Thana rolled her eyes. “That’s exactly the point.” She cast aglance around, then pulled Sylph to the side of the hall, her hands as warm asif she still stood in the fire. “The queen won’t fight you, but she might…well,if she thinks it would help the kingdom, she might…” She nodded vaguely atSylph.
“Might?” The queen couldn’t simply strip Sylph or her father oftheir titles. They would have to commit a crime against the crown for that.Being a noble pyradisté was practically unheard of, but it wasn’t illegal. Thenwhat could the queen do? By Thana’s worried face, it was serious. “You can’tmean she’d…harm me?” she asked breathlessly, hardly daring to believe it. “Myfather would raise an army.”
“I got the sense that it would appear to be an accident, one you wouldn’twalk away from.”
Sylph’s stomach dropped to her shoes. She’d heard tales of QueenEarnhilt leading her troops in battle, of taking more than a few heads, but tocut someone down in cold blood? Unthinkable.
Or was it? Could she really say her father wouldn’t do the sameif it got him what he wanted? “He…I…” She didn’t know what to say. “He won’tjust leave without an explanation.”
“Then you’ll have to go alone,” Thana said.
There was that word again. Sylph barked a laugh, a bray of fear,before covering her mouth. “I couldn’t possibly. The very idea is ludicrous.”
Thana rolled her eyes. “Oh yes. One cannot possibly go withoutone’s maid and chef and…horse trainer.”
Anger spread hotly through Sylph’s chest. “I shouldn’t haveexpected a member of the peasantry to understand.” They were words out of herfather’s mouth, but she couldn’t say anything else to the snide look on Thana’sface.
After another deep breath, Thana held up her hands. “All right. Ishot at you. You returned fire. Now we’re even, and nothing more will be solvedby standing here sniping at each other. Your life is in danger.”
“My father will protect me. He may not love me, but he will notallow the queen to take anything from him.” Her anger washed away upon a waveof hurt. She’d never said some of those words before.
Thana’s eyes went wide, and her burning touch engulfed Sylph’shand once more. “I’m sorry, really, but I don’t think you want the nobles andthe monarch to start fighting again any more than I do. If you aren’t…done awaywith, it’ll be something else.” She couldn’t seem to bring herself to saykilled or murdered. “The queen is already talking about imprisoning all thepyradistés.”
Touched, Sylph squeezed her hand. “Then you should flee, too. Itseems neither of us has a very secure future.” And she was becoming numb.Perhaps a person could only be so afraid before other emotions had nowhere togo. When Thana didn’t respond, Sylph started back toward her apartment. “I’llleave my father a note, I suppose, to slow down the search. I’ll tell him I’mtoo afraid of rogue pyradistés to stay in Marienne, and I’m going home.”
Thana frowned as she kept pace. “Will he believe that?”
She shrugged. Fear still raged inside her, but it felt good to bemoving, to be doing something other than hiding in her apartment and waitingfor her father to either disown her or use her as a rallying point forrebellion.
Or waiting for the queen to kill her.
She tried to tell herself that a little jaunt in the country wasall she needed. And the queen might find out her identity, but perhaps herfather wouldn’t. Then by the time she returned, she’d know how to repress herpowers, and the current troubles would have blown over.
If only she could make herself believe that, all would be well.
* * *
Thana tried to fight her impatience as Sylph packed. Everyinstinct shouted that Sylph needed to be removed from danger as fast aspossible, but she wouldn’t be dissuaded from taking everything in her apartmentor writing her father a letter that probably wouldn’t help.
Sylph went behind a changing screen and came out in a dusky pinkriding dress with a tight-fitting bodice and a slit up the front that revealedtight trousers when she moved. The color complemented her tanned skin and blondhair so well, Thana had to look away to keep her jaw from dropping.
When Sylph swung a hooded cloak over her shoulders, Thana movedtoward the door, thinking they were ready to leave, but Sylph merely gathered afew more things from her vanity table.
Thana ground her teeth. Maybe she could coax Queen Earnhilt inthis direction. That might instill a bit of urgency.
“Instead of crossing your arms and tapping your foot, you couldhelp,” Sylph said as she packed some jewelry.
“Don’t you have a trustworthy maid for this?”
Sylph didn’t reply, so Thana sighed and stuffed some clothing ina bag, not bothering to fold it. Maybe wearing wrinkled shirts and the likewould persuade Sylph to travel lighter.
Thana supposed she should be glad that she was busy savingsomeone. She didn’t seem to be able to help all the innocent pyradistés whowere as much victims of this rogue magic as everyone else. Locking them uplikely wouldn’t help anyone, but Thana doubted the queen would listen.
Gunnar might not listen, either, and that burned her still. Hemight not even argue when it was her turn to be imprisoned.
A soft sound came from the doorway. Thana glanced up, waddedgarment in hand, to find a young woman in a plain dress with a shocked lookupon her face.
“My lady,” she said, gaze flicking between Thana and Sylph.“What’s going on?” Red bloomed in her cheeks before she stepped into the room,crossing to where Sylph stood. “I beg your pardon, my lady. I meant, is theresomething I can assist you with?”
At last, a maid. Thana tossed the garment in with the others andstood back, happy someone else was here to pack. After a few quick words, themaid would probably be ready to go, too, and Sylph wouldn’t have to worry abouttraveling alone.
But Sylph’s eyes were wide, her complexion a few degrees paler,and she’d frozen, jewelry case in hand. She and the maid stared at one anotherfor a moment.
“My friend is helping me sort through
