It was the first thing she had asked of him, and he wasn’t sure he could do it. “What happened seven years ago?”

Her face went death pale, and it took her a moment to answer. “Why don’t you ask Lucivar? As he said, he remembers it better than I do.”

He waited a few heartbeats. Then, “How long do you need?”

Now she looked at Saetan. “Would an hour be convenient?”

“It would be our pleasure to reconvene in an hour,” Saetan said.

“All right,” Daemon said. “I can hold him for an hour.”

Nodding to acknowledge that she heard him, she hurried out of the room.

Daemon stared at the closed door, fully aware that Andulvar and Saetan were waiting for some indication of what he was going to do. “I am going to ask him,” he said quietly. “And if I don’t like the answer, she’s going to have to go through me, too.” He would sacrifice any chance of being her lover if that’s what it took to protect her.

“You’re not going to like the answer,” Saetan said, “but I wouldn’t worry about having to take a stand. If Jaenelle decides she’s going into Little Terreille, she’s going to have to go through the whole First Circle to do it. Since it isn’t likely that she’ll fight the court that hard over this particular healing, it’s only respectful to allow the Lady the time to reach that conclusion on her own.”

“In that case, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better see what I can do about restraining Lucivar’s temper.”

3 / Kaeleer

*Lucivar is unhappy,* Ladvarian said as he watched Jaenelle stare at the waterfall and tiered pools she had built in this inner garden several years ago.

“I want to think, Warlord,” Jaenelle said quietly. “Alone.”

The Sceltie shifted his feet, thought a moment, then stood firm. *He’s snarly and upset and he won’t talk to any of us.* This particular smell of anger and fear on Lucivar only happened when Jaenelle or Marian did something to upset the Eyrien. Since Marian hadn’t done anything unusual—he’d already checked—that meant Jaenelle had done something. Or was going to do something.

His lips pulled back in a silent snarl. *Jaenelle.*

As she turned to face him, he saw the large blackwood hourglass resting on her hand. Saying nothing, she turned it over, set it on the stone lip of the lowest pool, and walked to the other end of the garden.

Ladvarian growled softly at the hourglass.