Chancellor Kumire glared darkly at her. "So what?"

"So...yesterday she told Lyris and me that she's in love with him." Bria moved around him to tackle the tie at this throat. "Isn't that funny?"

"Not really."

"Well, there's no need to sound so jealous, Chancellor. Talon is...well, trust me when I say the Princess doesn't have a chance."

Disdain washed across her lover's face. "I would think rather that your brother wouldn't have a chance. After all, she's Crown Princess of Ithyria, and there's not a drop of noble blood in his Outlander veins. It doesn't matter how ridiculous Princess Shasta's infatuations are, she's going to marry a man of breeding and title. Her father will see to that, no matter what the Goddess's laws say." He straightened the knot of his tie, and Bria drew back to stare at him in disbelief.

"Chancellor, you're not still thinking of marrying her yourself, are you?" His expression told her that was exactly what he had in mind, and Bria stared at him in disbelief. "But I thought...you and I, we have..."

"Don't be such a child." He sat in a nearby chair and huffed as he pulled one boot on and then the other, stamping each foot to settle the heel. "You and I have nothing. This is merely a diversion, a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. And as sweet a temptation as you are," his eyes raked appreciatively over her body, still wrapped in only the sheet, "my destiny lies in far greater things."

Bria knew she should be furious, but there was something irresistible about the way he looked at her. The lust and admiration in his eyes always made her feel strangely powerful. She liked how it felt to be desired, and the chancellor could rarely resist her when she put her mind to it. Bria wasn't ready to give that up, especially not to her mistress, who treated Kumire with such distaste and scorn.

She slid into his lap and flicked the tip of her tongue against his neck in the manner she knew he liked. "Of course it is your destiny to be great," she murmured into his ear, "but you'll see. One day I'll convince you that you don't need her. You don't need anyone but me."

Kumire seized the back of her hair and pulled her in for a crushing kiss, his mouth enveloping hers demandingly for a few moments before he pushed her off his lap with a wry grin. "Now, little vixen, you must leave me to finish dressing. I have things to do and cannot afford further distraction."

She rewarded him with a triumphant smile and picked up his books from the table, waiting for him to finish shrugging into his jacket before handing them to him. "Just remember, no matter how blue her blood might be, no one knows how to please you like I do."

Kumire rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, get yourself dressed and hurry to the east hall. It won't do for you to show up late to lessons."

She gave him a mock curtsy. "Of course, Your Excellency."

Talon shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. The court conferences remained her least favorite duty. Usually she brought a book and tried to study, but it was hard to concentrate with the periodic bursts of yelling from the other side of the door. Many of the provincial viceroys were emotionally volatile men who took Ithyrian politics quite personally.

While Talon could easily grasp some of the more basic issues, when the Princess began talking about crown-subsidized land development and the formation of ethical-treatment law-enforcement committees, she was quickly lost among the complicated intertwining definitions. The Princess was inevitably upset after every conference and ranted for hours about the ineptitude of the viceroys and what she termed their "asinine self-importance." Talon suspected that being able to explain it to someone else helped the Princess better understand what was going on, so for that reason she didn't mind listening.

She jumped as the door opened unexpectedly and the provincial viceroys began to file into the corridor. When Shasta did not emerge after them, she poked her head into the conference room. Shasta was sitting next to the King at the end of the table. They both looked very tired.

Talon could read infinite frustration on the Princess's face and felt a twinge of compassion. She wished there were some way she could handle these conferences in Shasta's stead.

Shasta's head lifted and she said, "Father just suggested a recess for a few minutes...everyone was getting a little too tense." She tugged gently on the King's sleeve. "Father, would it be all right if I were to send Talon to the kitchens to fetch us something to eat? I didn't have much for breakfast this morning, and you look like you haven't eaten in days."

"I suppose that would be all right." King Soltran looked over to Talon. "Go on, my boy, I'll watch over her for now."

Talon bowed, and Shasta clapped her hands. "Bring some strawberries, will you? And maybe some bread and cheese. And that white wine I like. Oh, and maybe some of Cook's tarts, if she has any left. Those were good."

"As you wish. Anything else?"

The Princess licked her lips. "Yes, tell Cook I want roast lamb for dinner. I've been craving it all day. And hurry up, because I'm starving."

Talon bowed again before heading off down the corridor. She hoped she could remember all Shasta's requests and wondered if she'd be able to carry that much food. She might have to borrow one of those rolling carts the serving girls used at dinner.

The palace cook was delighted to have Talon visiting her kitchens. A plump, pleasant woman not quite old enough to be Talon's mother, she chattered happily while piling several trays, all the while poking Talon in the ribs and making tsking noises at how lean she was. By the time she had finished, there was more food there than Shasta could eat in a quarter-moon, let alone as an afternoon snack.

Talon had to move the rolling cart slowly so that nothing dropped from the trays and was only about halfway to the conference room when a familiar voice made her pause.

"We agreed to do this my way!"

"Quiet down, boy, unless you want the entire palace to hear us."

Talon recognized the first speaker. Chancellor Kumire's distinctive, whiny tone was impossible to mistake. The other voice sounded older. The conversation was coming from behind one of the closed doors along the corridor. The palace was so big that Talon wasn't sure if it was an office, a bedchamber, or a broom closet that the men were in, yet they had to be standing close to the door, for she could hear them quite clearly.

"Father, you have to give me more time."

So the older speaker had to be Archduke Fickett, the crotchety viceroy of Mondera. The family resemblance between Fickett and Kumire was easy to see, as they shared the same Rane hair and eyes as the Princess. Talon liked Fickett about as much as she cared for his son. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but some instinct kept her there, hands on the cart, ears pricked toward the door.

"I've given you two winters, Kumire, and you've made absolutely no progress. You're no further now than you were when you began."

"It has been more difficult than I thought."

Lord Fickett snorted. "That's putting it mildly. She doesn't want anything to do with you. And with each of these conferences," the words were spat out with evident distaste, "our fool of a King grows more confident. You know he actually refused to sign my new proposal today, the one I've spent two seasons trying to put together? All that little spawn of his has to do is bat her eyes sadly in his direction, and he loses what little manhood he has."

"If I succeed, the King can refuse anything he wants and it won't make a bit of difference in the end."

"That's if you succeed, which seems unlikely at this point. You're running out of time. We are talking about the ruin of our family. The ruin of your future."

"Father, if I can make this happen, my future and our family will be secure for generations to come. You know that."

"Which is why I agreed to let you risk this harebrained idea in the first place," Fickett growled. "But my patience is wearing thin. If you had followed my instructions at the beginning we wouldn't be in this situation. And if I do not see some definitive action from you in the very near future, I am calling it off entirely and we are going to revert to my original plan before it's too late."

"Father." Kumire's voice lowered to a hiss, and Talon had to strain to hear his next few words. "You realize that your plan could throw the entire kingdom into civil war."

"Maybe that's just what Ithyria needs!" the Monderan governor shouted, before apparently remembering that they were supposed to be speaking in secret and lowering his voice again. "The people of this country have grown soft. They've been too comfortable, living their little peaceful lives for so many winters now that they've started to invent problems where there are none just to have something to entertain themselves. Up to this point the King hasn't been too difficult to handle, but I worry about his softhearted weakling of a daughter. They're both a disgrace to the house of Rane."

"I don't want to see Ithyria in their hands any more than you do."

"Then prove it. Step up and be a man for once in your miserable life."

Talon drew a little closer to the door to hear Kumire's reply, forgetting that her hands were still on the cart. The slight movement was enough to jar a spoon resting by her fingertips. It wasn't a loud noise, but the spoon still made a definite metallic clank against the serving tray.

"What was that?"

Talon managed to straighten herself and push the cart down the corridor several steps before the door opened and Kumire appeared. The chancellor glared at Talon suspiciously. "What are you doing out here, boy?" he demanded.

Talon shrugged as casually as she could and waved a hand at the cart. "The Princess was hungry."

Chancellor Kumire narrowed his eyes but did not inquire further. After staring Talon down for several moments, he sniffed imperiously. "Well, don't just stand around here, then. Get on with it."

Talon gave him a nod she hoped would appear respectful and continued pushing the cart around the corner toward the conference room.

"It's about time," Shasta cheered, launching herself at the tray of snacks the moment Talon wheeled it into sight. "What were you doing down there for so long, anyway, flirting with all the kitchen staff?"

She didn't wait for a reply, stuffing a strawberry into her mouth. Then, fastening her golden brown eyes on Talon as if she thought better of her manners, she raised the next berry with daintily manicured fingers and bit the end from the fruit, letting the scarlet juice stain her fingertips and lips. Talon caught a flash of white teeth and little pink tongue as she tucked the morsel into her mouth, and she realized the Princess was flirting with her again. Apparently, even in the middle of a political battle, Shasta was happy to continue their own more personal war.

Talon kept her expression neutral and picked up one of the trays from the cart, placing it before the King. She wondered if she should tell him what she'd overheard. Archduke Fickett and Chancellor Kumire were conspiring against the throne, possibly against the Princess herself. Kumire had even mentioned civil war. But it would be Talon's word against Kumire's, and without proof she wasn't sure the King would believe her. Until she had something more solid to go on it would be a bad idea to go around making accusations of treason.

The viceroys had begun to file back into the conference room, and Talon resumed her stance outside the door. She passed Fickett in the doorway and met his gaze evenly. She wasn't afraid of the old weasel. To get to Shasta he would have to go through her first. Talon would take great satisfaction in running him through, and his cloying, obnoxious son, too, if it came to that.

Fickett seemed not to notice her stare and brushed past her into the room. Talon took her place against the outer wall and sighed as the door closed once more. It was going to be another long afternoon.

Qiturah sank gladly onto the prayer cushion in her small chamber, settling her feet comfortably beneath her before lifting her hands into prayer position. She always looked forward to her private meditation in the evenings, and tonight she was in great need of some quiet rejuvenation.

It had been a very long day. An influx of refugees from the southern coast had arrived midmorning, seeking shelter in the Great Temple. Their village had been burned in yet another petty conflict between feudal lords. Qiturah didn't care what the battle had been about. She was infinitely more concerned that they now had nearly fifty starving, terrified people under their roof, a few of them with severe injuries. The priestesses would do what they could, of course, but there was little left, even in the temple gardens, to feed such a crowd.

"Y'kurakura nasiaa, y'vysashun lo siriaa..." The words of the Ithyrian chant soothed her, as they always did. She could feel the Goddess moving to embrace her, and she welcomed the familiar, sweet touch upon her mind. Qiturah relaxed into it gratefully. Divine Lady, Goddess of my heart, I need Your love so badly tonight. Please, Lady, give me the wisdom to lead Your Daughters, Your people, through this time of darkness. I cannot manage it alone.

She felt Ithyris respond immediately. Peace crept blissfully over her body, calming her mind, her heartbeat, her breathing, and wrapping her in the delicious, overwhelming sensation of being loved. Those who said the life of a priestess was painfully chaste had never felt Ithyris moving inside them the way Qiturah did. She could not imagine ever loving another human being the way she loved her beautiful Goddess. Nothing could compare to the sheer glory of Ithyris's presence, the feeling of being surrounded by unadulterated purity and light.

But tonight, Qiturah was to receive an even more special gift.

"Julias yi shaa'ri, y'Ostryn." The musical words sounded in her ears and Qiturah nearly jumped in surprise. She knew only one voice like that, so rich and lyrical that it sang rather than spoke.

"Sweet Ithyris," she gasped, so startled that she forgot to use the Ithyrian tongue. The Goddess rarely spoke so clearly, unless there was something She wanted, and the command was one Qiturah had been hoping for. "Oh, speak to me again, Lady, please." She waited breathlessly. Though she had understood the first time, of course, Qiturah craved the sound of that voice again. It had been many winters since she'd last heard it.

"Julias yi shaa'ri," the words repeated, and Qiturah felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Yes, Ithyris, I hear you. It will be done." She rose to her feet and threw open her chamber door so quickly that a young priestess passing in the corridor looked up with concern.

"Is everything all right, Mother Qiturah?" the girl inquired with a bow.

Qiturah could not keep the elation from her voice. "Things are very well, Ostryn, very well indeed. Tell the others that the Goddess has commanded the priestesses of Verdred to take up shaa'ri. We begin tomorrow."

She could see the priestess's mouth drop open even beneath her filmy veil. "Yes, Your Honor, at once."

Qiturah could not wait for morning. She hurried down the corridor to her temple study and rummaged through the drawer of her desk until she'd located a quill and parchment. She sat at the desk and set to work. Many letters needed to be written, one to the head priestess of every Ithyrian temple in Verdred.

The Goddess was finally calling Her Daughters to prepare for war.

Chapter Fourteen.

"I just don't understand it," Shasta complained, keeping her voice quiet while watching Talon from across the lesson hall.

Her guardian was explaining some sort of acrobatic maneuver to the young recruits he was training. He moved his hands animatedly to demonstrate the proper technique and then bent backward, planting one hand on the floor and flipping his legs over his head in a smooth arc. His sword was still held firmly in his free hand. The younger soldiers applauded enthusiastically and hopped up, eager to try the move for themselves.

Shasta stabbed the tip of her quill into the parchment she was supposed to be working on. "How much more obvious do I need to be before he'll start taking me seriously?"

Lyris smiled. "Highness, you mustn't be angry with him. Talon thinks of you as a sister. We all do."

"But I'm not his sister. Doesn't he realize that I love him? I just want him to feel the same way about me." The Princess glared sullenly in his direction.

"Maybe you just need to be a little more direct about it." This suggestion came from Bria, who had a twinkle in her eye.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you keep fluttering your eyelashes at him, mooning and sighing, it looks like you're just playing games. If you want a man's attention you need to command it."

"Oh, Bria, hush. What would you know about it, anyway?" Lyris reprimanded with a touch of amusement in her tone.

Bria made a face at her older sister. "I know more than you do, Miss I-want-to-be-a-virgin-the-rest-of-my-life."

"Bria!"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" the younger girl pointed out cheerfully before turning back to Shasta. "Let me tell you something about men, Princess. They only understand one language, and that's this." She wiggled her fingers. "You want a man to notice you, you have to get right in his face and touch him until he can't think of anything but you."

"Bria!" Lyris's mouth hung open. "That's an entirely indecent thing for a lady to say."

Bria shrugged. "But it's true."

"Don't let Talon hear you talking like that, or he's likely to scrub your mouth with soap and lock you up for the rest of your life." The young Pledged turned to Shasta. "Pay no attention to my sister, Princess. I don't know where she gets such vulgar ideas."

"I know what men like, that's all." Bria elbowed Shasta conspiratorially.

Shasta looked down at her own fingers, wiggling them thoughtfully. "So, you think I should...what-march up to Talon and kiss him or something?"

Bria burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to see that."

"Now stop it, Bria. I mean it, this is going too far." Lyris's usually calm voice was suddenly snappish, and she took Shasta's hands in her own, staring the Princess straight in the face. "Listen to me, Highness. Talon isn't like other men."

"I can see that." Shasta sighed dreamily, her gaze following her guardian spot some of his students as they attempted the back flip he'd demonstrated.

"No, I mean that you can't just approach him like that. You mustn't. Highness. I know your feelings for him are strong, but trust me when I tell you they will lead you nowhere. Talon just...he isn't your type."

"And what's so not-my-type about him? He's handsome, he's so intelligent and courageous and strong..." Bria nearly fell off her chair laughing, and Lyris glared hard at her younger sister.

Bria sighed. "Yes, Talon's a marvel. But Lyris is right, Highness. It would never work."

"Why not?"

The sisters exchanged a glance and Bria said, "Because this is just infatuation. Trust me, you'll get over it and feel silly for ever letting it get to you." She patted Shasta's hand, all mirth gone from her expression. "We just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Talon would never hurt me."

"Not on purpose, no," Lyris agreed quietly. "But if you keep chasing him like this, he might not have a choice."

Shasta turned Lyris's words over and over in her mind for several days. She couldn't imagine Talon ever doing anything to cause her pain, despite his sisters' warnings. He was the most honorable man she had ever met. Surely he was worthy of her affections. And even though Bria had seemed to agree with Lyris in the end, she had given Shasta an intriguing bit of advice that the Princess could not help but ponder. Could she really command Talon's attention just by touching him?