“Is that why he went in the desert this year?” Sage asked.
“Yes and no,” Lani answered. “It has long been Banneth’s dream to make peace with Demora and reopen trade, but the council resisted and turned people against the idea. Dev—Minister Sinda—told me all about it. My brother’s solution was to make his yearly journeys to the place where he might ‘accidentally’ make contact with Demorans.”
Sage’s stomach turned over. She and Nicholas were far more important than she’d realized. Their presence was a threat to a council unwilling to lose the power they’d wielded for years. Everything the Demorans did or said could be used to undermine the king. “I would like to help Banneth,” she said.
“Me, too,” said Lani. “But he does not make it easy.”
84
LANI WAS DISGUSTINGLY cheerful the next morning. She came into Sage’s rooms and hopped onto the bed. “Wake up!” she chirped. “You’re being presented to the council today. You have to get dressed.”
“The meeting is after breakfast,” Sage protested, pulling the covers over her head.
“Yes.” The princess yanked the blanket down. “Which is why you must be ready before then.”
Sage let Lani haul her to the wardrobe full of dresses that had been delivered last night. Apparently Lani had taken it upon herself to purchase everything Sage had looked at for more than two seconds.
“You want to look humble,” Lani said. “But not fragile.”
“I think you forgot that style yesterday.” Sage yawned as the princess sorted through the bright fabrics.
Lani pulled a light-colored dress out. “I absolutely did not,” she said, holding it up for approval.
Sage grimaced. “It’s pink.”
“So is your face,” said Lani. “They match.” Sage continued to glare at the princess until she shrugged and put the outfit back. A few seconds later she pulled out a blue dress that was so light it was almost white. “This will make you look less pale.”
Sage rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
Lani not only shooed away the maid and dressed Sage herself, she combed and styled her hair. No one had done that for Sage but Clare, the first time being when they were on their way to the Concordium. Sage let herself sink into the misery of missing her friend. It was safer to think about Clare than anyone else.
Even with the short length, Lani managed to weave Sage’s hair into a braid that hugged her head like a crown, then moved on to paint her face. Suddenly Sage could bear it no longer; it had all become too much like preparing for her disastrous interview with the matchmaker. “Enough,” she said. “I’m not a doll.”
The princess frowned but didn’t force the issue. When Sage went to put her daggers on her belt, however, Lani objected. “You’re not going to a fight, Saizsch.”
“You’re wearing one.” Sage pointed to the curved knife at Lani’s waist. Most Casmuni carried one at all times, as a tool more than anything.
Lani pressed her lips together. “Just one, then.” Sage relented, and they went to breakfast together. Eating improved her mood enough that she thanked the princess. There really wouldn’t have been enough time to prepare afterward. Lani took her by the arm and led Sage to the council chamber, Nicholas trailing behind them like a stray puppy.
The meeting began with the sharing of water, though it was done in a businesslike fashion, with a cup merely passed around the table. The king introduced her as a scholar of some renown, and she flushed. Nicholas must have put him up to that. With the exception of Minister Sinda, the council members did not appear impressed.
“What is it you study, Mistress Saizsch?” the minister of roads asked, twisting his waxed mustache. “Fashion?”
Beside her, Lani scowled. “Just because I like pretty things doesn’t mean I cannot grasp dull subjects,” she muttered.
“Does Palachessa have something to say?” The minister frowned at Lani like she was a disobedient child.
“No, forgive my interruption.”
“Mistress Saizsch?”
Sage cleared her throat. “I am a student of languages and history.” At least, that was what was relevant at the moment. “Thus I arrived in Casmun with a grasp on your speech.”
“And your little boy?”
Her lips twitched with the urge to smile, as Nicholas probably understood that. “My brother isn’t much for studying.”
“How did you come to be in Casmun?” asked a man whose title she’d forgotten.
Sage recited a story with enough truth that she couldn’t be caught in a lie. “We were fleeing a Kimisar attack. A boat was our best chance to escape, and we came into your territory. We were still being chased, so we accepted Casmun’s protection. Your nation’s generosity saved our lives, and for that we will be forever grateful.”
“How convenient that My King was in the area,” the minister said sarcastically.
“Our record of springs across the desert hadn’t been verified in decades,” said Banneth smoothly. “I was doing the minister of roads a favor.”
“Saving life is always fortunate,” added Minister Sinda. “That it brings a chance for our nation to learn and grow is equally fortunate.”
When he turned his head, Sage saw a large bruise on the side of his face. The back of his head also had a swollen area and a long vertical scab. The injuries looked recent.
“What is it Mistress Saizsch wishes to accomplish now?” asked the minister of war, once again sniffing like he smelled something foul about her.
“We only wish to return home as soon as possible,” she said. “Our family would repay your efforts twice over.”
“The effort would be considerable,” said the minister of war with a sneer.
“Consider how our nation looks if we make such an effort to return our guests,” said Minister Sinda. Sage thought Lani would burst with pride beside her.
“Very well,” said the man who was equivalent to a lord chamberlain. He’d spent the whole proceedings looking bored. “We will discuss the matter and decide what resources to commit.” He waved his hand. “Thank you for your attendance today.”
Sage stood and bowed, and Nicholas did the same. “I thank you for your consideration,” she said.
“Princess Alaniah, you are also excused.”
Lani’s face reddened with anger, and Minister Sinda’s hand on the table clenched into a fist, his knuckles curling under the large rings of state he wore. “I may be able to contribute to the meeting,” she said. “As I have been attending them for many months now.”
“As I recall, you missed our last session to visit shops in town,” said the minister of war dryly.
“I was asked to do so by the king,” Lani retorted.
“She was attending to the needs of our guest as only she was able,” added Sinda.
The chamberlain’s thin mouth twisted in an ugly smile. “Spoken by a man who knows about attending to a lady’s needs.”
All the color drained from Sinda’s face. Lani flushed scarlet. “I wish to stay,” she said. “My presence harms nothing.” Her eyes went to Banneth for support, but the king only shook his head slightly. She held his gaze for a dozen heartbeats, then shoved her seat away from the table and stormed out the door so fast Sage and Nicholas had to run to keep up.
85
OUTSIDE AND WELL away from the chamber, the princess allowed herself to explode. “The nerve of that man!” She picked up a potted plant and hurled it against the wall, where it shattered. A servant rushed to clean up the mess. “‘You are excused, little girl,’” Lani said in a mocking voice. “‘Why don’t you go shopping, little girl?’”
“That’s not exactly what he said,” Sage said carefully.
“No, but it’s exactly what he meant.”
Lani frowned at the floral victim of her rage. “I am sorry for your trouble,” she told the man on his knees, sweeping up the dirt. “When that is repotted, you may put it in my room. I will care for it in apology.” He bowed his head in acknowledgment.