There were more guards than usual in the upper courtyard. There weren’t as many as there had been for the arrival of the Youth Guard yesterday, but that had been ceremonial. Rudiger couldn’t be sure why there were more than usual now, but it was clear the whole Palace was on edge.


    During the night, the servants’ quarters had been a hotbed of gossip. The Council had been in session with the Queen late into the night, with some of the nobles and priests who had been missing earlier showing up well past midnight. That meant people were coming and going from the servants’ quarters all night, too, which made it all the noisier and harder to sleep. After a month in the Palace, Rudiger still hadn’t figured out how people slept through the regular noisy conditions, never mind the conditions of last night.


    Pure exhaustion, he supposed. It was what had allowed him a couple hours sleep in the end.


    This morning, he had woken to talk that the Queen had excommunicated Fra-Atl. He hoped that wasn’t true, even though Xoco had said she might have to do it. Although he hadn’t seen Fra-Atl very often, he had seen her more often than most other priests or nobles, and had grown to like her. She seemed the only one interested in getting to know people who weren’t priests or nobles.


    Two guards watched him as he went round the northeast corner towards the stables. He nodded to them; they scowled back. They didn’t try to stop him though, so he continued on to the stables.


    I snapped, but nowhere near close enough to bite her. You should have seen her jump. She grabbed the post and got splinters in her hand.


    “When you are in her Holiness’s presence, you are not to touch her in any way, shape, or form. Do you understand?”


    Never again.”


    The Queen’s Guard approached him. “Place your hand on the post, please.”


    Rudiger raised his hand partway, but hesitated. “Why?”


    “This is your punishment for yesterday,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “If you ever repeat the offence, next time will be worse. You will be watched constantly.” She glared into Borisin’s stall. “And keep this horse under control.”


    Enough, buddy, or you’ll bring the whole place down. I’ll be fine.


    Rudiger ripped the knife back out. “Fuck!”


    Izel rushed over to the storage shelves. “We need to stop the bleeding and sterilise the wound. Zeltzin would have made a point to use a dirty blade.”


    She grabbed the indicated items as well as a brush, and came back over to him.


    “Today they’re for you.” She handed the brush to him. “Bite down on the handle. Let me know if you start getting numb or feeling woozy, anything like that. I wouldn’t put it beyond her to have poisoned the blade.”


    “Can I kill her?” Rudiger asked.


    She looked up at him and smirked. “I think that’s the most violent I’ve ever heard you.”


    “Keep an eye on that in case we have to cauterise it. I came to ask how things went with the Queen yesterday, but I think I can guess.”


    very heartfelt conversation. No wonder Zeltzin’s stabbing you.”


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    “Don’t know,” Izel said, then smiled. “You didn’t say our side.”


    He nodded. “I don’t think she poisoned me.”


    She went back to the supply shelves. “We’ll probably need to stitch the wound. You’ll have quite a scar there and there’s no telling what kind of internal damage she did. You might lose some mobility.”


    Someone’s coming, Borisin said. Smells familiar, but not a scent I know well.


    She stepped into the room and two others followed her in. They wore the same outfit and carried spears, but were more girls than young women. One couldn’t have been more than thirteen or so.


    “These are Fra-Chan and Ses-Iktan,” Nin-Akna said. “We’re the Youth Guard. Felit?a told us to find you. Can we talk?”


    “We were just talking about you, so you might as well join in,” Rudiger said. “This is...” He hesitated, trying to remember the etiquette of introducing someone he no longer used the honorific for. He seemed to recall, when meeting Fra-Tepeu and Fra-Mecatl for the first time, Fra-Tepeu had introduced his sister with the honorific. “Ses-Izel.”


    Rudiger nodded. “We argue a lot, but I’d trust Izel with my life.” He made a point of using her name, knowing that the lack of honorific would strengthen his statement of trust.


    Hey, I’m here as well.


    I’ve been asking the same question for some time now.


    I’m saying lots. I’m just choosing not to say them to you, kid.


    “You mention Meleng,” Rudiger interrupted. “How is he? Where is he? And how’s Felit?a? Apart from being in prison, I mean.”


    “And I think we’d like to know what you’ve been up to,” he replied. Izel nodded her agreement.


    “Why don’t we start and then you can fill us in?” Nin-Akna suggested.


    It took a couple of hours for them to tell their stories, which were interrupted on several occasions by someone with questions, in particular when Nin-Akna told of a locket Felit?a had found with an unusual picture in it.


    “That’s Ses-Xipil all right,” Izel said when she looked at the open locket. “And that’s a Volg?”


    “Felit?a thinks Ses-Xipil might not be what she claims,” Nin-Akna said.


    Rudiger was about to reply when Izel went on. “No, I’m not calling you a liar. I’m saying you’re mistaken. Just because she smells strange doesn’t make her not human. No, you know better than to argue with me. I don’t care how good your sense of smell is. I’m not denying that she smells weird. I’m saying—Oh for gods’ sake. Fine. Have it your way.”


    “Felit?a thinks she might be some sort of Volg shapeshifter or something,” Nin-Akna said.


    Nah, doesn’t smell like a Volg, Borisin said. Although now I think of it, the smell’s not that different. Kind of how it has similarities to a human smell, it also has some similarities to a Volg smell.


    But that means Zandrue... Rudiger replied.


    The similarity’s there too. Didn’t even occur to me before. One spot where I let my vision override my smell. Sorry.


    “I’m fifteen,” Ses-Iktan said.


    “They are a training organisation, Rudiger,” Izel said. “They’re not meant to see real action. It’s disgraceful they were even sent to that island, and horrifying they were forced into action. My condolences on your losses.”


    “Those of us alive owe our lives to Meleng,” Nin-Akna said. “Felit?a too, but mostly Meleng.”


    When Fra-Chan returned, she set about tending to his hand, first recleaning the wound and then stitching it. “Don’t worry,” the young girl said as she started, “I’m trained in first aid.”


    he told you he had an accident while stripping leather for new tack and accidentally stabbed himself in the hand. Give no indication you know Fra-Ichtaca or Zeltzin were involved. Contact us if you learn anything. We’ll do the same with you, but we should keep further interaction between us to a minimum.”


    Not again!