Zandrue’s screams of rage still echoed down from the room upstairs, along with shattering sounds. Somehow, she was still finding more things to smash. Occasionally, the broken remains of a bottle or cup would topple down the stairs. Rudiger grimaced at every crash and thud.

“I had quite a collection of wine up there,” Ardon said. He was seated in the only chair in the salon still upright and in one piece. “I hadn’t foreseen this use for it. I had intended it more for celebration. But I suppose this is a...creative use for it.”

Rudiger forced a chuckle. He’d known Zandrue wouldn’t take the news of Tianna’s death well, but even he hadn’t expected this. She’d always had a temper. He’d had it play out on him a few times, but not like this. He wondered if she’d have the same response if she ever got news that he had died. He couldn’t even being to imagine how she might take news of Felitïa’s death.

The worst part was Zandrue didn’t even know all the news yet, including the worst part of it. She knew Tianna was dead, but she didn’t know how—though that actually depended on point of view, he supposed. He had told Patriarch Ardon while she had raged around them. Zandrue might have heard some of it. His Grace had not seemed at all surprised or disbelieving that the news came from a horse.

“Their Majesties know, I take it?” Ardon asked.

Rudiger nodded. “They certainly already know about the stolen horses. As soon as I heard from Borisin, I went straight to Captain DeSeloön and told him. I assume he went straight to the King and Queen. Can’t imagine he’d do anything else.”

They were quiet after that, the only sounds coming from Zandrue upstairs. Two of Zandrue’s handmaids moved about, one sweeping up glass on the floor, the other dragging remnants of chairs, the couch, and the chaise longue into a single pile. The boy who had been eating here was helping.

“She seems to be slowing down,” Ardon said eventually. “Perhaps you should try to comfort her.”

Rudiger had tried that once already—she had screamed at him to fuck off—but Ardon was right. He should try again.

He walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. “Zandrue? I’m coming up.” He grabbed the rail and started up.

He had not been in the room at the top of the stairs. Had never seen the need for anything other than a quick peek in. A study cabinet Zandrue referred to it as, but it was much larger than a cabinet, even if it was the smallest room in these apartments. It had become Zandrue and Patriarch Ardon’s meeting space, and Rudiger had no reason to use it for anything else. Plus, the spiral stairs going up to it always looked so fragile. They had definitely been designed for someone with smaller feet than his.

It was a mess now. Pieces of splintered wood that looked as if they might have once been a desk littered the floor along with broken bottles, glass, and a few torn paintings.

Zandrue sat slumped against the far wall beneath the window. She was covered in sweat and was panting. There was something else off about her though, and it took him a moment to realise what. Her face was...stretched? Her chin and cheeks were elongated just a bit, like a muzzle. Like a Volg. Two small horns poked out just above her hair. She snarled at him.

Rudiger raised his hands. “It’s just me.” He edge forward, stepping carefully over the debris.

She looked up at him and smiled, but also closed her eyes and sniffled.

He sat beside her. “So this is what you look like when...whatever it’s called happens.” He looked at her and smiled again.

She still looked like Zandrue. The changes were small. She sniffled again. “It’s called a galdraif.”

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“Don’t you usually get warning of that?” he asked. That was why she’d taken off in Ninifin, and apparently numerous times in the past when she’d left Felitïa behind, too.

“Yeah, usually, but looks like I accidentally induced it. Never done it before, but Mother always said it could happen if I let my anger get the better of me.” She chuckled. “Never actually believed her. I thought it was one of those things you tell children to scare them into good behaviour.”

Rudiger reached out and touched her face, just with the tips of his fingers. Her skin was tougher than usual. Because it was stretched? “What will you do?”

She leaned into his touch. “Sit here until it goes away. It’s supposed to go away as soon as you calm down.” She slid closer to him and laid her head on his chest. He put his arm around her. “Oh gods, Rudiger. It’s all my fault. I killed her.”

He pulled her in tighter, lowered his head so his chin touched the top of her head. Her horns felt strange against his neck, but they weren’t sharp, just hard, round bumps. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t kill her.”

“I asked her to spy on her father. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I thought you just asked her to watch him and report anything unusual to you. You didn’t tell her to follow him when he takes off in the middle of the night.”

“I know, but she didn’t know what she was doing. She had no experience in this sort of thing, and I knew that. She might not have thought there was much suspicious about her father going out at night, so she followed him to find out for sure. She probably wanted to impress me. She was in love with me, you know?”

Rudiger gulped. He’d known Zandrue had gotten close to Tianna and Annai, but…

Zandrue chuckled. “Don’t worry. I never reciprocated. I did care for her though. And that was my biggest mistake. I had an infiltration mission and I let myself get close to the people involved. That’s the worst thing you can do in espionage. Gods, I was never really cut out for this kind of life. I’m too emotional.”

“I kind of like that you’re emotional.” Rudiger kissed her head. It tasted of blood. He hadn’t noticed before, but there was a bit of blood in her hair, near her horns. The horns were smaller now, receding back into her head, and the blood was more noticeable.

She shifted positions and raised herself up so they were face to face. Her face was almost back to normal now. “I love you so much. Please don’t die.”

He smiled at her. “I promise not to die.”

She kissed him, and shifted around more so that she was straddling his lap. As they kissed, she worked at the ties on his tunic. He put his arms around her, began pulling up the skirts of her gown.

Someone cleared their throat.

They let go of each other, and Zandrue rolled off him.

Ebry was standing at the top of the stairs. “Pardon the interruption, my Lady, my Lord, but I’ve been told to inform you Barnol Friaz has been arrested, and their Majesties request your presence in the throne room.”

Zandrue patted down her skirts. “Thank you, Ebry. We’ll be along in a moment.”

Ebry curtsied and headed back down the stairs.

Zandrue looked at Rudiger. “Barnol’s been arrested? Already?”

Rudiger started to tie his tunic. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you everything else that’s happened. It’s pretty bad.”

Zandrue stood up and patted down her skirts more. “It can’t be much worse than the news about Tianna, but I guess you better tell me on the way.”

Rudiger nodded. He sat there a moment longer, getting his emotions and hormones under control. Then he stood up and followed Zandrue down the stairs.