“I’ll have to sound them out, next chance—” Seregil said, and yawned until his jaw cracked.

“Bed?” asked Alec.

“Excellent idea!”

Micum grinned. “Don’t expect to see me before supper tonight.”

He went to the library first, though, and Alec paused by the open doorway, watching Micum lift Illia from the armchair where she’d fallen asleep. There was a burned-down candle on the stand by the chair, and a book on the carpet in front of her, where it had fallen. Micum laid her on the couch that had been prepared for her and pulled up the blankets, then gave Alec a wink and whispered, “Don’t tell her mother.”

Alec nodded, and followed Seregil into their chamber.

Seregil had tossed his coat in the general direction of the wardrobe, kicked off his shoes, and sprawled facedown across the bed.

Alec closed their door and draped his coat over the back of a chair by the window to air.

“I saw you talking to Selin finally,” Seregil said, his voice somewhat muffled by the bedclothes.

Alec flopped down beside him. “I think Danos might be the one sending those coded dispatches to his father. He’s in Klia’s squadron.”

“Spying on his own commander? That’s not very loyal. Did you get anything else out of Selin?”

“He’s going to introduce us to Duke Reltheus, who happens to be a gambling man.”

“Excellent! That should make things easier!” Seregil turned over and propped himself against the bolsters. “Did you enjoy your party?”

“Of course I did, talí.” Alec moved around to rest his head on Seregil’s lean thigh. “I got Elsbet to dance, and I beat all the bakshi players in the dining room while you were cornered by those poets. What did you learn from that pack of leeches this time?”

“Leeches in packs!” Seregil chuckled at the image. “Let’s see. Lady Lania is cuckolding her husband with two different lovers and no one knows whose child she’s carrying. Duke Northus’s wife ran away because he beat her once too often. Korathan’s beautiful young Lord Byris gorges on sweets behind closed doors, and keeps his figure by tickling the back of his throat with a goose feather to bring them all up again. Lady Mora is sleeping with Lady Stania. The usual foolishness.”

“I overheard something more interesting than that.” Alec told him of the conversation between Malthus and Nerian. “I thought they were friends, but they sounded angry.”

“The heat and the shortages are rubbing tempers raw. When Phoria comes back, things will calm down.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard someone grumbling against the ’faie.” Alec tugged gently on a lock of Seregil’s long hair. “You call attention to yourself, you know.”