She shook her head, her messy bun dancing.“What haven’t you told the king?”
“I didn’t tell him that Felip was in myparents’ quarters. He knows everything else.” She bit her lip.“Except I didn’t tell him about the woman with Felip in theservants’ passages. Or that Felip is saying he is protecting mefrom his mother.”
Sybil seemed to consider which revelation tofollow. “What does Maizalyn intend?”
“She wants the king’s ring and will kill ormaim for it.”
Sybil eyed Kambry’s hand. She rose from herchair, pacing the room and organizing items on desks andbookshelves. “The impressions have been hazy all day. I’ve beentrying to get a sense of what’s coming.” She faced Kambry, a bookin her hand. “You’re surrounded by uncertainty.”
“You mean you aren’t certain what it means,or I’m uncertain?”
Sybil looked at the book in her hand and setit down abruptly. She strode to her desk and sat in the seat,making it squeak unhappily when she couldn’t decide to lean forwardor back. “I don’t know. It’s all very uncertain.” She grimaced. “Iknow, I’m not helping. I used to know who the enemy was. Now I’mnot sure.”
They both gazed at the desktop. Kambryrecognizing guilt stabbing at her conscience. She hated keepingthings from Russal? Didn’t they just have an argument about him notincluding her? “Can I trust Russal?”
“Implicitly.”
“Of that you are certain?”
“Implicitly.”
“I want you to direct your attention toFelip. Try to find implicit notions about his trustworthiness.”
Sybil frowned. “You believe it’s up forreevaluation?”
“Something has changed. You said you don’tknow who the enemy is anymore. Wasn’t Felip the enemy?”
Sybil tensed. “Do you trust Russal?”
“Why did you call him Russal?”
“Don’t evade me, Your Highness. Do you trustthe man you call Russal?”
“I’m very confused right now. If I trustFelip, does that mean I can’t trust Russal? And if I trust Russal,does that mean I can’t trust Felip?”
Sybil uncapped the inkwell, grasped her quilland dipped it. She drew slow circles on the parchment.
Kambry watched the ink grow thin with eachsweep.
Sybil didn’t seem to notice it become dry andscrape the parchment. The quill paused, and she stared at thewell-formed loops.
Kambry kept silent, willing to give Sybiltime. Was this how she connected with Kavin magic?
Sybil’s gaze rose until she was looking atKambry. “There is a change in the dynamics.”
“I’m still pivotal,” Kambry said withresignation and certainty.
“That has never changed.”
“What has?”
“The focus of the pieces is shifting. Someoneelse is rising to the fore.”
“Who?”
“A woman.”
“Me?”
“You’re always at the front.”
“Another woman is rising. Will she overtakeme?”
“She will try.” Sybil rubbed her face. “Thereare too many involved, too many who have made recent decisions. Thedanger has heightened, but whom you should shield yourself from ismurky.”
With the thought that her decisions hadchanged future events, Kambry closed her eyes. Was she nowdangerous and to whom or what? She had trusted Felip, and shedidn’t know why. She had protected him from Russal. At least shehadn’t let Russal detect him in the hidden halls with her help. Indoing that, she had also kept him from knowing about the woman. Sheneeded to figure out what had made her view Felip differently. Sheno longer feared him or saw him as a danger to Russal. Maybe he wasa danger in a different way. Or he wasn’t dangerous at all. No, hewas dangerous, but its focus was not toward Russal anymore.
“I’ve never had so many opposing impressionsbefore.” Sybil stood and paced her office again.
“You have conflicting impressions of Russaland me?”
“And Lenar, and Felip, even theLaurentses.”
Kambry’s mouth dropped open. The Laurentses?She didn’t want to consider them her enemy and set them aside forthe moment. “Who’s Lenar?”
“One of my apprentices.” She stopped at adesk and stared down at its well-ordered stacks of ledgers.
“You’re worried about an apprentice?”
She faced Kambry. “He witnessed the murder ofthe king and queen when he was a boy.”
“He was the boy covered in blood?” Russal hadtold her about the boy who saw the queen murdered right in front ofhim.
She nodded. “Since then, he’s had occasionalimpressions, always focused on Russal and, more recently, you.”
Did the trauma of seeing her murder cause himto connect with Kavin? That was curious.
The queen’s blood all over him might havecreated a connection, she supposed. She knew nothing of the way itall worked. She had a connection to Kavin, and it didn’t take ahorrendous murder. It was possible, if anything was.
“Why are you worried about him?” Kambryasked.
“I feel death around him. Betrayal, anger,grief.” She leaned on the desk as if she hadn’t the strength tohold herself up. Even the wild bun on her head seemed ready tocollapse on itself.
Kambry hurried to the serving tray and filleda glass with water. She carried it to Sybil. “Drink. You don’t lookgood.”
Sybil took the glass, but she set it on thedesk. “There are connections. Lenar and Russal are linked, but thatone day is the only commonality I can find between them.”
“Would Lenar recognize the killer if he sawhim?”
Her head shook as if she suffered a tremor.“He has no memory of it.”
“But you know something? Something tying himto Russal.”
“It causes him great distress when he isasked about that day.” Sybil picked up the glass and her handtrembled.
“Sybil, what is Lenar to you?”
“No one claimed him.” She stared into theglass. “I raised him. I held him when he awoke screaming in thenight.” The glass clanked against her teeth, and she set it downagain without taking a drink.
“Please, sit down, Sybil.” Kambry helped herto her chair. “Let’s take this one at a time. We’ll list them.”
The seer sat down and pushed her scribblesaside. “Russal is in less danger. I sense hurt, but no physicalharm. Danger, but not imminent.”
“And Felip?”
“There is change. He’s taking a differentcourse, and you’re part of it.”
Kambry bit her lip. She hoped this coursechange didn’t draw her from Russal’s side. “Is Felip in danger?”She had broken her habit of playing with the strap of the queen’sscabbard when she was under stress but still felt the urge to tugon it. She clenched her fist.
Sybil’s head rose to stare at Kambry. “Yes.You need to keep Felip and Russal separate.”
“He’s in danger from Russal?”
“I don’t think so,” she said, but she soundeduncertain. “There is a time
