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She brandished it at me. “It’s about a wolf who falls for a dragon shifter,” she said. “Very intense.”
“Sounds like it.”
“And I thought the king was intimidating,” she said. “Whew. At least he’s a wolf.”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I think I might prefer a dragon. At least then you don’t have to deal with the rest of the pack.”
“What?” Fina squawked. “The pack is the best part. I can’t wait to go on a run with the Nightfall wolves… I’ve heard they’re some of the fastest and strongest in Frasia, even stronger than the Dawnguard wolves.”
“Don’t let Wynona hear you say that,” I teased.
“Can you imagine?” Fina said, laughing. “She’d body slam me before I could finish the sentence.”
“Hey,” I said, “I was going to see about dinner. Would you like to join me?”
Fina’s big grin somehow grew even bigger. “I’d love that,” she said. “Should we see if the rest of the girls want to join? Even Wynona?”
I nodded. “I think we should,” I said. “Since we hardly had any time this morning. And we were all a bit on edge. I think it’d do well for us to get to know each other.”
“I agree,” Fina said. “And you know, if I don’t end up winning, it can’t be a bad idea to be on good terms with the queen.” She shot me a wink.
I laughed and shook my head. Fina wasn’t privy to my plan, but she didn’t need to be. She was right, though. If Fina won, and it was easy for Daybreak to gain access to the king’s ear—that might be the best solution I could imagine.
“Wonderful,” I said. “I’ll have my maidservants send invitations to the other women.”
“And I’ll ask mine about arranging the smaller dining room,” Fina said. “In two hours, then?”
“Perfect.” I offered Fina a playful curtsy, which made her laugh. “I’ll see you then.”
“I have to finish this chapter.” Fina waggled the book again. “I think they’re going to kiss.”
Laughing, I made my way back to the front of the library, where Amity and Rue were waiting for me. Both had a book in hand, which made me smile—I knew I liked them. They jumped to their feet as I approached.
“I’d like to invite the other women for dinner this evening, in the small dining room,” I said. “Can one of you extend that invitation?”
“Certainly!” Rue said brightly. “I’ll do that right away.” She handed her book to Amity then shifted with a goosebump-inducing crackle. Her wolf wagged its tail, then bounded out of the library and down the halls.
Amity set the books they’d been reading back on the stack where they’d found them. She escorted me back to my quarters in human form, which I was oddly grateful for. I’d had quite enough of wolves today—the guard had gotten under my skin.
“Are you enjoying Efra so far, milady?” Amity asked. “Is there anything we can provide to make you feel more welcome?”
“It’s lovely,” I said. To my surprise, I found I meant it. Despite the drafty, dark halls of the manor and the guard that had pushed me around a little, I was excited to make friends. I didn’t have them in Daybreak—just Griffin. Having a friend like Fina, even if it was temporary, was a new and unique joy. I wondered if I could get any of the women to tell me a little more about the landscapes of their cities—maybe that had sketches of their own. I longed to compare the real cities to the maps I’d seen. “I’m very impressed by the library. I can’t say it’s something I expected.”
“The Lady Glennis is an avid reader,” Amity said.
“But not the king?”
“I can’t say I know.” Amity followed me into the room and briskly stoked the fire until it was roaring again. “Will you be changing before dinner?”
“Oh, perhaps, but I can do it on my own,” I said. “I have some personal business to attend to.”
Amity curtsied and left me alone in the room. I opened my trunk and pulled out my stationary kit, still tucked safely in the inner pocket. I smoothed the fine eggshell paper out on the table and set up my pen and inkwell.
Letter-writing always soothed my nerves. It was easy to sink into the ritual of it, the delicate scratch of my pen over the paper, and the crackle of the fire driving away the draft. “Dear Griffin,” I wrote, “with any luck this letter may reach you just days before I return…”
By the time I’d laid out the events of the past two days, and my hopes for how I’d make my way home, the fire had started to burn down and the sky outside was darkening. I glanced at the clock, then started—I was going to be late for the dinner I’d planned! I cleaned up in a hurry, briskly changing out of my meet-and-greet dress into a simpler warm gown for dinner. I wrapped my hair into its usual plait and left the tiara on my vanity. For a moment, I considered wearing the pendant Griffin had given me—but I didn’t want anyone to ask about it. Better to keep things simple.
Before I left, I sealed the letter with my family crest ring. I didn’t expect the Nightfall court to go as far as to read my mail—but I still didn’t want to take the chance.
