“No,” Saetan said. “You can’t take action outside of your own Territory, Sabrina. That line was drawn thousands of years ago, and it does not—cannot—change.” He paused a monent, glanced at Jaenelle, then back at Sabrina. “Besides,” he continued. “Kermilla is, and has been, Theran Grayhaven’s guest these past few weeks, not Cassidy’s. If the Queen of Dena Nehele wants Kermilla out of her Territory, it’s up to her to take care of it—and her First Circle has the strength to do it without help.”

“Cassidy’s too polite,” Sabrina snapped at him, then turned to Jaenelle. “They have a history. You know that.”

Jaenelle’s sapphire eyes held Sabrina. A moment passed. Two. Khary could tell they were communicating psychically, but it was a distaff thread and he had no idea what was being said. It was little comfort that the other males had also been excluded. He wasn't sure if the other women had been included or if the conversation was just between Jaenelle and Sabrina. Whatever it was, something surprised Sabrina enough to drain the Dharo Queen’s temper.

“Are you asking me to be blind to what’s happening?” Sabrina asked, out loud.

“Outside of your own borders, yes,” Jaenelle replied. Then her lips curved in a sharp, chilly smile.

“Would I ask you to be blind to what’s happening within your own borders? Never.” She considered. “Almost never.”

“The Warlord who acted on Kermilla’s orders came from Dharo?” Sabrina asked thoughtfully after a long moment. Khary sensed some of the tempers had eased, but he didn't know why. His hadn't.

“That’s the assumption, since he didn’t come from Dena Nehele,” Jaenelle replied.

“And the body was brought back to Kaeleer,” Saetan said. When they all stared at him, he lifted an eyebrow. “Draca opened the Gate for them. If you think anyone is more qualified to decide who may use the Gate here at the Keep, then you can take it up with her.”

Jaenelle was the only person who might be able to challenge Draca’s decision and overrule the Seneschal about who could or couldn’t use the Gate. Since she seemed to have no objection, the rest of them backed away from any criticism they might have had.

“How many men are in Kermilla’s First Circle?” Karla asked.

“Twelve.” Sabrina stared at Karla. “She had the same twelve men who had been Cassidy’s First Circle.”
Karla’s lips curved in a wicked smile. “Then Kermilla’s court is broken, isn’t it?”

“Technically, yes,” Saetan said. “But no court that’s sound breaks because of a death, even when there aren’t more than twelve males in the First Circle. The court continues for a few days, sometimes even weeks, while the Queen considers the men in the Second Circle and decides who will be invited to fill the opening in the First Circle.”

“I don’t think she has a Second Circle, Uncle Saetan,” Sabrina said. “The First and Second Circles are paid with the Queen’s tithes. Cassidy didn’t need more than her First Circle to work exclusively on the court’s behalf, so she didn’t have anyone in her Second Circle except youngsters who were with her for training and court polish. I know she paid them because Darlena, the Province Queen who rules that part of Dharo, had been impressed by Cassidy’s generosity as well as by the number of requests she received from youngsters of all castes who were willing to serve in a small village court because of that generosity. Darlena also noticed how many of those youngsters retracted their requests when they learned that Kermilla now ruled Bhak instead of Cassidy. So I don’t think the current Queen of Bhak has anyone who can fill the vacant place in her court.”

“Which means the court is broken,” Aaron said.

“Not yet,” Jaenelle said quietly, looking at Sabrina.

Sabrina tipped her head. “If her court doesn’t tell me, I can pretend not to know.”

Aaron swore but did nothing else because he, like the rest of them, knew there was a reason Jaenelle wanted some things to be ignored. Khary just wished he knew what it was.
“There was an interesting miscalculation when the summer tithes for Bhak and Woolskin were sent to Darlena’s Steward,” Sabrina continued. “It was swiftly corrected, but Gallard had never made that kind of miscalculation when he served Cassidy.”

“Tried to short the Province Queen of her rightful share of the tithes?” Khary asked, making a guess.
Sabrina’s smile was sufficient answer. “I think my Steward and Darlena’s should personally collect the autumn tithes from a few of the District Queens and review their court accounts.” She looked at Jaenelle. “Don’t you think? That would be a fair warning to a Queen who had been granted a provisional year to prove herself—especially if she truly wanted to retain those villages as her territory.”
“Who gives a **** about being fair?” Lucivar growled.

Daemon said mildly, “We all give a **** about being fair when it buys needed time.”

Lucivar stopped prowling and stared at Daemon. “Oh. That kind of being fair. All right, fine. But someone should still go to Dena Nehele and explain to that **** that a young Warlord can’t be snatched off the street just because he has four legs and fur.”

“That’s been taken care of,” Jaenelle said.

“By who?” Lucivar demanded.

“By someone who can explain things even better than you.” Jaenelle smiled at Lucivar.
Lucivar took a step back and resumed his prowling.

Khary tried to turn over in his head who that could be. Lucivar could be ***** scary when he wanted to be. Having been in the practice circle with the man, having been trained by him, Khary was well aware how much of an impression he could make. Daemon might make more of one, but only if the person was smart enough to recognize death when it glared out of them through sleepy glazed eyes in a mask of civility. But it didn't seem to be him, or the High Lord. Surreal? Possibly, given her history as an assassin though he suspected she wouldn't stop at just explaining, so then who?

His eyes wandered the room and settled on Karla. And remembered why she had been late. Mother Night, ****'s fire and may the darkness have mercy. Kaelas. KaeAskavi's sire was nearly a ton of Arcenian muscle. Khary had seen Kaelas execute humans before. Yes, he could certainly make an impression, could certainly make it clear that Kindred are protected.

Protected. Except that Khollie hadn't been. Not as much as he should have been. After a few moments of uneasy silence, Khary said, “There might not be much we can do about Kermilla right now, but I can go to Eyota tomorrow and bring Khollie home.”

“I don’t think you can take Khollie anywhere without a fight,” Jaenelle said.

Khary gave Jaenelle, then Morghann, a hard stare. “He’s delicate. You both know that. And Ranon didn’t want him in the first place.”

“What was true then isn’t true now. Ranon needed some time to gain clarity in his feelings.”

He had seen Ranon's reaction when Khollie has picked him. He might have had some sympathy for the man if not for how much his rejection had hurt the small dog. Khary made a rude noise. “He’s—”
“One of us,” Jaenelle said quietly.

Khary swallowed what he was about to say, turning that over in his mind. Jaenelle was saying that Ranon could have served in the Dark Court, could have served alongside them. Was the kind of male who could become a friend. Who could be trusted. His eyes snapped to Jaenelle. Former Queen his ***. There had always been one way to know if someone could serve in the Dark Court. If they could look at Jaenelle and realized that they were looking at Witch. If they could see both the Queen and the woman. And if they had felt the pull to serve her. Ranon would serve Jaenelle if offered the chance? That... Did change things.
“What Circle?” Khary finally asked.

“Second,” Jaenelle replied.

Meaning, if the Dark Court still officially existed, Ranon would have been accepted into the Second Circle. Not as intimate a companion as someone in the First Circle, but those who served in the Second were still close enough—and trusted enough—for confidential assignments and direct service to the Queen.
“And Gray?” Daemon asked of the mentally scarred young man who was starting to grow up years after his body did, so that he could serve Cassidy. So that he could love her.

“Second Circle,” she said.

Anger still smeared the room, but it no longer had heat or teeth. The chill that was not a normal part of the Keep faded.

“So that’s it then,” Aaron said.

“Not quite. I received this letter from Cassidy a couple of days ago, before the attempted abduction,” Jaenelle said. She called in another letter and handed it to Khary.

Khary took the letter and started reading. At once the differences jumped out at him. The last letter, while clearly written by the same hand, had been writing in tight small letters, an abundance of control. The writing here was looser, more open. The words were more casual. More like a letter to a friend, than a report to the Queen Cassidy had served during her training.

As for what the letter said... He almost dropped it several times. By the time Khary got halfway through the first page, his mouth was hanging open. “Payment for work? They’re getting paid to herd sheep?” The Scelties... Were getting wages. For herding. Mother Night. The implications of Scelties with money... Mother Night... It didn't bear thinking about. Except that apparently they were going to have to do just that. He was starting to understand how Saetan had felt when he realized that the youths he had trained were now the adults he had to negotiate with.

“Three coppers a day,” Jaenelle said cheerfully. “Wynne and Duffy are also maintaining the spells on the cold boxes and hot water tanks for the landen community and get three coppers a week for each household.”
Aaron snagged the second page. “Oh, Mother Night. Two of them are working in a children’s play area.”
Sabrina snorted, then had to call in a handkerchief to blow her nose.

Morghann twisted in her chair so she could read the other side of the page. “They call Lloyd and Kief the silver twins. And the boys are working in the stables. That’s good. They like horses.”
“I guess I understand the Scelties wanting to learn about being paid for work, but what are they going to do with the money?” Daemon said. “Save up their coppers to buy their own little steading and a small flock of sheep?”

Morghann and Jaenelle looked at Daemon. Just looked at him. And then they smiled. Seeing those smiles, Khary felt like his legs had lost all their bones. Lucivar caught him before he landed on the floor, Daemon turned pale. Probably at the thought of someday having to negotiate a business deal with a Sceltie.

“It’s not that bizarre,” Jaenelle said. “Ladvarian and I own the little cottage and acreage where he trains other Scelties.”

“What?” Khary yelped.

“What?” Daemon whispered.

Jaenelle looked at Khary. “I thought you knew that. Morghann, didn’t you know that?”
“I did, yes,” Morghann replied. “But it seemed best not to mention that bit of paperwork.”
Jaenelle patted Daemon’s thigh. “Ladvarian and I have owned that property since before you and I got married, so I never thought to mention it. Besides, having that place is so much better than having a dozen Scelties living with us whenever we’re in Maghre.”

“Yes, that’s so much better.” Daemon looked a little woozy.

“The relationship between Scelties and humans is too well established in Scelt,” Morghann said. “And not all Scelties want to change the relationship they already have with humans. But in a new land, there would be opportunities the Scelties couldn’t explore as easily here.”

Everyone looked around the room without quite looking at one another.

“Are we done?” Karla asked Jaenelle. “Because if we’re done, I’d like some help in figuring out how to turn a mauve cat back into a white cat.”

“Draca is serving a late supper in about an hour,” Saetan said.

“That should be enough time,” Jaenelle said.

For what? Khary noticed from the looks on the faces of the other men that he wasn't the only one wanting to know. But like him, none of them asked.

The Ladies left the room, leaving the men to collapse into chairs, not sure if they should be scared or **** off, or should laugh like fools.

The room held nothing but a blissful, and exhausted, silence for several minutes.
“Can you stay for supper?” Daemon asked Lucivar.

“No choice,” Lucivar growled. “Marian said if I want to stay married, I’m going to stay out for the whole evening.”

“You have been a bit too possessive lately.”

“Maybe. She says she’s fine.”

“What does the Healer say?”

“Nurian also says Marian is fine, so she’s fine. Everyone is supposed to be fine. Well, I’m not fine. She scared the **** out of me with that miscarriage.” Lucivar snarled. “Next thing she’ll be wanting **** again.”

“They do that,” Aaron said sympathetically while Khary nodded. “They do.”

“Well, then . . .” Saetan began.

Bang!

They all straightened up and looked toward the door.

“What was that?” Daemon asked.

“Sounded like something blew up,” Lucivar replied. “What kind of spell were the girls trying to fix?”
They all looked at Saetan.

“No,” Saetan said firmly. “If you want to find out, you go ahead. I am not leaving this room.”
The other four men looked at one another.

Daemon held out his hand. “We’ve got some time before supper. Let me see that letter again.”