We were on top of an island, a solid chunk of rock protruding high above the shallow ocean. There was no beach. The walls of the island, sheer and nearly vertical, weren’t suitable for walking on either. I would have to make something.

I tapped my broom. A section of the terrace dipped in front of us, sinking and flowing off the cliff like melting cheese, with a stone staircase forming as it touched the honey-colored waves. A small beach materialized at the end of the staircase, lined with smooth pebbles and sea glass, hugged on one side by the stone of the island and washed by the gentle surf on the other three. A tree rose out of the pebbles, its leaves a bright, lemony yellow. I had stolen it from Lady Wexyn’s quarters. Its branches curved over the beach in a graceful bow.

There. Romantic enough.

Lady Wexyn smiled. “We’ll need a blanket.”

One of the inn’s tendrils snapped out of solid rock and hung a blanket on the tree branch. Kosandion offered his arm to Lady Wexyn. She rested her fingers on it, and they strolled down the staircase to the beach. Sean and I waited at the top of the staircase, giving them a little distance.

“Do you wish to tell me about your life in the Temple of Desire?” Kosandion asked.

Lady Wexyn took the blanket off the tree and spread it over the pebbles. “Sit with me, Letero.”

“Very well.”

They sat side by side.

“Are you tired?” she asked.

A hint of fatigue slipped through Kosandion’s mask. “It’s been a long day.”

“It has. Does this hour belong to me?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Then we don’t have to talk, Letero.” She smiled a serene, easy smile. “We can just sit here and watch the waves.”

I had the inn pull a couple of firm outdoor cushions out of storage and quietly slid them over to the couple. Lady Wexyn winked at me, moved her cushion closer, and leaned back against it.

For several seconds Kosandion sat next to her, unmoving, and then some of the rigid tension drained from his spine. He reached for his cushion, adjusted it to his liking, rested his arm on it, and let his gaze drift out over the water.

Sean and I were near the top of the staircase, with Kosandion and Lady Wexyn about thirty yards in front of us and fifty feet below. Going down there would be intruding, but letting the Sovereign out of my sight wasn’t an option.

A section of the rock slid out of the sheer wall, forming a small natural terrace to the right of us. A chunk of it curved, flowing into a smooth stone bench. I glanced at Sean.

“He’s safe,” he told me.

“What makes you think that?”

“Trust me. We can keep an eye on them from here.”