The priests lesson: beware the Nightlord, for his pleasure is a mortals doom. My grandmothers lesson: beware love, especially with the wrong man.

8

Cousin

THE NEXT MORNING, a servant arrived to help me dress and groom myself. Ridiculous. Still, it seemed appropriate to at least try to behave like an Arameri, so I bit my tongue while she fussed about me. She did my buttons and shifted my clothing minutely as if that would somehow make me look more elegant, then brushed my short hair and helped me put on makeup. The last I did actually need help with, as Darre women do not wear cosmetics. I could not help feeling some consternation as she turned the mirror to show me all in paint. It didnt look bad. Just strange.

I must have frowned too much, because the servant grew anxious and began rummaging in the large bag shed brought with her. I have just the thing, she said, and lifted out something that I thought at first was a party masque. It certainly looked like one, with a wire eyeframe attached to a satin-wrapped rod. But the masque itself was peculiar, seeming to consist only of a pair of bright blue feathery objects like the eyes of a peacocks tail.

Then they blinked. I started, looked closer, and saw that they were not feathers at all.

All the highblood ladies use these, said the servant eagerly. Theyre very fashionable right now. Watch. She lifted the frame to her face so that the blue eyes superimposed her own rather pretty gray ones. She blinked, lowered the frameand suddenly her eyes were bright blue, surrounded by long, exotically thick black lashes. I stared, then saw that the eyes in the frame were now gray, staring blankly and fringed with the servants own very ordinary lashes. Then she put the frame back to her face, and her eyes were her own again.

You see? She held the rod out to me. Now I could see the tiny black sigils, barely visible, etched along its length. Blue would look lovely with that dress.

I recoiled, and it took me another few seconds to speak through my revulsion. Wh-whose eyes were they?

What?

The eyes, the eyes. Where did they come from?

The servant stared at me as if Id asked where the moon had come from. I dont know, my lady, she said after a flustered pause. I could inquire, if you like.

No, I said, very softly. Theres no need.

I thanked the servant for her assistance, praised her skill, and let her know I would have no further need of a dressing servant for the remainder of my stay in Sky.

* * *

Another servant arrived shortly afterward with word from Tvril: as expected, Relad had declined my request for a meeting. As it was a rest day, there was no Consortium meeting, so I ordered breakfast and a copy of the latest financial reports on my assigned nations.

As I studied the reports over raw fish and poached fruitI did not dislike Amn food, but they never seemed to know what to cook and what to leave aloneViraine dropped by. To see how I was doing, he said, but I had not forgotten my earlier sense that he wanted something of me. I felt that more strongly than ever as he paced about my room.

Interesting to see you taking such an active interest in governance, he said, as I set aside a sheaf of papers. Most Arameri dont bother even with basic economics.

I ruleruleda poor nation, I said, draping a cloth over the remains of my breakfast. Ive never had that luxury.

Ah, yes. But youve taken steps to remedy that poverty, havent you? I heard Dekarta commenting on it this morning. You ordered your assigned kingdoms to resume trade with Darr.

I paused in the midst of drinking my tea. Hes watching what I do?

He watches all his heirs, Lady Yeine. Very little else entertains him these days.

I thought of the magic orb Id been given, through which I had contacted my nations the night before. I wondered how difficult it would be to create an orb that would not alert the person being observed.

Have you secrets to hide already? Viraine raised his eyebrows at my silence, amused. Visitors in the night, secret trysts, conspiracies afoot?

I have never possessed the innate talent for lying. Fortunately, when my mother realized this, she taught me alternative tactics. That would seem to be the order of business here, I said. Though I havent tried to kill anyone yet. I havent turned the future of our civilization into a contest for my amusement.

If those small things trouble you, Lady, you wont last long here, Viraine said. He moved to sit in a chair across from me, steepling his fingers. Would you like some advice? From someone who was once a newcomer here himself?

I welcome your counsel, Scrivener Viraine.

Dont get involved with the Enefadeh.

I considered whether to stare at him or feign ignorance and ask what he meant. I chose to stare.

Sieh seems to have taken a liking to you, he said. He does that sometimes, like a child. And like a child, hes affectionate; he amuses and exasperates; hes very easy to love. Dont.