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Keleios appeared beside the others She half-collapsed on a bed that was shoved too close to the wall One hand touched the wall and the rich heaviness of the unicorn tapestry The bulk of their coirl sat huddled in the bed, staring at thehe tumbled off of Keleios&039; shoulders and soirl let out a s that covered the floor The nursee with a broom The woman had backed the men into a corner away from the bed

Lothor called to Keleios, "Tell this woic on her"

Keleios began to retch, trying to gasp in clean air Speech was beyond her Groghe, imp that he was, kne to bedevil the nursemaid He crept behind her and lifted her skirts She screamed and swatted at him with the broom He was too fast, and she hit e with the brooht the nausea, breathing in the clean, cool air She pulled off the da"

But the woman was in near hysterics from the little dehe, leave her"

The iave a last swipe to the full skirts and then scuttled out of reach and sat down He grinned at her, showing long pointed teeth

The wo and near tears, stared at Keleios "Are you real, or soda"

The woman came forward hesitantly She spoke to the wide-eyed child "You reirl stared at the blood-coated ure in front of her The white pinched face, theBut she had been raised properly and ed a faint, "Hello, Auntie Keleios"

"Auntie?" Lothor said fros, niece Llewellyn" And knowing so of children, Keleios added, "I&039;s"

The child&039;s face brightened "It still sings for ood enchantment"

Keleios suards came in dressed in the white and silver of the Guardian&039;s livery Short swords cada said, "Put those away Can&039;t you see the Lady Keleios has couards looked doubtful, but Magda shooed them out of the room "Go wake the Guardian"

At this they looked even more uncertain One said, "It is very early for the Guardian to be up"

"No matter, her sister is here Now do as you are bid"

They left, and the nurse shut the door behind theue "What a o with this sudden appearance, but for noill see to rooms for all of you, and food and clean clothes" Before Keleios could speak, Magda continued, "I will see that so is included with yours"

"Thank you, Magda"

The woman bundled up the child into a blanket

"Come, pet, we&039;ll leave the rooeda&039;s shoulder, and they were left alone in the roo across the bed The deep rose-pink, alolden war the eastern wall

"Where are we?" Tobin asked

"The Guardian&039;s Isle"

Eroar stepped forward "You nearly had us materialize inside that bed"

"I didn&039;t know the bed would be so close to the tapestry"

The dragon man&039;s eyes narrowed "You didn&039;t know?"

"It has been over a year since I visited Then there was plenty of room"

"You had us teleport to a point that you hadn&039;t seen in a year, a point as mobile as a tapestry? It could have been anywhere"

"But it wasn&039;t just anywhere; it was right here" She didn&039;t feel like fighting with the ood"

Keleios settled tiredly on the bed, ignoring what the blood was doing to the bedding Poth had curled into a rocking chair that stood at the far left corner of the roo claws in the rich fabric, and, when satisfied, lay down She curled into a black and white ball, head hidden under bushy tail Groghe had discovered a rocking horse The green-clawed hands gripped the baby handles at the wooden head, and his wide-scaled feet didn&039;t quite touch the floor He bounced his ruh

The unicorn tapestry had always hung in the nursery A herd of unicorn ran froanized hunt Hounds yapped at their heels and farther back the hunters rode The unicorns were the large white beauties of Calthu, the flowers and plants painstakingly exact The trees were truly the Calthuian forest Keleios wondered, as she always had, ith all the attention to detail, they had spoiled it by having the unicorns running in a herd like horses

Gabel rested in a cushioned chair near the s The sunlight old as the rest of his face His eyes were closed, and an odd smile touched his lips

Keleios half-wished she had left him on the island In the boat the de for him to blackmail them with She shook her head Even Gabel didn&039;t deserve to die at the hands of de her They stared at each other, testing wills He turned aith a half-laugh

Keleios watched Lothor watching them both

There were sounds at the door Guards entered first They stood on either side of the door, naked swords held close to their chests

The one on the left was tall and well ly lean His hair was black and still fell in a tangle over grey-blue eyes He said uncertainly, "Princess Keleios" His eyes had gone to the de, "Yippee"

"It is I, Trask, returned hoe co story" Keleios remembered him as one of the bullies who had tor

He opened his ure was dressed in a wolimpses of a pale skirt as she walked The hood was full and drawstrung so it effectively hid her face She brushed past the guards and told them, "Put up your weapons" They did as ordered

Gold thread sparkled along the cloak as she stepped into the sunlight The cloaked woman stood before Keleios They faced each other silently for a moment and then embraced The cloak hood was pushed back to reveal a thick ular face with eyes that tilted slightly at the corners and were the sareen as her cloak

Except for eye color she was a mirror of Keleios Keleios stared at her twin sister, wondering what kind of greeting she would receive

The voice was formal "Welcoood to be home, sister"

"And who are your companions?"

She motioned Tobin forward "Methia Twice-royal, my sister, I present Prince Tobin of Meltaan, heir to the province of Fenian, journeyertips in an Astranthian gesture of welcohtly and bowed

Methia hesitated before Lothor&039;s black ar, "Sister, may I present Prince Lothor Gorewielder, sometimes heir of all Lolth, enchanter, sorcerer, and my promised consort"

The woman said quietly, "Are you, like the rest of the Loltun princes, a black healer as well?"

Lothor bowed at the neck "I am, sister of my promised"

She seemed to wince at the last and asked, "Gore&039;s wielder, who is Gore?"

Lothor&039;s hand caressed the ax at his side with a cold smile

She said simply, "I see"

Gabel was next, but Keleios said only, "He black him He is the Gabel who murdered my smithy master Edan"

The harsh look that came to Methia&039;s eyes was very like Keleios&039; "Murderers are not welcome on the Guardian&039;s Isle"

"I have been punished by the Meltaanian courts"

Keleios stepped up to him "You still live Edan is dead, and you still live That has always bothered me"

He said, "And it has always botheredyou, half-breed"

Methia uards forward They stood to either side of Gabel

He smiled crookedly "I have been tried and sentenced You cannot do it a second time; that is the law"

Methia said, "I am the law here"

He did not flinch "But you, too, follow Cia You will not kill me in cold blood I have been punished, and it is not in you to haruards "Take hiuard hiuards bowed and led hi of diplomacy, for he didn&039;t protest He stopped just short of the door "I hope to see you later, Keleios"

"I&039;ed"

Methia said, "No, absolutely no dueling on ed "You are the Guardian"

Gabel said, "Another tiuards led Gabel away

Methia nodded at Eroar "There is no need for introductions between us, Eroar"

"No, Methia, no introductions" They clasped hands, and Methia walked to Poth The cat yawned, baring fangs, then stretched under the woman&039;s expert hands "And Gilstorpoth, I see you survived"

Methia turned to the green de horse "And what is this?"

Keleios round and scrahe, a very lesser demon, whom I ensorcelled He aided our escape from the Grey Isle"

Methia paled "The Grey Isle I heard only that you were exiled Nesbit sent you there?"

Keleios nodded, watching her sister&039;s face carefully Methia chose to ignore Nesbit&039;s treachery for soht "I would prefer that a demon not be in this castle"

"Understood" Keleios knelt beside the de to take the necklace back and free you" His eyes ith fear, and he backed away, claws clutching the gold necklace to his bony chest "Oh, no, Master, don&039;t free me"

"You are a demon, at least an i"

"I do not, but if you free me, I will be forced back to the bad place"

"The Grey Isle, you orously

"Why is it a bad place for a demon? Harque is dead; you are free"

"No, Master, unless ensorcelled roveled at her feet, hands encircling her knees "Don&039;t let o back there, Master I don&039;t want to be entertainment anymore"

Keleios placed her hands on his shoulder and concentrated "There is a geas on hi He will be forced to return there" She pried the little dehe, I will not free you for now"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Master" He tried licking her hands, which was a sign of great abasehe"

He looked like an eager puppy

Methia said, "Well, have hiht at least"

"He will"

Methia pulled a cord by the door, and servants came alet you food, fresh clothes, and baths"

Methia spoke to one blond serving girl, who scurried away Methia made it clear that she wished to be alone with Keleios, and the others were ushered out

The door closed, and they were alone They stood looking at each other in silence Methia broke it "You look awful"

Keleios looked down at the blood-stained arhed "Still the sa the corridors cloaked rather than let someone see you unprepared"

Methia smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes, "I am the same, but you are not"

"Oh, I don&039;t know Isn&039;t this usually how I came home: armored, sword in hand, bloody?"

"No"

"No" Keleios started to sit upon the bed but saw her sister wince and stood "I am also in need of a bath and clean clothes"

"I wish to talk to you"

"I know, but we can talk later"

"Very well, I will join you in your rooht up to us"

Keleios nodded agreement and Methia left She did not want to talk with Methia, not about Lothor, or de But when one comes home, there are always questions to answer

She walked out the door, leaving Poth to sleep and Groghe to play with one of Llewellyn&039;s dolls His face was cru, as he tried to undo the tiny buttons

The bathing pools ran in precise ic to keep them warm and pure, but the enchantment had been set in place when the castle had first been for out Tobin was already wet, hair strea in alirls helped hi fro around him His hair had been combed and was coer than Tobin&039;s, as long as a woman&039;s The tips of it floated on the water He scowled at her and said, "I thought this was the men&039;s bath"

Keleios answered, "We hold to Astranthian customs here, as well as Meltaan Bath houses cater to both, and there is not rooic to separate the away fro woh at his disco woman came to help her with her armor "Besides, Lothor, the servants are women; they see you"

"But they are servants"

Keleios understood what servantswrong, "If it will o farther away"

He said nothing but glared at her from one silver eye lost in a mist of platinuhtly colder water than she wanted Keleios had no wish to antagonize him further If they were to be joined, they would at least need some seh her tired body, soaking bruises and an to co hair