Page 224 of Sky’s Edge

She got up and went to a couch that sat in front of a fireplace.

“Let’s just get it over with,” she said as she sat.

I sat with her and asked, “Do you know much Land’s End history?”

“Mom was big on me understanding my heritage, so she asked me to minor in it in college, I did, so I do. Why?”

Her mom, Elayne, gave Gayle her fae half.

“Do you know who Selediel is?”

She appeared confused. “No. Who’s that?”

I ran down the story and watched in real time what was likely my exact response to it when Tanyn related it to me.

When I finished, she said, “That’s incredibly sad.”

“It is,” I agreed.

“It’s sad, but I’m not sure why you shared it with me.”

“I told you Tanyn is renovating the citadel on Sigil, yes?”

She nodded.

“And you know Zyra and I are working together on furnishings and décor.”

“Yes, Cat. You told me all about this. Why are you being weird?”

“Bear with me, Gayle,” I urged.

She drew in a deep breath and rolled her hand for me to go on.

“So, there once was a time when all the unused rooms were used. The paintings and furniture are still in them. I thought I might use some of it, if it was still sound.”

“Okay.”

“And since Zyra lives there, I asked her to send me pics of it.”

“Right.”

“And you know how I am about art.”

“I do. But just to say, I’m not being bitchy, I’ve just got work to do. There are two campaigns heating up, and I always need to be on my game, but with my drama leaking into work, I need to be on it more than usual. So let’s get down to what this is all about.”

Gayle was in marketing, so I knew when she had campaigns heating up, things got stressful.

Thus, I hurried on.

“Okay. Zyra sent pics. Because of the state of the portraits and paintings, I asked her to quit sending them, because it was too upsetting. Thus, she had a pic she didn’t send, but it became unsettling when she met you.”

Now she seemed shocked. “Me? Why?”

“Because it’s a portrait of Selediel and…” I pulled out my Palm and I had the pic ready, so once I activated the display, I turned it to her. “This is her.”

Gayle glanced at the Palm, then she focused on it, and like Tanyn and me, it took her long moments before I saw the color run from her face.

“What in the hells?” she whispered.