“Yes, you can. Save those girls, get Sasha out of there, and you’ll never hear another bad word from me.” She turned and started toward her tent. “Now I think I’ll go back to bed and get some sleep. I have to be on the alert. I can never tell when you might come up with some plan that you ‘forget’ to tell me about.”

“But you’ll sleep better now that you know that Sasha is still safe,” he called softly after her.

She glanced back and saw him standing there by the fire, his hair touched by the glow and those silver-blue eyes searching, appraising, reading her. She was caught and held as she always was by that intensity. She was tempted to lie to him, but she could never lie about anything connected to Sasha. She shrugged. “Yes, damn you, I’ll sleep better.”

*  *  *

Margaret was standing in the doorway of her tent when Alisa reached it a few minutes later. “All right?” she asked quietly. “Juno heard you leave your tent and told me to check on you. She’s becoming very domineering since I’ve been letting her take over watching Sasha when we’re at Masenak’s camp. She thinks she should protect everyone in sight.”

“Bless her.” She reached down and stroked Juno’s head. “I’m fine. I just had a summons from King Korgan and had to run to see what he wanted. Heaven forbid he has to wait until morning.”

“You sound bitter. He annoyed you again.” Margaret was smiling. “As I remember, you were trying to talk to him earlier tonight. Always be careful when you get what you want. I take it this wasn’t a satisfying conversation?”

“No, I learned a few things that didn’t make me particularly happy.” She filled her in on what Gilroy had done at the camp with Sasha in a few terse sentences. “I should have known Korgan would try to take over the world if he got the chance.”

“Yes, you should,” Margaret said. “I could tell that just from what you told me about him when you had him under surveillance at the palace. You thought it was worth it. Have you changed your mind?”

“No,” she said impatiently. “Of course I haven’t. Look what he’s done in a few days. We’re sitting in the middle of a damn armed camp that could rain fire and brimstone down on Masenak. I just wish he wouldn’t try to manipulate me and let me—”