Everyone had forgotten about Kyla. She was used to it, so that part of her situation didn’t bother her, but she didn’t particularly like feeling trapped. That made her fuergar, Mei’s, discovery all the more interesting, and led directly to Kyla’s current conundrum. Did she attract attention to herself in order to let one of the humans know they weren’t quite as captive as the human female, Adara, had claimed? Or did she follow her natural inclination and investigate on her own?

Looking around, Kyla watched the groups that had formed as soon as the door closed behind Raff, Kaz, and Adara. Jinn and Reina sat together on one bed, devouring more than their share of the stash of food Kyla had found in the first box she opened. Meanwhile, Lianhua and Yingtao sat quietly on the other bed, their lips moving, but no sound reached Kyla’s ears. Lianhua must have used one of her tricks to make it so no one else could hear them, which Kyla felt was truly unfair.

Kyla edged toward Jinn and Reina, twisting her ears to better hear their conversation. The two were whispering, but Kyla could hear them just fine.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jinn asked anxiously, passing Reina a large chunk of yellow cheese. The contents of the box had included several food items Kyla had never tried before, but cheese was by far her favorite, and she eyed it covetously.

Reina nodded, chewing slowly. Her eyelids were drooping, and she looked like she might fall asleep even with food still in her mouth. “I’m healing normally now that that thing has been removed,” she managed finally, though her words were still a little muffled by the cheese, which did have a tendency to stick to the teeth.

Jinn nodded as if satisfied, but this was the third time she’d asked the question, and Kyla doubted if she would really believe her friend until they’d both slept well without Reina relapsing. “What do you think that thing they took from your wound was?” she asked, leaning forward and flicking a glance toward Chi Yincang, who stood silently in the corner, his eyes fixed on Lianhua and his sister. Chi Yincang had put the rune-etched orb into his storage pouch after Kaz removed it from Reina’s side, and then that funny little snake, Heishe, had flicked it into the new lake before anyone else even got to look at it.

Reina’s eyes widened, then shifted away from Jinn, and she squirmed as she said, “I don’t know.” To Kyla, that was a dead giveaway that she did know, and Jinn seemed to have calmed down enough to pick up on it as well, because she narrowed her eyes at the princess, who took another bite of cheese.

Kyla shifted in place, but only because one of her paws was starting to go to sleep, and it was only a coincidence that it also brought her slightly closer to the gossiping females. She’d found a spot to hide between one of the boxes and the wall, but she’d crammed herself into the end closest to Jinn and Reina, and her tail was cramping.

“All right, fine,” Reina murmured, barely audible even from Kyla’s hiding spot. “I really don’t know, though. It’s just.… When I became an adult, Father told me a few things that aren’t common knowledge. One of them is about a certain, um, trading partner.”

She leaned in until her forehead was almost touching Jinn’s. “They turned up a few years after the kobold city closed, selling many of the same things we used to buy from the mountain. At first, Father wasn’t sure about them, but they gave him his own weight in gold for nothing more than the opportunity to prove themselves. And they have. Proven themselves.”

Jinn nodded, wide-eyed, and Kyla wondered if they really didn’t notice Chi Yincang’s sudden shift in focus. The dark male was always so quiet, and it seemed like most people found him hard to read, but Kyla was used to watching people, even if most of those people weren’t human. She could tell by the subtle movement of his eyes and the way his brows drew together ever so slightly that he, too, was listening to the two females.

“The thing is,” Reina went on, her voice barely louder than a breath, “these traders aren’t human. We aren’t sure what they are, but they have tails, and they’re much smaller than humans. They wear these bulky robes, so you can’t see any details. But they use humans for a lot of things, like driving their wagons and buying things in the city.”

Jinn shook her head. “There’s no way. People would talk, especially about a new nonhuman race.” Her eyes flashed to the door, and she smiled wryly. “Someone like my brother would definitely say something, and it wouldn’t stay a secret for long.”

Jinn nodded, her eyes fluttering closed as she yawned. “That’s what Father said. But these…people, assured him they had ways of making sure no one would talk about them.” She pressed a hand to the back of her neck. “They put an artifact here, under the skin, and they said it would kill anyone who disobeyed.”

Kyla stilled, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chi Yincang’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. Hadn’t Kaz mentioned something about some of the Irondiggers dying because of a strange object buried under their skin? Or had that been Raff?

It didn’t really matter who said it, she supposed, but if the elusive memory was correct, then these creatures the humans had been trading with were using the same kind of item to control people as the being known as Nucai. But according to Kaz and the others, Nucai was trapped in the Tree, wasn’t he?

Reina’s head now rested on Jinn’s shoulder, and it was clear that she wasn’t going to be doing any more talking, at least for now. Small snores issued from her mouth, and Jinn gently shifted her down onto the soft surface of the bed, then used one of the blankets to cover her.

Well, Kyla obviously wasn’t going to be talking to them. Even if they were in good enough shape to do anything, Kyla doubted that they had any real interest in escape. Which was fair, because from the little they’d said about what they’d gone through over the last month, just having a relatively safe place to sleep and plenty of food was a vast improvement.

Kyla turned her attention back to Yingtao and Lianhua. The two older females had been talking for quite some time now, and Kyla could tell that whatever they were talking about was very personal. They, too, sat close to each other, and though they didn’t touch as easily as Jinn and Reina, it was clear that there was a bond between them. Each time one of them moved, the other would unconsciously copy them, so now they sat facing each other, fingers on the blanket between them, barely touching but so involved with each other that Kyla suspected she could bark in their faces without either one of them noticing.

Which left Chi Yincang. But while that male was taking in everything in the room, and Kyla was certain he was well aware of exactly where she was, she doubted if he would respond to her directly. She had tried to speak to him several times over the course of their journey to Cliffcross, but he rarely answered, and when he did, it was usually with a single word. She’d met kobolds like him, who were so focused on their tasks that they didn’t allow anything to distract them, and in some ways she admired them, but mostly they just annoyed her.

A little paw pressed on her hand, and Kyla looked down. Mei was back, and she had another small coin in her mouth, which made Kyla believe that she was right about where they were. Or at least what they were close to.

Kyla accepted the coin, and Mei balanced on her hind legs, using her adorable pink paws to clean her eyes, ears, and nose. Pink and copper whiskers quivered as the fuergar eyed the metal disc, then the hole she’d chewed in the wall. Water seeped out of it, but only a little, and it didn’t have any of the worst stink of the sewers.

Lifting the coin, Kyla sniffed it, then turned it back and forth. It was silver, but the surfaces were so worn that she couldn’t make out the tiny pictures humans stamped on their coins. It smelled like rain and metal, but that was it. Hopefully that meant that wherever it came from wasn’t one of the smelliest and most disgusting parts of the sewer.

Leaning over, Kyla pressed her eye to the hole, trying to see how deep it was. She’d put her arm in the last time Mei scampered off, and hadn’t been able to reach the end. Had Mei eaten her way through the stone Kyla could feel, or was this tunnel already there and the fuergar had only opened up the wall to meet it? The uneven feel of the surfaces argued for the former, which made Kyla wonder if her little friend had known there was something in that direction, or if she’d simply started eating and gotten lucky.

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The sound of a door opening behind her made Kyla yank her head back, smacking her skull into the large wooden box behind which she hid. It made a loud thunking sound, and she scrambled back to a sitting position, so by the time Adara’s suspicious face peered down at her, the hole was hidden behind her body.

“What are you doing, little kobold?” the female asked, lifting her brows and smiling. She held out a hand, almost as if she expected Kyla to sniff it. Kyla wanted to snarl at her, but Raff and Lianhua had both emphasized how important it was to be non-threatening if anyone figured out she wasn’t human. So instead, she pulled back, lowering her ears, and was silently grateful when Chi Yincang, of all people, saved her.

“The lady has been waiting for you,” he said, appearing so suddenly that Adara actually jumped and let out a very embarrassing little squawk.

“Oh! Ah, I had a few things to take care of,” Adara said, obviously trying to regain control of the situation. “I arranged for some fresher food, and sent out a few of my people to see if there are any rumors connecting the disaster at the mage college to Princess Reina or the missing Imperials.”

“Thank you,” Lianhua’s voice said, and Kyla dared to edge back up so she could look over the box as Adara moved away. As she did, Chi Yincang looked down at her, and then, to her utter astonishment, closed one eye in what Aunt Sika said was a ‘wink’. Kyla had learned almost everything she knew about humans from Aunt Sika, and so far the old female had been accurate in every respect.

“Did you find the washing basin?” Adara asked, settling one hip against the other box. Reaching down, she lifted one of the empty food sacks and looked into its depths. “It seems I underestimated how hungry you all were. That was supposed to be a month’s worth of food.”

Lianhua had moved to the edge of the bed, sitting stiffly, rather than in the relaxed pose she’d assumed while speaking to Yingtao. She folded her hands in her lap, placing them very precisely as she lifted her pointed chin and met Adara’s eyes with a directness Kyla wasn’t used to from her. Lianhua had a tendency to drift off in thought or lose herself in questions. She was also very kind, to the point that she would have been considered weak if she had been a member of Kyla’s tribe.

“We did,” she said, her words measured. “But it would be nice if we could get a proper bath. I saw there’s a curtain, so we can block off part of the room.”

Adara laughed. “No baths, I’m afraid. Which is a shame, because frankly the lot of you smell. It wasn’t so noticeable upstairs, but now-” She shook her head, eyes calculating as she watched Lianhua, and Kyla wondered what she hoped to gain by insulting them.

Whatever it was, Lianhua wasn’t going to give it to her. She smiled, without any sign of irritation, and said, “We’ll make do. Now, you said you have questions for us?”

Adara’s lips pinched, and she began to fire questions at Lianhua, ignoring everyone else, at least for the moment. Why had Lianhua come to Cliffcross in the first place? Why did she and the others leave again without waiting for an escort? Why were they back now? What happened when Lianhua was taken to the palace the previous day?

Lianhua answered each of these questions fully and truthfully, at least as far as Kyla could tell. Adara seemed interested in the story of the human’s descent through the mountain, as was Kyla, though to her disappointment, Lianhua left out most of Kaz’s involvement, simply calling him their ‘kobold guide’.

Adara seemed most fascinated by the times that Lianhua spent in the human castle, though. She asked question after question about who Lianhua spoke to, what they did, and how they acted. She even asked what they wore, as if their clothing would reveal some great secret to her.

“So you didn’t actually get to see the king this time?” Adara asked.

Lianhua shook her head. “No. He was busy, so we were supposed to meet with him the next day. We spoke to Queen Natalia and Baron Ruben. A few of the queen’s handmaidens and some guards were present, as well, but they didn’t say much.”

Adara’s fingers drummed on the box. “You met the queen when you were here last month. Did she seem…different?”

Lianhua frowned. “A little. She was sad, and seemed tired. But both of those are completely reasonable, given that her daughter was missing.” She cast a glance toward Reina, who was still sleeping the sleep of utter exhaustion, though Jinn was awake and flinched slightly at this comment.

“And Baron Ruben? Did you speak to him before?”

Lianhua sighed. “Only briefly. He seemed less than interested in talking to a woman from the Empire. He asked a few questions about my grandfather, tried to determine if I was engaged or romantically interested in someone, and then found a reason to be elsewhere.”

“And was he different this time?” Adara leaned forward, eyes intent.

Lianhua’s lips twitched. “Not noticeably. He danced attendance upon the queen.”

She hesitated, and her brows drew together. Adara noticed, and prompted, “What? There’s something.”

Lianhua glanced at Yingtao, as if for reassurance, then snapped her gaze back to the yellow-haired female and lifted her chin. “Since you ask for my opinion - and that is all I offer - I thought he and the queen were a little too… close. He held her hand for longer than was strictly proper.”

“Proper in the Empire, or Holiander?” Adara asked, eyes sharpening.

Lianhua snorted. “Proper anywhere, at least for a lady not his wife. The fact that she is a worried mother might account for it.” Her voice said she didn’t think so, though.

“And the queen?” Adara said. “Did she pull away?”

“She didn’t even seem to notice he was doing it,” Lianhua said.

Silence fell between them as Adara twirled a lock of her long hair around one finger. “What were they wearing?”

Lianhua blinked. Adara had come back to this again and again, and obviously Lianhua had no more idea why than Kyla did. “Her Majesty was in a heavy brocade gown,” Lianhua said. “It had quite a large skirt, and long sleeves. The Baron wore a coat, a high-collared shirt, breeches, and stockings.”

“And did the Queen wear a wig? With heavy makeup?”

Frowning, Lianhua nodded. “As did every other woman I saw, except a few of the youngest. Not that I saw many, since we were given rooms far from the rest of the residence.”

“I was there for more than a week,” Yingtao spoke for the first time, reaching out to gently touch Lianhua’s shoulder. “Every noble I saw was dressed the same. Why?”

Adara barely seemed to hear the question, her gaze turned inward, but at last she said, “Fashion at court is ever-changing. I have a few people there specifically to watch for the latest trends, so we can have the newest styles available when the lower nobility and wealthy commoners come looking. But over the last few weeks to a month, the Queen has been returning to some of the styles of her youth. Wigs were popular then, as well as the exaggerated skirts, gloves, long sleeves and high collars.”

She shook her head. “Most people think she’s simply finding comfort in familiarity, but I can’t help but wonder. Why would a suffering mother spend time creating, fitting, and encouraging others to adopt a new fashion trend? The Queen has never been a great political mind, but she does seem to care about her children. It’s very out of character for her to behave this way, and however mundane it may seem, anything unexpected or unusual catches my attention at the moment.”

Lianhua looked as though she was trying to fit pieces of a broken bowl together, but Yingtao said, “When we visited the palace the first time, the style was low-cut bodices, loose skirts, cap sleeves, and simple, youthful hairstyles and makeup. I thought at the time that the Queen seemed to be trying to appear younger.”

“She hates getting older,” Reina said, her voice raspy and tired. Everyone turned to look at her, and she blinked bleary eyes at them. “She loves it when someone asks if she’s one of my sisters. And she really does love us. All of us children. Even though sometimes it’s hard to tell because she’s always off at some party or other.”

Lianhua offered her a sympathetic smile, then looked back at Adara and said, “She looked thirty years older than she did a month ago. The dress, the hair, just the way she carries herself, all of it is aging.”

Adara stood up straight, pacing across the room in four long strides. “So we have a princess who wants to go home but can’t, a queen who’s acting entirely unlike herself, a son-in-law who may be a bit too close to his wife’s mother, and a tournament that should have been canceled, but wasn’t. Someone attempted to abduct or kill an Imperial lady while her bodyguard was off fighting monsters, and someone also attempted to abduct or kill the missing princess.”

“Repeatedly,” said Jinn. “And they’ve also used my disappearance as an excuse to put my whole family under house arrest, and order my scapegrace brother to be actually arrested.”

Adara nodded acknowledgement of this point. “In fact, it’s mostly subtle, but there seems to be some sort of schism among the nobility. People who used to attend all the same parties now…don’t. The highest ranked, especially those directly related to His Majesty, have moved to the palace, supposedly so that they can support the family in their time of need. Meanwhile, many of the lesser nobility, especially young women, have gone to the countryside ‘for their health’, even though normally nothing would get them out of Cliffcross during the social season.”

“They know there’s something wrong,” Lianhua said. “They’re sending their daughters away while they can.”

“That’s what I think, too,” Adara agreed. “But what is wrong? More importantly, how is it going to affect the common people of the city, or Holliander in general?”

Silence fell over the room, and Kyla’s fuergar wriggled through the hole behind her, disappearing into the sewers once again.