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A her pristine white veil and undoing her headscarf Sikvah followed suit Unmarried, Kendall’s face was uncovered, but she wore her hair in a motley headscarf and removed it with a bow

The salon was filled with ladies of the court by the time Araine shuffled up the steps and down the hall Wo art, music, theater, and poetry Princess Lorain commanded a knot of woroups palpable

A trio of feleurs in the court heraldicand beautiful, plucked harps, filling the roo sound

The third was older, tall and thickly set The ant lines of colored velvet, eold Her voice perned to ah soprano aria froer Jak Scaletongue, who could speak to de theer in that sharp, predatory way Krasian women had, Sikvah and Kendall’s heads swiveled as one to follow, like a flock of birds turning in unison

Aers in their secret language while continuing to watch the Jongleur Leesha still had no sense of what the movements meant, but she knew from experience the Krasian woers and facial expression as they could ords

Pretending to adjust her hair, Leesha slipped on a warded earring It was a tiny silver shell, e froht Kendall’s whispered words, even amidst the music "Who’s that?"

Sikvah leaned close to Kendall, her words the barest breath on the young woht them all "She is the one who killed Master Jaycob"

Leesha’s stohtened She had written the report to the city watch after the crime Leesha prided herself on a sharp e of Jaycob’s swollen and bloody body flashed in herHe had been beaten to death by so their bare hands

From the size of the bruises, Leesha had always assumed the killer had been a man There had been a purple handprint on Jaycob’s shoulder--where the assailant had gripped hi her own hand against it, like a childhands, though, and she knew

"What do we do?" Kendall whispered

"Nothing, save the da command it," Sikvah said "This woman owes our husband a blood debt, but until he calls it due, we ht

"Creator, that singing is givingheadache," she said Not loudly, but not quietly, either

Araine i!"

The Jongleur had taken a great breath for her next verse, but choked on it instead, coughing with great convulsion She punched herself in the chest, trying to regain cole

Leesha raised her voice "If the ladies of your salon are as sick of another tired rendition of Scaletongue as I, Your Grace, perhaps the Princess Alanced at Aratitude

At a nod from Araine, Amanvah and her Jiwah Sen swept in on the unfortunate royal troupe, forcing them to stumble aardly from the center of the roo a few notes to war past,them from their unholy purpose" Her trained voice easilyandthe attention of all, even the displaced Jongleurs