Raisa nodded. “He already is, in a way. I’ll make it public at the coronation. But I’ll need both of you,” she said. “Even that might not be enough.”

“What’s in it for me?” Han asked, squinting into the distance. “I’m a sell-sword, after all. What are you offering in trade, since you seem intent on buying me all over again.” His tone was light, but Raisa heard the trader underneath the words.

“What do you want?” Raisa asked.

Han pretended to study on it, but she suspected he had the answers ready. “Well, first off, I’ll need a crib in the palace so I can keep an eye on you and everyone else. A nice place, mind you,” he said, narrowing his eyes as if she might try to cheat him out of his due. “Big enough so guests can stay over. Adjoining your rooms.”

“Adjoining my…” Raisa frowned. “No. That’s not possible.” Having a wizard next door was not a good idea. It had never been done. Even Gavan Bayar and Queen Marianna had kept a gallery between them.

Han raised his hands, palms up. “Do you want protection or not? Do you want me clear across the palace when you need me?” When she still hesitated, he added, “You asked what I wanted, remember? I won’t take a job if I can’t do it right. You know who’ll get the blame if it goes wrong.”

“All right,” she said, wondering how Amon Byrne would react to this idea. “But no guests. Not right next door to my chambers.” For security reasons, she told herself.

He smiled crookedly. “Your Highness, I have lots of friends who’ve never even been in a palace and—”

She held up her hand. “Never mind, Alister. I can tell this isn’t going to work. I’ll take my chances with—”

“You win,” he interrupted, as if knowing he’d pushed too far. “No guests—overnight, anyway.”

She gazed into his face for a long moment, and he looked back steadily. “All right, then, so we are agreed. We—”

“Second, I’ll need a monthly stipend,” he said. “The clans are paying my living expenses, but I don’t want to have to rely on that, in case they get aggravated with me. I got people to keep in the city, so—” He looked sideways at her, as if to assess the size of her purse. “Fifty girlies to start.”

“Fifty girlies!” Raisa rolled her eyes. “Who are you keeping? A harem of fancy girls?” It wouldn’t surprise her, given the stories she’d heard about the streetlord Cuffs Alister.

“It isn’t your business what I do with the money,” Han said. “You just have to decide whether it’s worth it to you.”

Raisa sighed. “All right. Fifty girlies. I’ll speak with the steward when we—”