“Knives,” she said shortly. “I decided my Midwinter presents to everyone are going to be knives. You can’t go wrong by giving someone a knife.”

Fi blinked. “Even Kee? Even Tory?”

Abi kept her smile to herself, because Tory had been training with Master Leandro since he was six and probably had no less than two knives on his person at all times. “Kee’s more than old enough to have something besides an eating knife, and a good all-purpose blade will come in handy for him. Tory can teach him to carve.” How to carve up what’s left of intruders that Gryphon takes down, that is.

“Don’t you want anything for yourself?” asked the Bardic Trainee. “Scents? Something for a new gown?”

Abi had to laugh at that. The only use she’d have for a scent would be to use one to reinforce a disguise. On the whole, she didn’t have a lot of use or need for fancy gowns, and the one she’d gotten two Midwinters ago still fit just fine. “Actually . . . surveying and measuring instruments of my own would be awfully nice, but I don’t think there are likely to be any vendors of those,” she said, finally—because the sorts of things she actually could use were not the sorts of things she was supposed to be discussing with people who didn’t know what her father did.

“Abi, you are exasperatingly practical,” sighed Kat. “Don’t you like nice things?”

“Certainly.” Abi laughed. “But my definition of nice things and yours are very different. Besides, I need to buy my Midwinter presents first. Only if there’s money left will I think about something for myself.”

“And you’re getting me a knife.” Kat sighed.

“I never said what kind of knife, now, did I?” Abi smirked. “I’ve got something in mind you won’t turn your nose up at.”

In fact, this was something she wouldn’t need to go down to the Fair to get. When her mother and father had gotten married, they’d had very special wedding outfits made—ones with several weapons sewn or built in. That had given Abi an idea. She’d gone to Master Leandro, and Leandro had had that mysterious craftsman in Haven make Kat’s present, an identical present for the Queen, and one for Amily. These were pairs of slender stilettos disguised as hairsticks with beautifully inlaid hilts and bits of silver chain ending in mother-of-pearl beads attached to the pommels. Flick a catch and the blunt sheath remained in your hair and you were left with a wickedly sharp blade as long as your hand.