Chapter 13

R o entered the Wyvern banquet hall escorted by Gabriel, with Uldamar following behind them. The three royal guards they'd brought with them were already in place.

The doors were opened by Wyvern guards, and a footman announced them. "Queen Sparrow Meadowcroft of Summerton, First Professor of Palace Security Gabriel Nightborne, and First Professor of Magic Uldamar Darkstone."

The room was nearly a twin of the reception hall Ro had been welcomed into upon their arrival, with similar mosaic floors and elaborate paintings. The only difference was this room was set up with a table long enough to seat fifty, maybe more, and filled with lit candles and fresh flowers. From the sweet scent wafting through the space, the candles were beeswax, the hint of honey blending beautifully with the fragrant blooms.

Ro hadn't thought to bring a gown suitable for such an occasion. Thankfully, Helana and Luena had greater foresight. In one of her saddlebags, Ro had found a simple but elegant gown of sparkling blue, adorned with crystals, silver thread, and trillianites. There was a matching pair of slippers, too. All of it wrapped in tissue and tied with ribbon.

The jewelry she'd brought went perfectly, even the dragonfly brooch she'd had on her cloak, which she'd pinned to the shoulder of her gown. Whatever those two were being paid, it wasn't enough.

She wore only one dagger this evening, the blade given to her by Sam Silversmith, the one that could detect the presence of dangerous magic. Thankfully, it had yet to warm up since arriving here. A welcome sign.

King Ehlzar and Queen Varyana stood nearby, talking with some other Wyvern. They immediately broke away and came to Ro.

The king lifted his glass. "We are delighted you and your professors could join us."

Ro smiled at them. "Your hospitality is deeply appreciated. You've made us feel truly welcome."

A server came by with a tray of glasses, offering them to Ro, Gabriel, and Uldamar. They each took one. The liquid was deep, ruby red and smelled like a summer bonfire.

"Emberberry wine," Queen Varyana offered. "Our traditional drink. The berries only grow at high altitudes."

"Thank you. I look forward to trying it," Ro said, taking a glass. She took a sip. The flavor was like a tart, slightly smoky cherry. It was good. "Delicious."

Queen Varyana smiled, obviously pleased.

King Ehlzar moved closer to Gabriel. "I would very much like to introduce you to General Lazheller. I believe you and he will have much to talk about."

"I'm sure we would." Gabriel looked at Ro.

She nodded at him. "I'm fine." It would be good for him to get to know these people better.

He and the king left. Uldamar was in deep conversation with an older man in dark robes with a silver beard slightly longer than his own. The Wyvern version of himself, maybe?

Ro smiled. Queen Varyana laughed. "The men never have any trouble finding things to talk about, do they?"

"No, they don't. Your gown is beautiful." It was, too. Every inch of the iridescent green-gray fabric was embroidered with stars, large and small, and some were filled in with tiny crystal beads that made them sparkle.

"You are very kind. In the ancient language of the Wyvern, varyana means star."

"Oh! That's even better then." Ro glanced at her own dress, which paled in comparison. "I apologize if my gown isn't up to Wyvern standards. I didn't anticipate needing anything fancy. Thankfully, my staff packed this for me."

"Your gown is lovely," Varyana said. "There is elegance in simplicity, and you look truly elegant."

"Thank you," Ro said. She had a feeling Varyana was trying to make her feel better, something Ro appreciated, because it was something she would have done herself. She felt an immediate kinship with the woman.

Varyana seemed fascinated by the trillianites in Ro's jewelry. In the candlelight, they were throwing an unusual amount of blue fire with every movement she made. "These gems you wear—are they native to your land?"

"They are, but they can found in other places, too. We call them trillianites."

"Trillianites. They are fascinating. So full of life."

Ro shifted her glass to her other hand and pulled off one of the three trillianite bands she was wearing. "Here. For you. A little gift from one queen to another."

Varyana stared at the ring as though she couldn't believe it. "You would give this to me?"

"Absolutely. We're friends now, aren't we?"

Varyana still hadn't taken the ring. She lifted her hand, fingers reaching. "You're sure?

"I am. I want you to have it. Consider it the first trade between our people."

"But I've given you nothing."

"I wouldn't say that's true. You welcomed us when we arrived unannounced, gave us a place to stay, and you're about to feed us." Ro put the ring into Varyana's hand. "I want you to have it."

A shifting flash of green glimmered in Varyana's eyes. The creature within her, perhaps? "Did someone tell you to give me this?"

Confused, Ro frowned. "No." Then a bit of panic struck her. "Please don't tell me I've just violated some kind of royal protocol or Wyvern tradition or something like that. I promise, I only meant it as a gesture of kindness."

Peering into Ro's eyes, Varyana finally took the ring. "You are telling the truth. It was in kindness only. You have done nothing wrong at all." Varyana smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger, admiring it in the light. "It is very beautiful. Even more so because of your heart."

Ro managed to breathe again.

Varyana unhooked the clasp of a bracelet on her wrist. Tiny, polished crystal shards drilled through and linked by gold. "Here. For you." Without waiting for Ro to reply, Varyana put it around Ro's wrist and fastened it. "Now we are friends."

Ro nodded. "I am very glad to hear that. And the bracelet is gorgeous. Thank you so much."

Varyana touched Ro's arm. "I will tell my husband that the alliance must be done."

"I didn't give you that ring to try to sway you."

"I know you didn't."

Ro relaxed. "It's hard being a royal sometimes, isn't it? Always thinking people are nice to you because of what you can do for them." She shook her head. "It seems like such a glamorous job until you actually have to do it."

Varyana smirked and sipped her wine, her eyes searching the crowd for her husband. "I was a shop girl until I caught Ehlzar's eye. I was selling emberberry tarts at our spring festival. He was a prince then, and the most handsome man I'd ever seen."

Ro blinked at Varyana. "So the Wyvern have no protocol about a royal marrying a commoner? Sorry if that's not the right word. I mean no disrespect."

"No, you have it right. I was a commoner. And no, we have no such protocols." Varyana smiled in the direction of her husband. "We believe in marrying for love. Is that not the way of your people?"

"No, unfortunately. The fae believe a royal should marry someone of noble birth. I'd like to change that, for my son's sake, but it might be too much change all at once." Ro touched the crystal bracelet Varyana had given her. Did their new friendship extend to such topics as Lady Cynzia?

Ro was about to ask if Varyana had anything to tell her about the woman's whereabouts when a deep gonging sound reverberated through the room. She looked up and saw that the king was standing in front of his chair at the head of the table.

"We must take our places," Varyana said. She handed her glass to a footman, picked up her skirts, and walked toward the table.

Everyone else in the room was doing the same thing. Ro sighed in frustration, believing she'd just been about to get some good information. It would have to wait until after dinner.

Gabriel appeared at her side, his arm offered to her. "My lady. May I escort you to your seat?"

"Yes, thank you, but I don't know which one it is."

"I do. You're seated next to the king, across from the queen. Their head of finance is seated next to you."

She took his arm, keeping her voice low. "That sounds riveting."

His quick smile said he'd caught her sarcasm. "Uldamar is next to him and already knows that he's to occupy the man as much as possible so that you can talk to the king and queen."

They made their way toward the table, but it was slow going because everyone else was doing the same thing.

"Do you know if he was able to scan for Lady Cynzia?"

"I don't, but he did do a little bit of magic." Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe that was it."

She had a feeling if Uldamar had found anything related to Lady Cynzia, he would have let her know. "Where are you seated?"

"Next to Queen Varyana. Just across from you."

Ro nodded. She would have preferred Gabriel next to her, but that's not how things were done. "Did you learn anything interesting?"

"Yes, but it's nothing too important. Best discussed later."

"All right."

He pulled out her chair for her. She stood in front of it but didn't sit, as King Ehlzar was still standing. Gabriel went to his place. The table was wide enough that she'd be unable to speak to him or Varyana unless she made a real effort.

The king raised his glass of emberberry wine. "Here, here. A toast to the first royal to ever visit the kingdom of Hythe, and our guest of honor this evening, Queen Sparrow of Summerton."

Everyone at the table raised their glasses. Ro nodded and smiled, trying to make eye contact with as many guests as possible. Not a single one of them looked unhappy that she was there.

Could they really all be that pleased by her visit?

They drank, then the king took his seat, so everyone else was free to sit. He clapped his hands and the doors of the dining hall opened. Footmen streamed in carrying crystal platters of meat. Venison, goat, boar, fish of all kinds, and more types of small fowl than she could name. Some of the meats were roasted, some prepared with rich sauces.

The king leaned toward her. "We are a decidedly carnivorous race, my lady. I've asked the kitchens to prepare a few vegetable dishes as well, as I've been told the fae eat a more varied diet."

"That's true, we do eat a wide assortment of vegetables, grains, and fruits. You must eat some fruit, though. The emberberries?"

Ehlzar nodded. "We eat some, but only when the fruits are in season, so it's not year-round."

"I see." She thought of the bounty of Summerton. Was that something they could share with Hythe? Transporting fresh fruit would be harder, but dried fruits and preserves would travel well. Of course, if they had a portal, that would change everything. "Well, you all look very healthy, so you're obviously not suffering."

He laughed. "We are very well attuned to the needs of our bodies and, for the most part, the main need is meat. Producing fire takes a tremendous amount of strength."

She smiled. "I will have to take your word for it."

"You'll see for yourself soon enough," he said with a rather amused gleam in his eyes.

She'd already seen it, but she still wanted to ask what he meant. Then platter after platter was presented to her, making it impossible to further the conversation. She filled her plate with a little bit of everything, including the beautifully sauteed mushrooms, something she hoped was asparagus, and a cold salad of greens with cheese and nuts.

Finally, the footmen continued on around the table and the chance for conversation returned.

Except then a large troop of young people came in wearing red costumes trimmed in gold. Some of them had instruments. The evening's entertainment, she guessed.

She was right. As some played music, the rest did all kinds of dances and acrobatics, most of which included one or more of them breathing fire at some point. They moved around the long table, giving everyone a chance to see the performance.

Ro was mesmerized. It was like being in the middle of a Las Vegas spectacular. As she watched them, she caught the king watching her.

His brows lifted. "Are you enjoying the evening?"

She nodded. "It's fantastic."

He smiled. "I am very glad to hear that." He stabbed a big chunk of meat with his knife. "I like you, Sparrow Meadowcroft. My wife told me what you did."

Ro swallowed. "What I did?"

He ate the meat off the end of the knife, then used it to point to Varyana. "The stones you gave her. The gift of stones is sacred to our people. My wife is my heart. You have made her very happy and showed yourself to be a person of the utmost honor." He sliced more meat, and once again used the knife to pick it up. "Whatever you want, you will have."