps closer to Sarah, who growled and crouched lower, looking ready to attack. “On the other hand...I would have absolutely no reservations about hurting you two…especially if you keep trying to interfere with my wedding plans.” He gave a low chuckle. “Of course, I might not need to. Kirchel is quite a skilled mage, after all, and I don’t think she likes you trying to keep her away from me.”

He was right about that. Kirchel was still fighting to break free from Anthony. He was holding both her arms now, but she was struggling fiercely enough that he was clearly having a hard time holding her, despite being taller and stronger than she was. And Erin could tell it was only a matter of time before Teral’s enchantment made Kirchel angry enough to start using magic. Anthony wouldn’t have a chance after that.

“I suggest you step aside,” Teral said, moving still closer to Sarah. “I’ve had disagreements with enough gatekeepers this week. I’d really rather not take the time for another one right now.”

“So it was you who killed Verasa, wasn’t it?” Sarah said, her voice choked with anger. “You’ll answer to the Dhaikar for that—if there’s anything left of you when I get through!”

“Fool.” Teral looked completely unruffled by the threats. “You think you’re any more of a match for me than she was? Now step aside, and I might be kind enough to simply erase your memories of all of this…rather than silencing you permanently.”

Sarah didn’t move. “I’m not afraid of you,” she said in a low voice. “And I’d rather die than let a murdering traitor like you have my friend.”

“As you like,” Teral said pleasantly, inclining his head with mock politeness.

He lifted a hand and made a quick gesture, as though he were beckoning to someone over his shoulder. A moment later, Galeth appeared in the doorway behind him, his lined face arranged in the same sour expression that he had worn when Erin had seen him at the Nylad in Katan Jyrat. His dark eyes swept the room quickly, taking in the situation, and then flicked back to Teral.

“In the interests of time, I’ll need you to help me dispose of this one, Galeth,” Teral said, nodding at Sarah. “Please try not to damage the books or the furniture. Or Kirchel, of course. As for the others….” He glanced in Jechrin's direction. “Well, hopefully they’ll have enough sense to stay out of the way.”

Galeth gave a silent nod and stepped forward to stand next to Teral. Together, they faced Sarah, who crouched lower and bared her teeth, snarling ferociously.

Erin gave Jechrin a panicked look. He was watching the approaching battle intently, his face pale and tense, though he showed no sign of acting to prevent it. Well, what could he do? What could any of them do? Anthony was still struggling just to keep a hold on Kirchel, who was twisting and clawing at him, trying to get away. Her fingernails had already left several long, red lines across his face and arms.

And there was Sarah, standing alone against two Relians, like a dog facing a pair of bulls about to charge. The image of Verasa’s bloody, lifeless body swam before Erin’s eyes as she tried desperately to think of something—anything—she could do to help.

If only there were a way to protect Sarah and stop Teral making Kirchel go crazy. Something to shield them from his magical attacks....

Erin's eyes suddenly widened. There was something.

Without pausing to consider, she plunged her hand inside her shirt and pulled out the rélim Arturyn had given her. She jerked it off her neck, snapping the chain. Jechrin turned toward her with a look of surprise as she got to her feet, but she didn’t have time to explain.

Teral was just raising his hand to strike as she drew her own hand back and threw the rélim across the room. It landed on the floor at Sarah’s feet.

Erin just had a glimpse of the two halves breaking apart before a bright, iridescent white light shone from the center of the rélim, growing quickly outward like a bubble until it enveloped Sarah, Anthony, and Kirchel. It was just in time to catch the fiery red pulse of energy Teral had thrown at Sarah.

The bubble glowed red for a moment and then faded back to white. Then it became nearly transparent, so that the three people sheltered inside it were clearly visible.

For a long moment, the room was completely silent.

Teral, Galeth, and Sarah all stood frozen, still poised for attack, staring at the shield now glowing faintly between them.

Kirchel had stopped struggling, and she and Anthony were both wearing nearly identical expressions of bewilderment.

Erin glanced down at Jechrin. He was still sitting motionless on the floor, looking up at her with his eyebrows slightly raised. She couldn’t quite read his expression, but she thought he looked rather impressed.

Teral was the first one to move. He turned slowly to face Erin, who stared back at him, pale and trembling and almost as surprised by what she had just done as everyone else was. She expected him to rage and scream at her, but he didn’t. For a few seconds, he merely looked at her, his face impassive, but his eyes burning with a venom that made Erin’s blood run cold.

“That…” he said finally, his voice soft and deadly. “…was not very wise, little human.”