“Then not another word out of you until you get changed into something dry and comfortable,” her mother ordered. Abi was not at all reluctant to do so; damp clothing was somehow even less appealing than fully wet clothing.

She emerged from her room in her favorite old, worn, long-sleeved canvas tunic and trews, both soft enough with hard wear to feel like lambswool. Gray again; this was part of the camouflage she and her brothers took on to protect the Royals. They all wore gray or brown, so anyone charging into this room wouldn’t know which of the children were the King’s—until one of the three who were not, eliminated him, one way or another. I have a very strange family, she thought, not for the first time.

By this time, her mother was pouring out hot, spiced cider for everyone, and she was very happy to get her share. She sat down with the rest of them on the old rug between the hearth and the huge table on one side of the room, a table they all used for eating and everything else. She did wonder a little why her mother was here, and not attending the King . . . but maybe the King figured that she needed to be a mother right now, not the King’s Own. Besides, he had Mags with him, and everyone in the King’s inner circle knew that what Amily knew, Mags knew, and vice versa; if anything important was happening in the Throne Room, Amily was getting a full description.

“We got Kat’s version, and Mama told us Rolan’s version, so we don’t need to hear about the bridge,” Perry proclaimed, before anyone could pelt her with questions. “So what did the Heralds say?”

“First I want to know if Rolan is all right,” she interjected, looking over their heads to her mother.

“He strained his back legs and hips and sprained his back, but you did the right thing by keeping him moving at a slow pace and getting off of him immediately,” her mother told her. “He’ll be just fine in a couple of days at most.”

Well, that’s a relief. Mama entrusts me with him . . . and I go and get him hurt. Although I don’t know how we could have avoided that situation except by not being out there at all. And if they hadn’t been there, people certainly would have died. At least Rolan’s injuries were minor.