"Then why make it at all?" Talon demanded.

"Please, Your Highness..." Bria cast her eyes to one side. "May I speak with you in private?"

"You may not," Talon replied hotly. "You're in no position to be making such requests."

"Lieutenant," Shasta admonished, deliberately using Talon's rank to make it clear that her guardian was out of line. Talon stiffened visibly at the rebuke, and Shasta proceeded to dismiss the soldiers. "Leave us, all of you. I will speak with the prisoner alone."

"Princess," Talon protested in a more subdued tone, "please, you mustn't be alone with her. She may be dangerous."

Shasta caught the genuine fear in her guardian's eyes. "Agreed. You will stay." But she fixed Talon with a meaningful stare that indicated she would tolerate no further interference.

When only Shasta, Talon, and Bria remained, Shasta looked her onetime companion and friend squarely in the eye and demanded, "All right, what's going on? I want the truth."

Bria did not hesitate. "My husband is trying to distract you, Your Highness. He sent me to ask you to come to him, not because he believes that you will but because he wants you to continue to believe that you are winning this fight."

"We are winning," Talon pointed out dryly.

"No. You only think you are."

Talon grunted and Shasta held up a hand warningly to her guardian. She eyed Bria thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"

"Kumire and his family have been pursuing an alliance with the Dangar Empire for winters now, Highness, but Emperor Vulgoth's price has always been too high. However, right before your people took the castle grounds, Kumire sent a messenger to Dangar. He has decided to accept the Emperor's demands if it will win him the Ithyrian throne. In less than a quarter-moon, the barbarian armies of the Dangar Empire will be here, surrounding Ardrenn, to wipe you out once and for all. Princess, the empire's army numbers more than a hundred thousand. Even the Ithyrian priestesses will not be able to stand against that many. They will overtake you."

Talon's eyes narrowed. "If that is true, why would Kumire bother pretending he wants to negotiate?"

"Because, Talon, he's still slightly hopeful that he can win this battle without the Emperor's help. He's not happy with the idea of paying the empire's fee."

Shasta scrunched her forehead. "What fee?"

Bria's expression was grave. "In exchange for lending Kumire his armies, the Emperor is demanding half the Ithyrian provinces. They would be annexed with Dangar's borders to become a part of the Emperor's lands, and all inhabitants will become slaves to the empire."

"What?" Shasta was horrified. "Kumire just can't give away half of Ithyria."

"He would rather do that than lose the throne he's lusted after his entire life." Bria shook her head. "He doesn't really expect you to be foolish enough to march unarmed into the palace. He's hoping that an offer of negotiation, however halfhearted, will convince you that you're close to victory so that the empire's attack will be completely unexpected. Of course, you mustn't enter the castle, but I wanted to warn you of what's coming."

Talon glared. "I don't know what game you're playing, Bria, but I don't believe a word of it. You're traitors, you and Kumire both! Do you have any idea what you've done, what you've put Shasta through these past moons? You're lucky I don't run you through this very moment."

"That's enough, Talon." Shasta pressed her fingers to her forehead for a moment, her mind racing. "Let's all sit down and take a moment to breathe."

Bria followed the Princess to the benches at the front of the temple sanctuary. Talon stalked behind them, her sword still trained on her sister. They sat, Bria on one bench and Shasta facing her on another. Talon insisted on standing at formal attention behind Shasta's shoulder. The Princess rolled her eyes and sighed as she turned to Bria.

"You have to admit, Lady Fickettis..."

Bria cringed. "Please, Your Highness, I prefer just Bria."

"I don't blame you." Shasta gave the younger woman a grin before continuing. "You have to admit, Bria, that your claims are rather suspicious. If the Dangar Empire is coming at this very moment to wipe us out, you stand a very good chance of becoming Queen of Ithyria yourself, so, frankly, I don't trust you. Talon nearly died because of you." Shasta struggled to keep her voice even. The memory was still difficult. "You called those barbarians down on her head, let them beat her nearly to death. You should have seen what they did to her. She was so badly injured we weren't sure she'd ever wake up. Now you expect me to believe that you'd betray your husband, the man for whom you tried to have your own sister killed? What possible reason could you have?"

Bria flinched. "I... A lot of things have changed since then, Highness." She cast a pained glance at Talon. "Not a day has passed that I haven't regretted what I did. You can't imagine the horror I've lived with, believing I'd caused your death. You devoted everything to taking care of Lyris and me, and I..." She choked a little. "Afterward, there were so many times when I thought about killing myself to escape the guilt. But I had the baby to consider. I was already responsible for the death of one member of my family, and I couldn't bear the thought of another."

Talon's expression remained impassive. "You expect me to feel sorry for you?"

"No." Bria's eyes spilled over. "No, Talon, I'm not trying to... What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I know that doesn't even come close to making it better. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I don't even expect you to believe me, but I have to say it. I'm so sorry. And I'm very, very grateful that you survived."

Talon gave a disbelieving huff and stalked across the room to sit on the far end of the bench. Bria's eyes followed her regretfully.

"Bria, you mentioned the baby." Shasta eyed the other woman's flattened stomach. Though she had put on some noticeable weight, she was certainly not pregnant any longer.

"Yes. I have a daughter." Bria's eyes shone, but only for a moment. "The day she was born was the first time I realized the truth about the man I married. Kumire wanted a son. When he heard that I gave birth to a girl, he wouldn't even look at her. He practically threw the baby at Nurse, and told her to..." She gave a little sob. "He told her to 'drown the useless brat.' He said we were both worthless. I couldn't believe he could be so cruel."

"The man is a cold-blooded murderer and you're surprised by this?" Talon inquired mockingly.

"I was a fool!" Bria burst out. "I had hoped that by bearing him a child he would forgive me, but..."

"Forgive you?" Shasta touched her arm gently. "Whatever for?"

"For spoiling his chance to marry you." Bria averted her eyes. "I always knew he hoped to marry you, Princess, but I thought that was because he believed himself in love with you. I thought I could change his mind and eventually win him over. I didn't realize until after we were married that love had nothing to do with it. He said I'd ruined his life." She hung her head.

"He was just angry because you got in the way of the throne he wanted so badly," Shasta pointed out.

"I was so blind. All I could think of was that I had offended the man that I loved. I would have done anything to make it right again, even betray my own family."

Shasta heard a sound like a snort coming from Talon's end of the room, but she judiciously chose to ignore it. Kumire had murdered her father and brother. It was not so difficult to believe that he had manipulated Bria as well. Besides, she had learned herself just how powerful an influence love could be.

Bria seemed to read her silence as encouragement to speak further, and said, "He's completely insane, you know. He parades around the palace in King Soltran's crown and robes, insists on taking dinner while seated on the throne, makes everyone call him 'Majesty.' He wanted me to come out here tonight and try to convince you to follow me into the castle, alone, so he could get his hands on you again. I refused."

"Is that why he did this to you?" Shasta gently traced the bruising on Bria's cheek.

She nodded without meeting Shasta's eyes. "I told him he'd have to kill me before I'd betray you again. But..." She shuddered. "He said if I didn't do what he wanted, he'd kill the baby. I didn't have a choice." She looked up. "I don't care what he does to me, but I can't let him hurt her, Princess, she's all I have."

"So what exactly do you want from us, Bria?" Talon rose and stalked toward them as if her patience had finally run out. "What's the game this time?"

Bria shook her head. "I just wanted to warn you of what Kumire is planning. Maybe you can come up with a plan, some way of stopping him. I...I'll return to the castle and tell him you wouldn't come, Princess. He's expecting that answer, anyway."

"You can't do that, Bria, he'll kill you."

"I have to. I have to go back for my daughter."

"Kumire's likely to kill your child whether or not you go back, and whether or not I agree to go with you," Shasta warned. "Surely you know that."

"I won't leave her with him," Bria said stubbornly. "I owe her that."

Talon remained unconvinced. "You still haven't given us proof that anything that you say is true. For all we know this just another of Kumire's elaborate schemes."

"There's an easy way to determine that, isn't there? I can't believe I didn't think of it before." Shasta rose and went to the curtain at the corner of the room. Drawing it back, she called out, "Your Honor? I need assistance, please."

There was a soft scuffling sound from above them and the Honored Mother of Verdred appeared, followed by several other veiled women. They pressed their fingertips to their foreheads and bowed.

Shasta indicated Bria. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, Mother Qiturah, but this woman comes with news of Chancellor Kumire. I need to know if she speaks the truth, if she means us harm. It's important."

Lyris was among those attending the Honored Mother, and she gasped when she recognized her sister.

Qiturah inclined her head to the Princess and approached Bria slowly. She sat next to her and laid a hand on the young woman's forehead. "Ask her what you want to know, Child," she said to Shasta.

"Did Kumire really send a messenger to the Dangar Empire?"

"Yes," came the reply, and Qiturah nodded.

"She speaks the truth, Highness."

Shasta took a breath. "Is the empire sending its armies to support Kumire?"

"Yes."

"Does Kumire really intend to surrender to us?"

"No."

The Honored Mother nodded again on both counts, and Shasta considered her next question carefully before she asked it. "Does Kumire know you're telling us any of this?"

Bria closed her eyes. "No."

The Honored Mother nodded once more, and Talon stood, coming to lean on the bench right in front of her sister. Her voice was low. "Have you said anything to us tonight that was a lie?"

Bria opened her eyes and met her sister's gaze. "No."

"I sense no deception in her, Your Highness," Qiturah said quietly. "She is telling you the truth."

"Thank you, Your Honor."

The entourage of holy women bowed before returning to their upper chambers. Lyris hung back and placed a hand on Talon's shoulder.

"What's happening?" she asked.

Talon ground her teeth. "Our little sister claims she's had a change of heart."

At that moment, Bria recognized the woman behind the veils, and her eyes brimmed with tears. "Oh, Lyris, is it really you?"

Normally Shasta would have been overjoyed at the reunion of her three childhood companions, but right now she was too preoccupied with the sinister threat that loomed over them. She sat back down on the bench and tried to come up with a solution, some way of getting all of them out of this precarious situation without sacrificing even more lives. "Talon, do we stand any kind of chance at all against the Dangar Empire?"

Talon shook her head. "Not if their armies are as big as we believe. Even every priestess we have couldn't handle that many."

Shasta dropped her head into her hands and Talon moved quickly to her side. She straddled the bench behind the Princess and put her arms around her. "Hey," she said softly into her ear. "It's going to be all right, we'll think of something. We've made it this far, right?"

Bria seemed to watch this exchange incredulously. "Wait...is there something going on between you two?"

Lyris laid a hand on Bria's shoulder. "Talon and the Princess love one another. Nothing else matters."

"But how is that even possible?" Before anyone could reply, however, she gave a snort of amusement. "You know what, I don't want to know. It's weird. But I guess if it makes you both happy, that's what's important."

Talon quirked a brow at her. "Not that I need your approval, little sister, but thanks anyway."

Bria started to deliver a cheeky reply but then appeared to think better of it, as if she'd realized the time for teasing between sisters was long past. She held out her bound wrists. "Your Highness, please, I beg you to release me. I must return to the castle soon or Kumire will become suspicious."

"I can't send you back to that man," Shasta said. "There has to be another way."

"Please, Highness." Bria dropped to her knees and pressed Shasta's hands to her lips. "Please, you have to let me go back. He'll kill her."

Shasta twisted to look beseechingly at her guardian. "Talon, can't you think of something? We can't let her go back without some sort of protection."

"I don't think there's anything we can do. If Bria doesn't return, Kumire will probably make good on his word to kill their child. And if she does return...I think he'll kill them both."

Shasta bit her lip as an idea began to formulate in her head. "What if Bria doesn't return empty-handed? Think about it for a moment." Her excitement grew with each of her next words. "What if I agree to go with Bria to see Kumire? We can't stop the Dangar Empire from coming. They'll be on us in less than a quarter-moon, and then we're all dead anyway. The only way to stop the empire is to stop Kumire before they get here."

Talon shook her head adamantly. "Shasta, no. You saw Kumire kill your father, you know what he's capable of. I'm not going to let you waltz into the castle unguarded just so he can finish what he started."

"Your Highness, you mustn't," Bria agreed. "Whatever my husband might do to me, it's nothing compared to the hate he harbors for you. You're too important to Ithyria."

Shasta patted her kneeling friend's face gently. "But I am not doing my country any good just sitting around out here, waiting for the Dangar Empire to sweep down on top of us and wipe us out. Kumire has to be stopped." She stood to pace the sanctuary. "I will follow Bria into the palace and meet with him, but I won't go alone. Kumire would know something was wrong if I agreed to march into his castle unguarded. He knows I'm not that much of a fool. Talon, you'll come with me."

"Shasta, this is madness. Though I appreciate your faith in me," Talon's dark eyes twinkled briefly, "even I could not stand alone against the horde of guards Kumire has assembled in the palace. I can't protect you from Kumire and hold off his men at the same time. It's too dangerous."

"That's why Kumire is sure to let us both in. He won't think you pose enough of a threat by yourself. And it's also why we'll need you, Your Grace." Shasta turned to Lyris. "You could easily make any problems Kumire might throw at us just...disappear. But we'll have to find some way to smuggle you in with us. Kumire might allow me to bring Talon, but he'll never open the drawbridge for a priestess. I'm sure he's heard by now what you're capable of. So the question is, how do we sneak Her Grace into the palace along with us?"

"Shasta..." Talon began, but she was interrupted by Bria, who rose slowly from the bench.

"Your Highness, do you have another set of split skirts stored away somewhere?"

Shasta frowned in confusion. "I'm sure I could borrow some from Erinda."

"That would be perfect. We'll need one of her caps, too." Bria turned to Lyris. "Your Grace, would the Goddess permit you to unveil your face for a time, if it were in the service of the Princess?"

"I suppose." Lyris sounded just as confused as Shasta felt, but Talon's eyes suddenly lit and for the first time her attitude seemed to soften toward her sister.

"You know, Bria, that just might work." Talon met Shasta's questioning gaze. "We could dress Her Grace like one of your maids."

Bria nodded enthusiastically. "My husband has never paid much attention to servants," she said wryly. "Kumire won't recognize Lyris until it's too late."

"I'll do it." There was a note of eagerness in the priestess's voice. "I'll need a maid's cap. He mustn't see my head is shaved."

"The four of us marching into the castle to face Kumire alone. This is insanity," Talon muttered, but after mulling it over a few more seconds, she met Shasta's eyes. "And I think it may be our only choice."

"Then it's settled," Shasta declared. "Tomorrow, we enter the palace, and one way or another, this comes to an end."

As she looked around at their faces, she recalled the three olive-skinned Outlanders that her father had taken in four winters ago. How they all had changed. Somehow it seemed fitting that it had come down to the four of them at last. Shasta took Talon's hand on one side and Bria's on the other, and Lyris joined them to form a circle.

Shasta regarded them all one last time. "You are my family. In spite of everything that's happened," she squeezed Bria's hand gently, "and no matter what happens tomorrow, you three will always be my sisters."

They bid each other good night and separated. Lyris returned to her quarters above the temple sanctuary, and Talon turned Bria over to one of the guards at the temple doors to be escorted away. Shasta and her guardian made their way across the dark grounds, through the mass of tents and nearly extinguished campfires.