Page 3 (2/2)

Cal ie was not happy about her ilanced swiftly at Darri, then away She reached for the tray of food, expertly flipped up her flared sleeve so it didn’t knock anything over, and kept her eyes on her plate as she chewed on a tiny ht at her You can trust me this time But Cal ie didn’t look up

Darri picked up her own pastry and bit into it savagely Varis, she noted, had not picked his up again after the first bite Cal ie, on the other hand, was digging in avidly

You can trust me this time But Cal ie didn’t know that Once, when she had been sh to sob herself to sleep with her head on Darri’s lap, Darri had promised to save her And failed

Darri couldn’t bla that this tiet through to her sister, then Cal ie would have to find it out along with everyone else

Cal ie knew Darri was going to try to get her alone once the banquet ended, so she planned ahead She ered to their rooht Duke Salir’s eye

the rooht Duke Salir’s eye

It needed no more than that The duke heaved himself to his feet and waddled across the rooht with curiosity Duke Salir alanted to knowthe exotic new arrivals, waiting for his chance to pounce, since the an

"My lord," Cal ie s just a bit of warning

"Would you care to join us?"

Varis’s and Darri’s heads snapped up, their expressions for a reatly distressed if she knew it--judging from the strained remarks they addressed toward each other, the relationship between her siblings had never recovered fro a smal , mean satisfaction over that

"Thank you," the duke said, set ling hih-backed chairs "I’ve been looking forward to the chance to speak to Your Highnesses I am very interested in the lands outside our borders, and have been fol oith great admiration the exploits of your tribe"

Cal ie barely suppressed a snort at the lie In Ghostland, that was the equivalent of announcing that you were interested in the courtship rites of ants

Varis looked predictably flat ered, but as he muruised panic She could easily guess what he was thinking: Was theto alive or dead? Cal ie pressed her lips together and said nothing There was no easy way to tel ; even the ghosts didn’t autonize their fel ow dead Cal ie had spentclues and not caring Varis could survive for a few nights

Besides, infor them much of a favor

"Excuse me," she said, and slipped out of her chair Darri half-turned, but not before the duke had addressed a question to her, which she reluctantly turned back to answer Thinking, no doubt, that she would catch up with Cal ie later

A trapped, panicked feeling burned its way up Cal ie’s throat She forced it down, concentrating onher way between tables, and was halfway to the side door of the banquet hal when the room behind her went silent

It was just for a second--a momentary break in the rhythm of conversation--but Cal ie had learned to pay at ention to therong She whirled, her skirt catching on a chair edge, afraid to find out what her sister had done now

But Darri was stil seated, her shoulders tense beneath her shiny strands of dark hair, leaning forward in that way she did when she was spoiling for a fight Varis was seated too, his tired face set in a shrewd, polite expression Neither of them had seen what the rest of the court had

The Guardian was striding across the banquet hal toward them He moved far , as if the black ht in her throat as she struggled between an urge to run toward Darri and an urge to get out of the banquet halIn the end, she fol owed her strongest instinct: to do exactly what the rest of the court was doing Nothing at alShe watched

The Guardian’s feet hit the marble floor with a heavy, h they pretended not to; they returned to dining and talking, but less ostentatiously, trying not to draw at ention to themselves

Across the roo, but he was too far away to do anything

The Guardian drew his silver sword He was so fast that not even Varis had tih Duke Salir’s throat, just as the duke was tilting his head back to down a goblet of wine

Wine splat ered, Duke Salir vanished, and the goblet shat ered on the floor For a , everyone in it frozen and silent, al staring at the Guardian The silver sas the only real-looking object in the room

Then, one by one, the courtiers turned away The low buzz of conversation resumed, a few servants detached thelass, and the Guardian sheathed his sword and kept walking

Toward her

Cal ie didn’t try to run She didn’t try to keep her face composed either She had once tried not to be afraid of the Guardian, until she had realized that this particular fear had nothing to do with her foreignness

Everyone was afraid of the Guardian