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“I, Adira, the Liege Lord of Green Mountain, gift this scroll to Dina of Gertrude Hunt. May it hang in a room worthy of it so the might of Green Mountain shall become known across the galaxy.”
When in doubt, always get the permission in writing. I pulled the chess board out of the floor, set it on a low table and offered two floor cushions to Kosandion and Nycati.
They played chess for the next hour. Both were expert players. It was a surreal experience, to watch two very different men, both highly intelligent, both driven, sit in this serene space, completely absorbed in their game and yet seamlessly fitting into the room. Perhaps that was the true magic of Drífen. It was a place that collected strays from a dazzling variety of cultures and species and made them feel like they belonged.
When the hour was up, with the game reluctantly abandoned, and Orata’s cameras deactivated, Kosandion and Nycati walked onto the balcony. They stood side by side, looking at the plain far below.
“Are you sure?” Kosandion asked.
“Yes.”
“There will be no going back.”
“I know,” the Gaheas prince said.
“Do you really want it?”
Nycati shrugged. “Does it matter? Did you want it?”
“I didn’t, but I didn’t have a choice. You can walk away from it.”
“So can you. You can ask our innkeeper to open a door into some distant place, walk through it, abandon everything, and disappear.”
“The Dominion would be thrown into chaos.”
Nycati’s face was somber. “My people are in chaos now.”
“If I didn’t know, you would have been my choice,” Kosandion said.
“I’m honored,” Nycati said.
A gust of wind tugged on his hair. The Gaheas prince brushed it off his face with an impatient jerk of his fingers. “A logical choice, but not the right one.”
Kosandion continued watching the scenery.
“You have been kind,” Nycati said. “I may never get a chance to repay this kindness, so let me humbly offer this small piece of unwanted advice. We are focuses of larger forces. Duty. Honor. Survival. And yet, there are times when we must claim something for ourselves. Not because of duty, but because we require it to keep on living. Don’t miss your chance, Letero.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Kosandion said.
It was almost 9:00 pm, and I was so tired, I couldn’t see straight. We had just finished Bestata’s date and were about to start date number I-couldn’t-even-remember, Surkar, and there was one more after that. Starting with Amphie, we had launched straight into the date marathon without any breaks, one candidate after another. Nycati was second, then Oond, then Prysen Ol, Unessa, followed by Bestata… Today turned out to be an insane day that lasted forever, and tomorrow wouldn’t be much better.
I glanced at Kosandion. He leaned against the wall of the gallery, his eyes closed. How in the world he could keep going was beyond me. After a whole day of standing, my feet cried when I put any weight on them.
The inn chimed in my head.
“Showtime,” I told Kosandion.
He pushed from the wall and opened his eyes. Orata’s cameras came to life like a swarm of annoying mechanical insects.
The door slid aside, and Sean emerged with Lady Wexyn by his side. She wore a pale blue robe dress, nearly transparent and embroidered with large white blossoms, over an inner white robe and harem pants. A single silver ornament held her hair back from her face, gathering it into coils atop her head. For her, this was downright subdued.
The two of them reached us.
“Where is Surkar?” I asked.
“He refused the date,” Sean said.
Refusing the date meant he withdrew from the selection. “Are you serious?”
Sean nodded.
“What about his small ask?”
“It’s forfeit,” Kosandion said.
I knew Surkar was proud, but that seemed shortsighted.
“My apologies for the sudden change in schedule, Lady Wexyn,” Kosandion said. “I hope it wasn’t too jarring.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Letero.”
“Where would you like to go?” Kosandion asked.
“To the amber sea,” Lady Wexyn said.
Easy as pie. I opened the door in the side wall. The four of us walked through it, down a short hallway, and emerged into the Ocean Dining Hall. It was mostly empty. Only one table was occupied. Karat, Dagorkun, Cookie, and Tony sat around it with Marais and Donna. Donna made big eyes at us as we crossed to the terrace.
I sealed the terrace door behind us, ensuring that we wouldn’t be disturbed.
“Could we get closer to the water?” Lady Wexyn asked.
We were on top of an island, a solid chunk of rock protruding high above the shallow ocean. There was no beach. The walls of the island, sheer and nearly vertical, weren’t suitable for walking on either. I would have to make something.
I tapped my broom. A section of the terrace dipped in front of us, sinking and flowing off the cliff like melting cheese, with a stone staircase forming as it touched the honey-colored waves. A small beach materialized at the end of the staircase, lined with smooth pebbles and sea glass, hugged on one side by the stone of the island and washed by the gentle surf on the other three. A tree rose out of the pebbles, its leaves a bright, lemony yellow. I had stolen it from Lady Wexyn’s quarters. Its branches curved over the beach in a graceful bow.
