Chapter 4

 

A week later they were approaching the northern border of Diadem, and Zora discovered there was one more thing Lord Ranulf had not warned her about. She, Kyril, and Colin were sitting around a small fire after having cooked their dinner over it. They were well off the road and out of sight, because apparently this was going to be their last chance for any real privacy for a while. Kyril had said that his father had a house in Diadem where they would be staying. It came with a housekeeper who didn’t know they were shape-changers, and they all wanted to keep it that way.

“Father had more instructions for us,” Kyril said. “He gave me letters for each of us, to be opened right before we arrived in Diadem.” He pulled three sealed packets out of his saddlebag, distributed them, and opened his own. Colin followed suit.

Zora looked at her name, written in Lord Ranulf’s bold hand, with foreboding. Somehow she knew that if she opened that letter, her life would never be the same again. And why would you want it to be? her inner voice asked.

Dear Zora, the letter began, unexceptionally enough, I am sending the three of you to Diadem for a variety of reasons. Some of them have to do with a trading partnership I have with the city—the boys will handle that end. But some have to do with you personally.

I hope you know that I love you as if you were my own daughter and that Eagle’s Rest will always be your home. But something is not in balance, and I believe you have an important part to play in what is to happen. Go to Diadem, look around, and keep an open mind. I cannot tell you my suspicions, and they may be unfounded, but...

I have one initial instruction for you, and it is VERY important. Do not enter Diadem in your true shape, and do not change back to it until you understand why this matters. I would suggest that you take dog-shape—something reasonably non-threatening (yes, there actually are people who are afraid of dogs). Colin will pretend to be your owner, as he has lived in a city before and understands how people regard “pets.” Kyril, having lived all his life at Eagle’s Rest, would forget to maintain the pretense. City people may talk to their dogs, but they don’t expect them to understand much, and they certainly don’t expect them to answer questions!

Go with the Goddess, my beloved daughter. I am sure that she will be with you, especially in Diadem.

“Has he gone crazy?” Colin looked up from his letter. “Why would he want you to be a dog?” He frowned. “And I don’t really want to own you. I mean, that’s like slavery.”

“It would actually be slavery,” Kyril pointed out, “except that you don’t own her. You’re only supposed to pretend you do. Why is that, anyway?”

“Dogs have owners—that would be a human who is responsible for the dog and its behavior. A dog running around loose in a city is likely to be impounded.”

“Impounded?” Zora had never heard the word before.

“It’s like jail, only worse. If the owner doesn’t show up to claim the dog, it can be put to death.”

Zora gulped. “It’s a good thing it’s hard to imprison a shape-changer.”

“Unfortunately,” Colin added, “city-folk tend to regard many animals as vermin. Mice, rats, bugs of any sort—anything small enough to stomp on often does get stomped. Cats are iffy. Some people like them and some people hate them, and there’s no legal penalty for killing one—unless it has an owner who objects, which generally happens after the fact. You are safest as a dog, and hunting dogs are valuable, but you need to stay with one or both of us. If you do get separated from us, do not bite anyone—vicious dogs are put to death no matter what the owner does. If they impound you, stay calm, and act like a well-trained and valuable animal. If you go missing, Kyril and I will ask the Guards if they have you. Remember that, Kyril.”

Kyril nodded, looking shaken. “Are they really that barbaric?”

Colin sighed. “Try to remember that most of the world regards people who let their animals run around loose as barbaric—after all, they’re not used to animals with human intelligence. Remember Lord Ranulf’s lectures on the importance of conforming to local customs. Just stay with me, Zora,” he continued, “and for the love of the Lady don’t bite anyone. Try to refrain from growling or appearing unfriendly. People tend to react badly when they are frightened or nervous.” He reached out and patted her knee. “It will be all right. I’ll take good care of you.”

The rest of the conversation was devoted to what dog-shape would be least frightening to strangers while still maintaining Zora’s general size and weight.

“It won’t work to turn you into the sort of little bundle of fluff that ladies keep for lap dogs,” Colin remarked, “because anyone trying to lift you into their lap would notice that you’re much too heavy.” They finally settled on a type of hunting dog with short curly fur in a rather pretty shade of apricot. “...and that sort of fur doesn’t shed,” Colin finished.

“Now that’s a real advantage,” Kyril remarked. “Most of our dog-shapes shed enough fur each week to make a new dog. Certainly our wolf-shapes do.”

Zora went into her tent and stripped off her clothing. It’s much simpler to undress before changing shape, rather than changing first and having to find a way to get the clothes off. It’s also not as hard on one’s wardrobe. She packed her things neatly away, and then changed to dog-shape. When she came out, the boys were still discussing how to handle a dog in the city.

“We had better agree on some basic commands and hand signals before we go into town,” Colin said to Zora. “Somebody is bound to want me to demonstrate that you’re under control.”

Unfortunately a dog’s face was not capable of conveying just how Zora felt about this statement. Fortunately, however, nobody else was around now to see her non-verbal reaction to it.

Colin patted his chest, just over his breastbone. “This means ‘come here,’” he started to say.

Zora launched herself at him, hit him with her front paws on his shoulders, and knocked him flat on his back.

“Zora!” Colin protested. “Get off me! ‘Come here’ means stand or sit in front of me, not ‘jump up and knock me flat.’”

I know what ‘come here’ means, silly. You appear to have forgotten that I was the one who helped you train Lord Ranulf’s dogs. I also remember sit, stay, lie down, and heel.

“Shouldn’t we have some other name for her?” Kyril asked, grinning at the sight of Colin pinned to the ground by the harmless-looking dog. “If we call the dog Zora, how do we explain why we’re calling the human the same thing?”

“We’ll think of something else to call her before we get there,” Colin said impatiently. “In the meantime, Zora, let’s go over the rest of the commands—starting with get off me!”

Laughing inside, Zora scrambled nimbly off Colin and moved a few yards away so that he would have room to get up—and to brush the dirt off his clothing without getting it into her fur. Most of the dirt, of course, was on Colin’s back, so Kyril had to help him. Colin, trying to retrieve his dignity, ignored Kyril’s snickering.

Going through the remaining commands took all of five minutes, and it took that long only because Colin went into considerable unnecessary detail as to exactly where Zora was supposed to be in relation to his left leg for heel.

And I already know to sit when he stops walking. He doesn’t need to tell me that.

The boys loaded her baggage and the tents onto the now-extra horse.

“Before we get to Diadem,” Kyril said, “I need to tell you what Father told me about their religion. It’s a bit odd by our standards. They choose a Year-King in the late spring and sacrifice him at the end of summer. Father was one—that’s when he was married to Rias’s mother. He said it was a very strange experience, because there’s some sort of magic that makes the Year-King fall completely in love with the Queen.” He grinned suddenly. “Mother calls it ‘Year-King idiocy.’”

Colin frowned. “How do they choose?”

“There’s some sort of ritual,” Kyril replied. “Father couldn’t remember the details, but he said if it happens to either of us, we don’t need to worry. They may not even be doing it yet, because the Queen he married died about sixteen years ago, and they don’t do it while the Queen is a child.”

“Why not?” Colin asked.

“The Queen has to be old enough to marry. That’s the whole point—the Year-King marries the Queen.”

~o0o~

They continued on toward the northern boundary of Diadem. “It’s the one closest to the city,” Kyril remarked, “so we don’t have far to travel. But, Zora, if you have trouble keeping up, let us know.”

If I have trouble keeping up, you’ll know because I’ll be back somewhere behind you.

Zora was glad they didn’t have too far to go. She wasn’t used to moving at a horse’s speed. Talk about an unfair advantage—they have legs at least three times as long as mine.

The boys figured this out pretty quickly and slowed the horses. Even at a walk, however, the milestones seemed unnaturally close together. Just as they passed one of them, Zora suddenly felt dizzy, her paws tangled, and she tripped, landing rather hard on one side. She thought she heard a woman’s voice say here, but she was much too confused to be certain. As she lay there, wondering what had just happened, she felt a familiar but completely unexpected sensation: the snap of a shape-change finishing and settling into the new form. But I changed shape miles ago!

Kyril reined in his horse and looked back at her as she lay in a puzzled and awkward sprawl across the road. “What happened?”

“Zora!” Colin was off his horse and kneeling beside her. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Given the fact that Zora was a dog at the moment, that wasn’t a question she could answer in any detail. Being a shape-changer did have a few disadvantages. She had definitely just felt the sensation of a change finishing and locking into place. But there was no reason she should have felt like that—and certainly no way she could explain it to the boys.

Colin ran his hands gently down her legs and along her ribs to check for broken bones. When he finally said, sounding worried and a bit doubtful, “I don’t feel anything wrong,” Zora rolled and got to her feet.

She gathered what was left of her dignity, glad to find that her legs worked properly now and she didn’t have to think about them or suddenly re-learn how to walk. She butted her head against Colin’s leg in what she hoped he would interpret as reassurance. He scratched her behind the ears. Colin was definitely her favorite human.

That was odd, she thought, and it happened when I passed that milestone. I wonder if there’s something special about it. She walked back to the stone, followed by a puzzled Colin. Kyril stayed back to make certain the horses hadn’t been spooked by whatever it was that had just happened.

When she examined the stone, Zora discovered that this was not just a milestone. It was also a boundary marker. Whatever that was, it happened when I crossed the border into Diadem. I wonder what would happen if I crossed out and then in again. She stepped forward, and jumped back, startled and with a sore nose. It felt as though she had walked—nose-first, of course—into a wall. Apparently a wall made of solid air. She slowly slid a front paw out ahead of her. The air still felt like a wall, but at least she hadn’t hit it hard this time.

By now Colin had noticed the problem. “Can we not cross the boundary?” he asked anxiously. Zora managed a sort of shrug and pushed him forward. He walked across the boundary and back as if there were nothing there. “Try it again,” he said, frowning thoughtfully.

Zora did, but the results were the same.

“All right, you can’t cross on your own. What happens if someone carries you?” He lifted Zora, slung her across his shoulders, and headed slowly toward the boundary. He got his front foot planted on the other side with no problem, but when Zora’s body hit the wall, they were stopped in their tracks. Zora had prudently tucked her nose and most of her head into his armpit, so at least she wasn’t hurt this time. “Kyril,” Colin called, “come here and bring a horse with you.”

When Kyril did they ascertained that he could cross the boundary, both on foot and mounted. But when Colin tried to pass Zora up to lie across the saddle, Kyril balked.

“It didn’t work when you carried her,” he pointed out. “I’m willing to try the same experiment, but not with one of my father’s horses. If it gets stuck halfway, it’s likely to panic.”

“You’re right,” Colin agreed. “It is a very odd feeling, and I knew what I was doing. It appears there’s some force that doesn’t care about us, but doesn’t want Zora to leave Diadem.”

Zora tried to remember exactly what it was that Lord Ranulf had said in the letter. “...something not in balance...” Well, there’s certainly something odd happening here.

The boys argued for a few moments, but there was really nothing they could do but continue on to the city. They decided to leave Zora in Kyril’s lap so they could make better time.

~o0o~

The sun was quite low in the sky when they reached the city’s north gate. The walls, Zora noticed as they approached, were made of gray stone, and the crenellations gave the appearance of a giant crown. Kyril handed a letter to the guardswomen on duty. Zora noticed as it passed by her nose that it carried a scent other than Lord Ranulf’s.

“Lady Sigrun gives you and your party permission to use her house?” the guard asked. “What is her relationship with you?”

“She is my aunt, my father’s sister.”

The guard looked at Kyril’s face for a moment. “I see,” she said, stepping aside to allow them to pass through the gate. “Be welcome in Diadem.”

“Thank you,” Kyril replied as they passed.

Colin nodded a silent greeting, while Zora wondered what was happening. She was very thankful she didn’t feel any new sensations as she went through the city walls, but it looked to her as if the guardswoman had recognized Kyril. Granted, he looked a lot like his father, but one trading partnership was unlikely to have made Lord Ranulf so well known that the city guards would recognize his son. At least I hope it wouldn’t. What kind of deal was that, anyway? And why is the house Sigrun’s and not Ranulf’s? Do men need female sponsorship to enter the city? Zora knew that Diadem was a matriarchy, but she had no idea what that meant in terms of daily life.

They found the house without difficulty—apparently Kyril had been here with his father at least once before, and the housekeeper knew him. He introduced Colin to her, but didn’t say anything about Zora. Of course, at this size it’s hard not to notice me. On the other hand, we should have come up with a name for me while I could still talk—Lady only knows what Kyril will make up on his own.

Unfortunately, the housekeeper insisted that the dog stay in the kitchen, much to Zora’s annoyance. But she was tired, and so were the boys, and at least the housekeeper fed them well.

Colin at least thought to put out food and water dishes and made up a bed of old blankets by the kitchen fire. Definitely my favorite human.

Zora was actually quite comfortable—if a bit lonely after everyone else had gone off to bed.

~o0o~

Zora woke up at sunrise, as she had done for most of her life. She was suddenly feeling better than she had since Marfa died, almost overflowing with a restless energy that would not let her sleep or even lie around. When the housekeeper came into the kitchen to build up the fire, she let the supposed dog out into the garden without comment.

The earth should have been cold under Zora’s paws, because the sun hadn’t reached it yet, but there was a warm patch—no, a warm path—that led across the garden. She followed it, jumping the waist-high gate between garden and alley, and continued to follow it along the cobblestone streets of the city. It was pulling her somewhere—somewhere important.

She ended up in a plaza in front of what she somehow knew was the palace, even though she had never seen it before. She wondered if this odd sudden knowledge was a way for the Goddess to speak to her when she was stuck in animal form and couldn’t hear her words the way she could when she was human. Zora had barely heard the Goddess or felt her presence since the day Kassie was chosen, but now she had something—not the usual strong sense that the Goddess was with her, but just a faint impression that told her she was where the Goddess wanted her to be. Zora felt now that at least she knew where she belonged, although she still had no idea as to why.

The palace was the largest building she had ever seen; it was at least twice the size of the entire keep at Eagle’s Rest. It was built of large pale stone blocks, with wide, low stairs leading up from the plaza to the main doors. The windows on the ground floor were a normal size, but when Zora tilted her head back she saw that the ones on the upper floor were enormous, even larger than the main doors. It appeared that the upper floor was twice the height of the lower one. The arched windows above the doors opened onto a large balcony that ran the width of the building.

Zora had never seen anything like it, but something inside her said “home.” This was even stranger than when she had crossed the boundary into Diadem. She felt changed, as if some permanent alteration had been made inside her. She didn’t understand it at all. She was nervous, but fortunately dogs didn’t get the human “butterflies in the stomach” feeling. Her fur seemed to be trying to stand on end, but it was early enough that there were still plenty of shadows, and Zora was careful to stay in them. She wanted—needed—to see, but she didn’t want to be seen. Belatedly, she remembered Colin’s warning about going out alone. She carefully avoided the townspeople who stood in the square in front of the palace balcony, obviously waiting for something.

The something was apparently an announcement.

“Harken to our Queen, Chosen Daughter of the Goddess,” a voice called from the upper windows.

Zora looked up just in time to see the Queen come out onto the balcony. It was Lina.

~o0o~

If Zora had been in human form, she would have gasped aloud. At least everyone in the plaza bowed when the Queen appeared, so nobody was paying any attention to Zora. But the Queen and Zora really were identical—or would be once Zora was in her true form again. At least now I know who Lina is and where to find her. But maybe I should stay a dog. I’m not certain that changing back to human is such a good idea after all. Now I understand why Lord Ranulf told me not to show myself here in human form!

Lina was leading a morning ritual, and it seemed familiar, even though it was not one of the ones Zora had learned at home. She could even hear the words in her head just before Lina sang them, both the Queen’s part and the people’s responses. When the ritual ended and the Queen went back into the palace, Zora turned to go home to Kyril and Colin, with her mind full of questions—and possibly a few answers.

It might feel right and natural to be in Diadem, but now Zora really wondered just why the Goddess wanted her here.

~o0o~

Unfortunately, Zora didn’t make it back home before the boys woke. Apparently Lady Sigrun’s house didn’t have the same pull on her that the palace had, and she got turned around. She wandered for what felt like hours, getting more tired and lost, until she found herself back in the plaza in front of the palace. By now it was midmorning, and she wasn’t hidden in a crowd anymore. If she hadn’t believed what Colin said about cities and animals before—and she’d had some doubts—it was certainly clear to her that he’d been correct when the guardswomen started chasing her.

If she hadn’t been in the plaza she wouldn’t have had a prayer of eluding them, but somehow being there gave her just a bit more energy—and the large front doors to the palace were open.

Following her instincts, Zora ran between the guards, through the doors, and up a very shallow staircase to the second floor. The double doors at the top of the stairs were open as well, so she kept going into a large, high-ceilinged room. The light from the enormous windows at the far end of the room was in her eyes, but people were moving out of her way—or maybe they were moving out of the way of the guards chasing her. She tried to stop before she hit the wall, but the floor was marble and very slippery. She skidded and then slid until she crashed into someone’s knees.

Zora and the woman she hit went down together in a tangle, but the woman rolled smoothly over to pin Zora on her back with her ribs trapped between the woman’s knees. From what Zora could see of her clothing, she was a guard—so why was she staring at Zora as if she had seen a ghost? Zora was pretty sure she was an ordinary-looking dog—the boys would have said something otherwise—unless something had changed in the last few minutes.

Behind her the pursuing guards came to a stop more efficiently than Zora had done, and one of them said something about a stray dog, interspersed with an apology for interrupting the court.

“Are you certain she’s a stray?” the woman kneeling over her asked, looking up at them.

“Wasn’t on a leash, Sword-Bearer, and we didn’t see a collar.”

Zora closed her eyes and desperately pulled whatever energy she could find, praying to make one minor change. When the woman’s fingertips ran through the fur at her neck, there was a collar. Zora really hoped the woman would be too busy looking at what it said to notice that it was a part of Zora’s body.

“‘Colin of Eagle’s Rest,’” Sword-Bearer read. “Sound familiar to anyone?”

“Isn’t he your cousin?” one of the guards blurted out. “He said he was.”

“What? When was this?”

“He came through the north gate yesterday, with another boy and a dog that looked like this one. Genia and I were on duty.”

“They did arrive yesterday,” Genia confirmed—she had been one of the guards chasing Zora. “But it’s the other boy, Kyril, who is your cousin. He had a letter from your mother giving them permission to stay in her house.”

“It probably is my cousin,” Sword-Bearer said reassuringly. “I do have a cousin by that name, and I don’t expect that a couple of strange boys would know enough about my mother for the letter to be false. Adyta, go to the house on Poplar Street and see if he’s there. If he is, please ask him and his friend to come and collect their pet.” She moved to sit beside Zora, keeping a hand on her neck, but no longer forcing her to lie on her back. Zora flopped onto her side with a sigh of relief.

“But Sword-Bearer,” a semi-familiar voice protested, “should she be returned to them?” The Queen knelt in a froth of skirts and her blonde hair fell forward as she bent over Zora. “Look at her! She’s obviously not being fed enough, and”—Zora cringed as the girl reached for the fake collar—“this collar is so tight it’s a wonder she can breathe! What kind of a brute treats a helpless animal this way?”

Zora caught a repressed choking sound from Sword-Bearer. She’s Lord Ranulf’s niece, all right. Probably doesn’t think I’m a real dog. And she’d be right.

The Sword-Bearer tried to stop the Queen from touching Zora’s “collar”—but this resulted in their fingers tangling into Zora’s fur, putting all three of them in contact with each other. Although she knew she was lying perfectly still on the floor, Zora’s brain and body were convinced that the room was whirling around them. She felt so awful that for a moment she was afraid she was going to pass out. Lina swayed against them, and Zora opened her eyes long enough to see that the girl was pale and had her own eyes squeezed tightly shut. This can’t be good. What in Earth is happening to us?

“I would suggest this matter wait until the young man is present to defend himself,” an older woman said, bending down to lift the Queen to her feet and steer her back to her seat. “In the meantime, perhaps the animal could be removed so that court can continue.”

“Of course, Shield-Bearer.” The Sword-Bearer—Zora now realized that these were titles rather than names—rose to her feet, pulling the dog up by the scruff of the neck.

While Zora was grateful for the support, the Queen, of course, didn’t understand. Apparently she didn’t know much about dogs. “Don’t hurt her!” she protested. “And get that horrible collar off her!”

“Yes, Lady.” The Sword-Bearer bowed and quickly removed both herself and Zora to a small side office, closing the door behind her.

Zora flopped to the floor again as soon as she was released. Suddenly I have about as much mobility as a puddle of water, she thought anxiously. What in Earth is wrong with me?

The Sword-Bearer knelt beside Zora, looking anxious. “I’m Catriona, and you’re Zora, right?”

Yes, she knows I’m not a dog—but how does she know who I am? I could just as well be Colin or Kyril, or any of Lord Ranulf’s students.

“The Queen is right about one thing; you do look horrible. Can you get rid of that collar? It’s got to disappear before anyone else notices that it’s actually part of your neck.”

Zora tried to undo the change she had made, with absolutely no success. She sighed and shook her head very slightly.

“There’s no help for it then,” Catriona said grimly. “Hold still and try not to make any noise. This may hurt.”

It did hurt. Zora had no clue what Catriona was doing, but it felt like fire wrapped around her neck. She did manage to keep the noise to a very soft whimper, and eventually the pain subsided. She was dimly aware of Catriona gently stroking her ribs and murmuring “Good girl” as everything went black.

~o0o~

When Zora came to again, she was wrapped in a cloak and lying on a cot at the back of the room. She was alone in the office, but apparently the sound of footsteps just outside the door was what had wakened her. The door opened to admit Catriona, who was carrying some sort of shallow bucket with a lid on it. She set it on the hearth, unwrapped Zora and set her down next to it, and then removed the lid. “It’s beef stew,” she said. “Eat as much as you can, but please don’t eat so quickly that you’ll get sick.”

As far as Zora was concerned at the minute, that meant ‘chew once before swallowing.’ The stew smelled delicious and tasted even better. Why am I suddenly so hungry? I thought I’d gained back most of the weight I lost...

“All right,” Catriona said, regarding the empty container. “If that stays down, you can have another helping in an hour. Fortunately nobody has found Kyril yet, so we may have a bit more time—”

Given that he wasn’t even awake when I left this morning, we may have quite a bit of time...

“—or not,” she finished as Kyril’s protesting voice sounded from the main room. “Can you stand?”

Zora struggled to her feet and slowly followed Catriona back into the main room. It was amazing how incredibly tired getting lost and wandering around the city had made her. I think I felt better right after I changed back from being a fish for three days.

The crowd that had been there earlier had dispersed, leaving only a handful of people. Kyril was escorted by two guards, neither of whom looked happy with him. The feeling was clearly mutual. The Queen was flanked by the Shield-Bearer, a veiled women in green, and a bitter-looking lady-in-waiting at least a decade older than the Queen. The lady-in-waiting was dressed in mourning, complete with black veils, although the face veil was thrown back at the moment. She seems familiar, but there’s no way I could possibly have seen any of them before today.

The Queen glared at Kyril. Kyril stared dumbstruck at the Queen for a moment before recovering enough to remember to bow. “Lady,” he said, almost reverently.

Colin had accompanied them, but he was letting Kyril be the visible one while he slipped quietly along the side of the room. He joined Zora and gave her an anxious look. Zora tried to look reassuring, which was rather difficult in dog-shape. Feeling scared herself didn’t help either. Catriona did much better; she smiled at him and nodded before turning her attention to the group surrounding the throne.

“Good morning, Kyril,” she said, and he turned to see her and then Zora.

“Oh, thank the Lady, you found her,” he said, crossing to stroke Zora anxiously. “Is she all right?”

“All right?” the Queen asked incredulously. “She looks half-starved, and she’s been running around the city with nobody to look after her! Is this how you take care of a helpless animal?”

Kyril was momentarily struck dumb by the injustice of this. “We’ve been taking good care of her,” he protested.

“You haven’t done a very good job,” the Queen said. “I’ll bet I could take better care of her than you do!”

“I don’t think so,” Kyril snapped. Whatever his initial impression of Lina had been, Zora thought, he obviously didn’t like being criticized by her. “I don’t think you’d know the first thing about taking care of her!”

“What is her name?”

“What?” Kyril sounded stupid, which was only slightly unfair. He and Colin couldn’t very well use Zora’s real name. Catriona might not be the only one to recognize it.

The Queen sighed in exasperation. “Does she even have a name, or do you just call her ‘dog’?”

“Look,” Kyril said, obviously trying to be reasonable. “I wasn’t the person who half-starved her, and if you think she looks bad now, you should have seen her before. We’ve been taking very good care of her.”

“Until this morning, apparently,” the Shield-Bearer put in. “How did she get away from you?”

Colin shook his head. “The housekeeper let her out into the garden before we woke up, and when we went to look for her, she wasn’t there. I have no idea how she got out—the garden is fenced—and we’ve been looking for her all morning.”

“Apparently she doesn’t want to stay with you,” the Queen said smugly.

It was unfortunate that Kyril’s response to this was to clench the hand holding Zora’s fur into a fist so tight that he pulled her fur and she let out a yip of protest.

“See what I mean?” the Queen said triumphantly.

If they were cats, the fur would be flying by now. Please, Goddess, do something!

“How about a compromise?” Catriona said. “Leave her with me, I’ll look after her, and all of you,” she looked at the Queen, Kyril, and Colin in turn, “can check on her every day to make sure she’s being treated well.”

“All right,” Kyril said. “As long as I can visit every day, I’ll agree to leave her in your care.”

Thank you so much for giving up without even a token protest, Kyril. Unless your father told you to do that, I’m seriously annoyed with you.

Colin looked less happy with that solution, but he had also looked much less impressed by the Queen’s beauty. Zora wasn’t impressed by her beauty at all. The Queen looked just like her. She got the impression that Kyril was happy to have an excuse to see more of Lina, but Zora couldn’t begin to imagine why. Love at first sight?

“She still needs a proper name,” the Queen said. “We’ll call her Princess—it will give her something to grow into.”

The lady in black muttered something that sounded to Zora like “A bitch would be a suitable Heiress for you.” If anyone else in the room heard her, they ignored it, and the lack of reaction left Zora wondering what it was she had heard. It couldn’t have been what it sounded like.

Lina might be young and maybe even a bit scatterbrained, but she was the Queen. Even if nobody respected her as a person, they should respect the title and what she represented. Judging from the morning ritual, the Queen wasn’t just the temporal ruler, she was the high priestess as well. Was she also considered an avatar, the physical presence of the Goddess in this realm?

“The dog stays here, then,” the Shield-Bearer said. “Now that that’s settled, Lady, you had better get some luncheon unless you want to do your afternoon meditation fasting.”

The Queen nodded. “Take good care of Princess, Sword-Bearer. I’ll check on her after meditation.”

As she left the room, trailed by her entourage, Catriona took a grip on Kyril’s arm. “I’d like a few words with you two before you leave.” She dismissed the guards with thanks for having found Kyril. Then she took both boys and the dog back to her office and closed the door.