Page 34 of Royal Ransom

“You owe me a better explanation than you’ve provided, Basil. Give me one reason I shouldn’t turn you over to Janara this instant. If Olwen is discovered and Janara thinks Priss had anything to do with it, Priss will be tortured and executed right alongside Reynard.”

Did that mean Fox was here? I doubted I’d gotten that lucky. Netty probably meant that Priss would be tossed in jail and executed publicly, just like Fox either had been or was soon going to be. But the fact that I wasn’t entirely sure what Janara was capable of spoke unpleasant volumes about her character.

“Janara had all ways in and out of Winter blocked, save the passage I forged with Queen Bianca,” Basil explained. “Astraightforward charge was suicide, so we decided on a surgical strike. We didn’t anticipate...” Basil gestured vaguely around us. “This. I promise you I wouldn’t have brought this danger so close to Priss on purpose. I thought we would stay the night and leave for the castle by morning. Truly, I am sorry to barge in like this. The last thing I ever wished to do was cause you more trouble.”

Netty scoffed loudly, followed by a weary sigh. “Well, it’s a bit late for that, isn’t it? Oh, don’t look so sullen. I didn’t say I was going to turn you in, just that I could. Priss would be angry with me if I did. She pretends to hate you, but we both know better.”

Basil smiled sadly. “I hope that’s true. But like I said, this isn’t about Priss. Or at least, it’s notcompletelyabout Priss.”

“Oh, just... sit, would you?” Netty sighed, a bit less patient. “I’ll brew you some tea while we discuss our options. I’m probably going to be put to death for not squawking at the first sign of your arrival. But if I’m going to die, I might as well do it with some panache.”

“Tea would be wonderful, thank you,” Basil said with an exhausted sigh of his own. I didn’t look at him directly, but I could feel his gaze on me like an ant under a magnifying glass. Rather than burn me up from the inside out, it warmed me to my core. I was glad to know I wasn’t alone here.

A few moments later, the clatter of silverware alerted me to Netty’s return with the promised tea. After a long stretch of silence, she asked, “So... this is Olwen, you said?”

“Netty, don’t,” Basil replied with a sharp edge in his voice. “She doesn’t need to get the third degree from you. She’s uncomfortable enough as it is. She didn’t plan to come here and take the throne. Janara’s actions forced her hand.”

“And what actions were those?” Netty asked.

“Leave it alone, Netty,” he said with deep fatigue. “You know the Queen and her moods. Suffice it to say it was nasty and putTaliyah in a compromising position. Will you help us get close to her or not?”

“Not tonight,” Netty said, clucking her tongue. “Everyone is getting ready to retire. You arrived just before dawn, Basil. Priss has been in bed for hours, and even the fawns are beginning to turn in for the night. Tomorrow night, perhaps, but right now it’s too dangerous. She’ll see you coming from a mile away.”

Basil’s lips pursed, and he nodded. “I suppose I understand that. It will be cutting things rather fine, but we don’t have many options now, do we?”

“No,” Netty said tartly. “You don’t. Go to your old room. I’ll tell the staff you’re the new gardener and she’s your ailing mother and that Priss let you share quarters out of the kindness of her heart.”

Basil bowed slightly. “As you wish, my lady.”

Netty threw a book at him. She had impeccable aim. I liked that in a woman.

Chapter Twenty-one

Taliyah

“Rise and shine, you louts,” Netty’s voice rang out, waking me with a start.

“Hmm?” I muttered, slowly opening my eyes. “Wha... where…?”

For a solid second, I had no idea where I was. I was discovering that realm jumping was a bit of a headache. While it opened up the possibility of going places, it could also disorient you.

When I sat up, I found myself curled against a lean male body. It wasn’t the one I wanted or expected. Basil’s disguise was still firmly in place, and I recoiled from the stranger before my brain could piece it together and mock me for being silly. I wasn’t exactly a picnic to wake up next to either.

A fire crackled in a small hearth across from the bed. The servants’ quarters were about the size of a walk-in closet, which was an improvement on some of the places I’d lived in Portland as an undergrad. A light winter breeze swept through the room, even with no windows in sight.

I looked around the room, trying to locate Netty’s voice. I looked up just in time to see her disappear back into the corridor, sooty grey tail feathers trailing her out the door. I noted her long brunette hair flowing behind her white gown. She must’ve changed out of her Festivus dress before going to bed.

The deeply aromatic scent of brewing tea enlivened my senses. I pushed myself up on my elbows and grasped the couch’s armrest. When I pulled myself up against it, I sighed. My joints felt as stiff as calcified wood. I stretched languorously, extending my arms high above my head.

Basil opened one bleary eye and asked, “Is the wake-up call truly necessary? We’ve slept for what? Three hours?”

“Two,” Netty said with a sharp smile, clearly reveling in the schadenfreude. He’d given her a headache, and she was itching to give him one back. “And yes, it is necessary. Her highness has taken most of her retinue out on a hunt. A white stag was spotted in the east, and they’re determined to serve it for tonight’s supper. We should be able to coordinate with Priss while she’s away.”

Basil sat up so forcefully his spine popped. He stared at Netty, scrutiny so intense it would have made my skin itch. “Truly?”

“Truly. Get up and join her for a private breakfast. She’s interested in meeting her little sister.”

“Little sister,” I muttered, shaking my head. “That’s never going to sound right.”

---