Her mother’s eyes bore into her, waiting. Felitïa had already blocked the feelings of disgust and hatred—in the Room in her head, her mother’s presence was enclosed by the walls—but it made little difference. Her mother’s look conveyed the feelings without the need of telepathy. To her mother’s left, Annai stood, arms crossed, a smug look on her face.

“I’m waiting,” her mother said.

“I have nothing else to say,” Felitïa said.

“I want an explanation!”

“No.”

Her mother’s face was turning red, and the thought of her head exploding from rage was a small amusement, allowing Felitïa a slight smile.

“You think this is funny?”

Felitïa was about to respond and then realised her mother wasn’t talking to her. Instead, the Queen’s icy gaze had turned to Garet, who stood chuckling a few people away from the high-backed chair that had been designated the “throne”. Garet stopped laughing and scowled.

“That’s better.” The Queen turned her attention back to Felitïa. “As for you, don’t think I didn’t notice your own little smile. You think this is some little game you can play, where you can run around making mockeries of your family and betray them without consequence?”

“I haven’t betrayed anyone.”

“Do you deny going to the Ninifin apartments this morning?”

Felitïa shook her head. “No.”

“Will you explain yourself?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I gave my word. But I have not betrayed anyone.”

“You do realise, don’t you, my dear,” her father said, “that refusing to answer makes things look worse for you?” He was standing to the right of Felitïa’s mother and had been staring at the ground for most of the time she’d been here. He was looking up and at her now.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And you know that Cerus has been working hard to open formal talks with the Ninifins, and by going behind his back like this, you may have ruined his efforts?”

“I haven’t—”

Cerus, standing beside their father, interrupted her, “If I may intercede, Felitïa did not go behind my back. I had full knowledge of her activities. In fact, we have been working together on this.”

All eyes, including Felitïa’s, turned to Cerus.

“Why did you not tell us of this?” the Queen snapped.

“Frankly, because I knew you would not approve,” Cerus replied.

“You’re damn right there.”

“The fact is, the Ninifins respond better to women, so when they repeatedly turned me away, I went to Felitïa, hoping she could succeed where I have failed.”

“I could have done that,” the Queen said. “You should have come to me.”

“With all due respect, your Majesty,” Cerus said, “you could not have done that. The Ninifins already have reason to distrust you.”

“Then Annai—”

“I chose Felitïa. Your differences with her aside, she is more than capable of this task, more so than most of the rest of us, I dare say.”

“You dare say too much, Cerus,” the Queen said.

“Then I apologise, your Majesty,” Cerus said and bowed. “I also apologise for my use of subterfuge, but it was necessary.”

The Queen sighed. “Very well, but we will speak of this later, Cerus.”

“As you wish,” Cerus said.

“If we could then move on to more pressing matters,” Ardon, who had been sitting in quiet in a corner until now, said. He stood up. “The reason we all—”

“I am not finished,” the Queen interrupted.

“No, of course you aren’t,” Ardon muttered. He bowed and said, “My apologies, your Majesty. Please continue.” He sat back down.

“The entire reason we even know where Felitïa went this morning is because I summoned her for another matter and she couldn’t be found. We will now discuss her original summons. Felitïa, you may not have been conspiring with the Ninifins against Arnor, but you have used every opportunity to defy and mock your family. Last night’s behaviour at the ball was inexcusable. You embarrassed yourself, you embarrassed your father, you embarrassed me, and you embarrassed Annai. Do you know that Prince Stoban refused to dance with your sister after you cavorted off with that Sanalog whore?”

“Excuse me?” Felitïa said.

“You didn’t even have the decency to come back after your dance like you promised. No, you left with her. I put my back out for you. I arranged a great opportunity for both you and your sister and Arnor, too, and you spat in our faces.”

“I was so embarrassed,” Annai said. “I felt like the laughing stock of the entire ball. I could barely look anyone in the face after that.” Despite the tears Annai had somehow summoned to her face, Felitïa could sense the feelings of triumph coming from her sister.

“I did some checking into the person you left with,” the Queen continued. “It turns out she is nothing more than a librarian. Not even a noblewoman. Just a commoner. No better than that slut Garet thinks he’s going to marry. You pass up—”

“Just a minute!” Garet raged, taking a step towards the Queen. “Don’t you dare call her that!”

“Shut up, Garet,” the Queen snapped. “I will not go through this with you again.”

“You’ll go through this with me every fucking time you call her that.” Garet took another step towards the Queen, waving his finger at her.

“Guards, remove Prince Garet,” the Queen snapped.

The guards at the door took a couple of steps towards Garet, but he said, “Never mind. I’ll remove myself.” He spun around and marched towards the door, glaring at the guards, who backed away at his approach. “Coming, Brains? You don’t need to put up with this bullshit.”

Felitïa hesitated a moment.

“Leave now, Felitïa, and you will never be allowed back amongst this family ever again,” her mother said.

“Now, Annai, dear,” the King said, putting a hand on his wife’s shoulder, “let’s not let tempers cloud our better judgements.”

“Stop being so soft on her, Wavon. Your softness is what makes her think she can get away with her behaviour. And it’s not just her I’m concerned about either. She’s a terrible influence on Sinitïa. Did you know that Sinitïa has been spending the last few days almost entirely in the library with Felitïa and her whore, as well as that Eloorin you allowed to come with her.”

“Afraid she’ll learn something?” Felitïa said.

“I will not have you corrupting her!”

“You mean, you don’t want her thinking for herself. Sinitïa is there out of her own choice. She’s an adult now and can make her own decisions. Perhaps it’s time you started thinking about the reasons why she’s making the decisions she is.”

“Sinitïa, from now on, you are not to go anywhere with Felitïa or her friends unless Annai, myself, or your father is there as well. You are to stay with Annai at all times. Do you understand?”

Sinitïa, standing beside Annai, stared at the floor. She gave a slow nod of her head. “Yes, Mommy.”

“That’s my good girl,” the Queen said.

Annai put an arm around Sinitïa, who had started to cry. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll look after Sinitïa, and make sure Felitïa’s friends stay away, especially that Eloorin.”

“Meleng,” Felitïa said.

Annai looked at her. “What?”

“Meleng,” Felitïa repeated, a little more forcefully. “Meleng, Maneshka, Quilla. My friends have names. I’d appreciate it if you and Mother would use them.”

“Like I’m supposed to remember the names of a bunch of nobodies,” Annai said.

“You spent seventy-five days at sea with Meleng. You know his name. I’ve even heard you use it a few times. So quit snivelling for points in front of Mother. No one’s falling for it.”

“Felitïa, you will apologise to your sister at once!” the Queen snapped.

“No.”

“Then I will have you removed from my presence and you will not be allowed—”

“Enough!”

The voice was the loudest Felitïa could remember ever hearing from her father. Everyone fell silent.

“I’ve had enough of this bickering,” her father said—in a quieter voice this time. “Your Holiness, you wished to say something I believe.”

Ardon was already on his feet. “Yes, your Majesty.”

“I have not finished,” the Queen said.

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“It doesn’t matter,” Ardon snapped. “The King has spoken, and like your husband, I have had quite enough of this preposterous display.”

“How dare you speak to me like that!”

“I think, perhaps, you forget who I am, your Majesty,” Ardon continued. “Your family’s rule is maintained, at least partially, through the support of the Church. You do not want to cross me and tempt losing that support.”

Felitïa’s father put a hand on the Queen’s shoulder. “Best listen to him, my dear.”

Ardon continued to address the Queen. “If you wish to continue your petty vendetta against your daughter, you may do so once we’ve returned to Arnor.” He turned to Felitïa. “That goes for you too.”

Felitïa wasn’t sure how to respond. She hadn’t been expecting that. “But I didn’t... I’m just responding to her...”

Ardon came over to her and touched her lightly on the shoulder. “You play up your rebellion against her. You like your actions to be seen. Not that I don’t understand your reasons. But there are times when there are more important concerns and you should step back a bit.”

Felitïa looked into his eyes. He looked calm, his face comforting. She could sense some irritation coming from him, although that irritation didn’t seem directed at her, more at the overall situation. Was he right? Was she overdoing it?

Thoughts for another time, she supposed.

Ardon patted her shoulder. “Your parents, Cerus, and I need to discuss the actual reason we’re here. The meeting starts tomorrow and there isn’t time for family drama. We need to strategise.” He leaned in closer to her and spoke under his breath so that no one else could hear. “And you need to do the same for your own activities during that meeting.”

“It’s all right, Holiness,” Felitïa said. “I was just about to follow Garet, anyway.”

“A wise decision, your Highness,” Ardon replied.

Felitïa hesitated a moment longer, but then went to join Garet outside.

* * * * *

The library was the most crowded Felitïa had seen it. The Isyar Lords sat at one of the far tables, surrounded by about a dozen other Isyar. Maneshka and two of her librarians had been running back and forth from catalogue to stacks and back again to meet all their needs. Nebrovich was moving back and forth between a pair of Singean priests and a small group of Dangorin scholars.

Felitïa sat with Meleng, Quilla, and Garet at the table nearest the entrance—well, Garet alternated frequently between sitting and pacing. Meleng was poring through some books, and both Felitïa and Quilla had books in front of them, but neither of them were doing anything with them. Felitïa really wanted to discuss her plans for tomorrow, but there were just too many other people around. Not that it mattered much, she supposed. She was planning to do things on her own—the necessary spellcasting would be easier that way—but it would be a good idea to let the others know what she was planning.

She wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to focus on planning anyway. Her head was full of thoughts about what had just happened with her mother.

“You look unhappy,” Maneshka said, sitting down beside her.

Felitïa smiled. “A little less so now. Don’t the Isyar Lords need you?”

“Probably soon,” Maneshka replied, “but I have managed to find a minute or two to breathe. I thought I would use it to come say hello.”

“I appreciate it. I’ve had a hell of a bad time.”

“Tell me about it,” Garet grumbled as he paced past them.

“What happened?” Maneshka asked. She ran her hand down the back of Felitïa’s neck.

“Just a bad encounter with my mother.”

“More rebelling?” Her touch was making Felitïa shiver.

“I suppose you could call it that. There is a distinct possibility I might have been disowned. I’m not entirely sure yet.” She smiled, feeling better for just a moment. But it passed as she remembered Ardon’s words. “Do you think I’m overdoing it?”

Maneshka spread her arms in a shrug, and the loss of her touch caused a rapid drop in Felitïa’s mood. “I am not sure why you ask me. I think any rebelling is too much, remember?”

“I thought you said you found it exciting?”

“Yours, yes. But as I could not do what you are doing, I also do not know whether you do too much.”

“Ardon says I overdo it. Maybe I do. But I never seem to achieve anything—or if I do, it’s been pre-decided that way, so I might as well not have achieved anything anyway. So what’s the point? What the hell am I doing?” She leaned forward and buried her head in her hands.

“I was wondering that myself,” Garet said. “We’re supposed to be planning—”

Quilla shushed him.

“I’m sorry,” Felitïa said to Maneshka. “I shouldn’t unload on you like this. I’m just feeling lost.”

Maneshka placed her hand on the side of Felitïa’s face and ran her fingers through Felitïa’s hair. “That is okay. We all need to unload sometimes.”

“I used to think I knew what I wanted.” Felitïa placed her own hand over Maneshka’s and holding it there. “For so long, I wanted to be a wizard. That was my whole purpose, and so I became one. Then I realised I’d never thought about what came next. Ever since Elderaan died, I haven’t had a clue where my life is headed. And now I start to learn about people dead two hundred years who predicted my coming here. I have visions in my head of people that I meet in a pre-ordained order. My mother tries to arrange a marriage for me and Ardon won’t let me speak up for myself. Hell, even Cerus wouldn’t let me speak for myself. I mean, he was just trying to help, lied to my mother to get me out of trouble. He’s going to want an explanation about this morning from me soon, I’m sure. But whatever the case, I just feel like I don’t have any control over my life. Do you know the Ninifins believe the Will-Breaker heralds a time of death and destruction worse than what the Dragon wrought? What kind of life for me is that? I shouldn’t have told you that. I promised not to say anything.”

Maneshka looked at her for a moment. “I know nothing of this Dragon you mention. However, I will have to accept that it refers to something bad. I have no advice for you.”

Felitïa held onto her hand tighter. “That’s okay. I think I just needed to say it to someone.”

“You do realise you said it to everyone here, right?” Garet said as he paced by again.

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Felitïa said.

“Have you ever thought of getting some pet rats?” Maneshka said.

Felitïa wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a joke. She was getting mostly lust from Maneshka at the moment—feeling some of it herself, too, but now was not the time or place.

“I used to look after the rats at Elderaan’s. I knew each and every one of them. I was always sad when they sold.”

“Rats make good pets,” Maneshka said. “And looking after pets can be fulfilling. I am sorry I have nothing more profound to say than that.”

Felitïa smiled. “I’ll consider it.”

“Before I forget,” Maneshka said, removing her hand to Felitïa’s disappointment. “I spoke to Kindanog. He has some time in two days that he has scheduled to be with me, and he has agreed that you should join us for dinner.”

“Really?”

Maneshka nodded. “Truly.”

“That’s great! I didn’t think there was much likelihood left of getting to see him.”

“He is always interested in meeting my lovers,” Maneshka said.

“Oh,” Felitïa said, blushing a little. “Did you...?”

“I confess I did not tell him exactly who you are. He does not know yet that he is meeting the Arnorin princess who has been pestering him for a meeting.”

“I have not been pestering! I just made a request. That’s all.”

Maneshka smiled. “I know. I am joking.”

“I know. I just hope it doesn’t annoy him.”

“It will be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“I should get back to to the Isyar Lords,” Maneshka said, shifting out of her seat.

“What are they like?” Quilla asked.

“Very knowledgeable,” Maneshka replied. “Very direct. They do not like to waste time.” She shrugged. “They are hard to describe. But I must go to them. I will see you later, Felitïa.” She bent down and they kissed.

Quilla rested her chin in her hands and grinned.

“What?” Felitïa said.

“Nothing. I just think the two of you are so cute.”

Felitïa blushed again. This was becoming a bad habit.

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed. I’m really happy for you. We all are. Right, Meleng?”

Meleng looked up from his book. “What?”

Quilla sighed. “Well, Garet, you’re happy for her, right?”

Garet sat down beside Quilla. “Yeah, sure, overjoyed. Look, can we discuss what we’re supposed to be here for?”

“There are too many people, Garet,” Quilla said.

“Then we do it quietly. But we do it.”

Felitïa nodded. “The plan is simple. Tomorrow, after the meeting has started, when everyone is focused on that, I’m going to sneak into the Volg apartments. I’ll use magic to hide my presence from whatever guards they leave there, and I’ll search for whatever I can find. I’ll make Prince Castroff’s personal apartment my main objective. It hopefully won’t be hard to find.”

“Sounds good,” Garet said. “I’ll go with you.”

Felitïa shook her head. “No, I have to do this alone.”

“No way, Brains. You are not leaving me out of this.”

“Yes, I am. Every additional person increases the difficulty of the spells. I’m better off on my own.”

“Spells be damned. You need back-up.”

“This is not up for discussion.”

“Damn right.”

“No, this is my mission. I’m in control here.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all just heard your speech about not being in control of your life. Well, tough. Gain control of your life another time. I’m going with you whether you like it or not.”

“I—” Felitïa began, but Garet didn’t pause.

“Look, you can make all the decisions about what we do while we’re there if that makes you happy. But either I go with you or I follow you in without your spells. Might be a bit noisier that way.”

“Felitïa, just let him go,” Quilla said, placing her hand on Felitïa’s.

Felitïa sighed.

“Will his presence make the spells impossible?”

“No, but—”

“Then let him go with you. If something goes wrong, you’ll need some back-up, just like he says. Don’t worry, he’ll behave. Right, Garet?” She glared at him.

“What?” Garet protested. “Of course I’ll behave. What does that even mean, anyway? I told her she can make all the decisions.”

They had a point, as much as she didn’t want to admit it. If something did go wrong, it would be useful to have help. At the moment, Felitïa found herself really wishing Zandrue was there. She’d be a much better choice than Garet. But Zandrue wasn’t there and Garet was the only other choice.

“Fine. You can come.”

“That’s more like it,” Garet replied.

“Just keep quiet.”

“Won’t make a sound.”

Felitïa wasn’t sure if Garet was capable of remaining quiet for any length of time. She hoped she didn’t regret this.