Niniane gave him a wry grimace. “The nearest I can tell, she has got to be around six years old. Given how ingrained the dirt was on her, and how matted her hair, I think it’s possible she might have lived on the streets for some time. If that’s the case, I think she might have changed into her cat form and stayed that way to survive. I sent someone this morning to Chicago to do some investigating. For all we know, there might be pictures of her on milk cartons.” Her expression turned troubled. “I suppose we shouldn’t keep her, should we?”
Tiago shook his head, his face gentling. “No, faerie. It would not be fair to a young Wyr to be fostered among the Dark Fae. Housecat Wyr have life spans akin to humans. That would not matter at first, but eventually she would grow old while everyone she grew to care about would not. She needs a good home with her own kind.”
Niniane’s shoulders drooped. “I knew that,” she muttered. “I just needed to hear you say it to me.”
As the two talked, Aubrey glanced at the soldier again. Hands tucked behind her back, she regarded her half eaten plate of food as though it was the only thing in the world of interest to her. A corner of Aubrey’s mouth lifted. She was really quite good.
“Sit down,” said Tiago. “I’ll order fresh tea and hot food for you.”
“No, don’t bother,” said Niniane. “This is all fine.” She turned to face the silent woman with a friendly grin. “So you’re the one who kidnapped a little Wyr girl?”
The woman’s fa?ade broke. She moved, looked up and took in a deep breath as color flooded her skin, and after such a long display of perfect, polite disinterest, the look of dismay on her face startled a quiet chuckle out of Aubrey.
“Yes, your grace, I am,” said the woman. “I am terribly sorry.”
She looked more than sorry; she looked so mortified even Tiago grinned.
“Don’t be,” said Niniane. “Your ‘kidnapping’ might have saved her life.” She sat and helped herself to breakfast while Tiago poured her a cup of tea. “What have I missed?”
Aubrey and Tiago sat too. The woman remained standing until Tiago shot her a frowning glance. Then she sat as well, although she did not touch any more of her food. Tiago said, “Aubrey and I were discussing a suit that Naida’s family has filed against him.”
“Yes, I learned of it this morning when my secretary briefed me,” said the Queen, her voice turning cool. “I have already sent a dismissal to Justice Kellen for the court.”
The woman’s reactions, or lack of, had begun to fascinate Aubrey, so he was looking at her when Niniane spoke. He watched a subtle, strange expression flare in her dark gray eyes. Oddly, it appeared to be relief mingled with satisfaction, but he must be mistaken. Then the meaning of Niniane’s words caught up with him, and he set his cup down gently as he turned to the Queen.
The monarchy had every right to dismiss cases and issue pardons, but in actuality this was done so rarely that the action carried a great deal of weight. The dismissal would be highly public by the end of the day and a great humiliation to Naida’s family.
He said, “While I am both touched and honored by your show of faith, I had thought Naida’s family’s anger might run its course during the length of the suit.”
Tiago said, much more bluntly, “Are you sure you want to do that, faerie?”
“Yes, I am quite sure,” said Niniane. She snapped a delicate bite of food off of her fork then pointed her fork at Aubrey. “You are Chancellor by my appointment. Naida’s attempt was on my life, and I assure you, we investigated that quite thoroughly. For months that was almost the only thing Tiago and I talked about, along with the investigation of Urien’s conspirators.”
“I can attest to that,” Tiago said.
Niniane stabbed her fork in the air, eyes sparking with anger. “At best their case against you would have been full of supposition and resentment, and at worst, full of fabrication. That suit was not just a slap in the face to you, Aubrey. It was a slap in the face to me. I will not have my people harassed. I will not have my judgments questioned like that. The dismissal is the best thing that could have happened for them, because if they were allowed to continue and if they were foolish enough to present false evidence, I would order the courts to prosecute them. If they think their lives are ruined now, it would be nothing compared to what would happen to them then.”
Silence fell over the table. Tiago’s expression was filled with, yes, amusement and indulgence, but also genuine admiration and respect. The woman who was his soldier watched the Queen with sparkling eyes, while Niniane continued to point her fork at Aubrey, eyebrows raised.
Aubrey cleared his throat. “Since you put it that way, thank you for your championship.”
She smiled at him. “You’re welcome. Now, onto something else.” She looked at the soldier sitting opposite her. “Your name is Xanthe, is that correct? Tiago tells me you have a tale to tell.”
Aubrey watched the woman glance at him then at Tiago, who nodded. “Speak freely,” he told her.
She nodded and took a breath. “My assignment has been completed. Cieran Thruvial is dead. He died in a place called Devil’s Gate in Nevada, where we went after we had crossed over to America.”