Queen of the Darkness

approach them stopped her.
    "Five days of extra guard duty is an insult," Falonar said.
    Surreal grabbed two fistfuls of her long tunic to keep from belting him. Fool. Idiot. He should be grateful it wasn't worse.
    "It's not an insult," Lucivar replied mildly. "It's fair. You made a mistake, Falonar. Some reparation has to be made for it. You acted, but you also hamstrung yourself by being too cautious."
    "I realize what my caution could have cost."
    "Yes, you do. Which is why the discipline is fair." Lucivar's mouth curved in a lazy, arrogant smile. "Don't worry about it. You'll stand extra guard duty plenty more times before you've been here a year. I certainly did."
    Falonar stared at him. "You?"
    The smile sharpened. "Hard to believe that I would err on the side of caution, isn't it? But I wanted to stay in Kaeleer, and I wanted to serve my Queen, so I kept my temper leashed as much as possible—for me. And ended up in that study, facing those two, more times than I care to count." Lucivar paused. "This is Kaeleer. Here, a Warlord Prince's temper is considered an asset to a court."
    Falonar took a moment to digest this. Then, courteously, "Extra guard duty doesn't seem like much when a witch could have died."
    "Well, there is another part to your... discipline," Lucivar said. He tipped his head toward Surreal. "You get to cope with her until sunrise. Since she looks like she's going to break her teeth unless she gets to yell at a male, it might as well be you." The smile got even sharper. "Of course, you could always offer to warm her bed and see if that buys you any leniency."
    Falonar choked. Surreal made a sound like a teakettle ready to boil over.
    "You consider spending a night with me a form of discipline!" Surreal shouted. "You prick. You... I would call it a reward!"
    Lucivar shrugged. "Please yourself. Just keep in mind that, if you both decide to extend this 'discipline' past tonight, you have to have formal permission from the Steward of the Court. He agreed to overlook that formality until sunrise, but not after that. And this is an area where it isn't wise to push Saetan's temper."
    After he left them, Surreal and Falonar eyed each other.
    "It would seem that I didn't keep my... interest... in being with you as... restrained... as I had thought since Lucivar noticed it," Falonar said.
    Or the High Lord did, Surreal thought. As family patriarch and sexual chaperon, she didn't think much got past that man.
    "So," Falonar said warily. "Are you going to yell at me?"
    Surreal smiled at him. "Well, sugar, I may not yell at you. With the right incentive, I may just yell."
----
    Chapter Seven
    1 / Kaeleer
    Lord Jorval settled into a chair in Kartane SaDiablo's sitting room. "Your meeting with the Healer has been delayed."
    "Why?" Kartane said sharply. "I had thought it was all arranged."
    "It was," Jorval soothed. "But there was an... incident... at the Healer's residence, so it will be a few more days before she can meet with you."
    "You could insist," Kartane said. "Perhaps she doesn't realize how important I—"
    "It would do no good to insist," Jorval interrupted. "When she comes here, you want her attention on you, not on some domestic trivia."
    "Then I suppose I have no choice but to wait."
    Jorval rose. "No choice at all."
    An incident has occurred that requires postponing...
    An incident, Jorval thought as he walked back to his own home. That was how the High Lord had so carefully, so courteously phrased it. Since the men who had been in Halaway to assist the escort had suddenly disappeared, and there was no word from or sign of the escort, he had a good idea what sort of "incident" was delaying Jaenelle Angelline's trip to Little Terreille.
    Which meant he had to inform the Dark Priestess that, in all probability, Alexandra was no longer a useful tool.
    Hekatah wouldn't be pleased about that, would probably come to Little Terreille in a foul temper—which she would take out on him.
    But, perhaps, he could redirect that temper. Perhaps now would be a good time to take care of that other little problem.
    Reaching his home, he rushed into his study and penned a quick note to Lord Magstrom.
----
    2 / Kaeleer
    "Where is my escort?" Alexandra demanded as soon as she took a seat in the High Lord's study. After being confined for two days, she felt relieved to be out of her room, but she felt no relief at being in this room—or being with him.
    Saetan leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers,