I raised the weapon and pulled away the curtain.
The person who stood in front of the window had gray hair and a short beard, his eyes blue and clear. His skin was sun-browned and wrinkled, but his shoulders looked strong. He wore trousers tucked into fine brown boots, and a long leather coat that looked as if it had seen plenty of wear. And he looked absolutely baffled to find me, curtain drawn, poker in hand.
“Who are you?” I asked. Not the Aetheric practitioner. This man was older and had the wrong build, and there was no hint of Aether around him. If he was a servant, I hadn’t seen him before. If he was a party guest, he wasn’t dressed like the rest of them.
“Who areyou?” he countered, then cocked his head. “And do you often go around beating guests with pokers?”
“How do I know you’re not an intruder who came in through the window?”
“I suppose you don’t. But I’m not.” His smile showed light amusement, and not a hint of concern that he’d been found.
“If you’re a guest, what were you doing in the curtains?”
“Fresh air,” he said. “I’d have gone outside, but damned if I know where the palace doors are. May I untangle myself without getting poked through?”
I moved out of the way.
“Strange to meet a pretty girl with a poker in a council room.”
“Strange to be in a council room with a poker,” I agreed.
“Why aren’t you at the party?” he asked.
“There are…a lot of people.” Seemed best not to tell him I was looking for things to steal. Or at least to sneak around in.
“A lot of people,” he agreed, and held out a hand. “I’m Gryffin. May I have the honor of your name?”
He talked like a retired storybook knight and didn’t seem like an immediate threat. I took his hand and shook it. “I’m called Fox.”
“Fox,” he repeated. “Are you as clever and curious as your namesake?”
“I try.”
“Good lass. This will be our refuge from the people. Although maybe not for much else.” He lifted his gaze to the gallery of animal heads. “Lot of death in here, isn’t there?”
“There is. Although the map’s nice.”
“ ’Tis a good map,” he agreed. “Have you seen much of it?”
“The map?”
He laughed aloud. “Carethia, lass. Have you seen much of the country?”
“Oh, no. I haven’t had the chance.” Maybe the prince was right, and I didn’t look like a servant.
As if lured by my thought of him, the door opened and the prince stepped inside. He glanced at me and lifted an eyebrow. He glanced at the man, and the other eyebrow joined it.
“This is a very suspicious-looking situation,” he said, closing the door and walking toward us.
“About damned time you managed to say a word to your uncle.”
Uncle?
The prince must have seen the momentary panic in my face, as he looked very amused.
“Fox, meet His Grace, Gryffin Lys’Careth. My uncle, the duke.”
My chest began to feel hot, and not because of Aethericmagic. I’d swatted the Emperor Eternal’s brother with a damned fire poker. Did they behead people for that?
