Page 115 of A Dark and Drowning Tide

Anja stared down at her daughter with her lips pressed into a bloodless line. “Silence, Sylvia.”

“I’m listening.” Wilhelm hooked an ankle over his knee in the very picture of indolence. “What would you have me do?”

“If you want the support of Albe, it would be wise to leave her alive.” Sylvia drew in a steadying breath and met her mother’s dispassionate gaze. “I would have you exile her.”

The cold detachment slid off Anja’s face like a dropped plate. She lurched forward in her chair, straining against her bonds. “What?”

“She has shown utter disregard to Albe and the well-being of its people. She is unfit to rule.” Sylvia canted her chin with a touch of that old, haughty defiance Lorelei had once despised. “I will assume the title of duchess, and I will pledge my armies, in addition to the power of the Ursprung, to you.”

“You stupid girl, you will ruin us!” Anja snarled. “Everything I’ve worked for, everything that makes Albe what it is, will be taken from us.”

Wilhelm gave a vague wave to one of the guards stationed at the doors. “Remove her.”

As the guards dragged Anja from the throne room, Sylvia lowered her gaze to the floor, the muscle in her jaw tick, tick, ticking. “I will quell any sedition in my region. In exchange,” she continued, “you will let me go.”

Wilhelm hesitated. “What do you mean?”

“I do not know if you intend to uphold your original promise. If you do, know that I will serve you, but I will not marry you. I don’t think we are a good match for a number of reasons.” She brightened. “Heike, on the otherhand—”

“Sylvia,” Heike hissed.

Wilhelm blinked, as though he couldn’t decide whether to be relieved or insulted. He glanced at the others with a sigh. “Leave us. It seems Sylvia and I have a lot to discuss.”

Lorelei bowedlow—fortuitoustiming, since her eyes were welling withtears, of all things. She could not believe it. When was the last time she had cried, especially for something as patently ridiculous aslove? This is what they’dplanned—whatLorelei herself had suggested. And yet, she had not adequately prepared for what Sylvia’s new role would entail. StabilizingAlbe—aswell as Herzin and Ebul, considering both their heirs haddied—couldvery well take years. More likely than not, it would involve violence.

Sylvia had denied Wilhelm, perhaps, but war was a jealous lover. It could very well take her from Lorelei. When the worst of the spell passed, she straightened to her full height, adjusted the lapels of her greatcoat, and strode out of the throne room.

In the safety of the hallway, Lorelei collapsed against the doors.

“It’s going to be fine,” said Heike.

And with that, Lorelei found herself crushed into a hug alongside Ludwig. She struggled as if caught in a snare, but it was no use. The air was being squeezed out of her, and her neck was wrenched into an odd angle.

“Um, Heike,” Ludwig wheezed. “You’re kind of . . .”

Heike let them both go abruptly. She grimaced and dusted off her skirts as though she’d touched something foul. “You’re right. Thatwas...strange.Never again.”

“Good,” Lorelei groused. “You nearly strangled me.”

Ludwig took stock of them. Hesitantly, he said, “Are things really going to be fine?”

“Of course.” Heike tweaked his nose as though he were a child. “Sylvia and Wilhelm can handle themselves. So. How about a drink? If he won’t throw us a party, we might as well have our own.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Sylvia?” Ludwig asked.

Heike shrugged. “She’ll find us.”

But Lorelei did not see Sylvia again that night. And when she got the news, days later, that Sylvia had returned to Albe, Lorelei began to suspect that she would never see her again.

Twenty-Nine

TIME SLIPPED AWAY FROMLorelei.

In the wake of the Ruhigburg Expedition, once the ink had dried on their degrees and the death certificates, she settled outside the Yevanverte and carved out a meager existence for herself. She took tea with Ludwig every week; predictably, his curse had proven just as much an academic fascination as she expected. She walked the rose gardens with Her Majesty QueenHeike—longmay shereign—whenboth of them could find time in their schedules. She went home, when she could, to see her family and give Rahel the latest court gossip. Mostly, she attended her duties at court. Every now and again, Wilhelm saw fit to bestow on her some update on his dealings with Albe or Sylvia’s well-being. It was either kindness or subtle viciousness. Either way, Lorelei downed each morsel like the sweetest poison.

Civil war had come and gone in four months, as short and brutal as life itself. One display of the Ursprung’s power, and Wilhelm’s opponents had surrendered. For the first time in decades, even the Albisch had been subdued. Apparently, they had taken to calling their new duchess Saint Sylvia.

It infuriated Lorelei to no end.Saint Sylvia!She was far from an expert on the subject, but she was fairly certain that one could not be both a saint and alive.