Shalador's Lady

would make Theran happy. But she saw no reason to exert herself when her efforts would benefit someone else’s purse instead of her own.
    So there was nothing, nothing, nothing to do around here until spring when she would rule the whole of Dena Nehele and not be stuck in this town.
    And she didn’t have the status symbol that had captured the fancy of the Blood in this land.
    She didn’t have a Sceltie.
    She’d written to Morghann, the Queen of Scelt, indicating she would be amenable to having one of the dogs as a companion, but Morghann had shown a distinct lack of manners and had not replied.
    And now Correne’s letter this morning.
I’ve heard Freckledy has a whole pack of Scelties entertaining visitors with their tricks, and even Warlord Princes are impressed enough with the dogs to overlook her flaws. Have you gotten a Sceltie yet? I think all the prominent Queens are going to have one as a companion.
    Why did old Freckledy need a whole pack of them? The bitch was just trying to secure her position. She knew she couldn’t retain the title of Territory Queen after the year’s contract was done unless she did something to catch the Blood’s interest.
    Theran had explained about the contract that gave Cassidy and the people of Dena Nehele one year to decide if Cassidy would become the fully acknowledged Queen of Dena Nehele.
    She didn’t have access to Cassidy’s court here, so she couldn’t use her skills to coax the men into believing she was the better choice. That meant she didn’t have an already formed court to claim, and that meant she was going to have to entice twelve males here to serve in her First Circle, and that meant she couldn’t be seen as lacking in any way.
    Which meant getting a Sceltie.
    *Laska, please attend.*
    He hadn’t been with her when she first arrived in Grayhaven. Cassidy’s First Circle wouldn’t recognize him, so Cassidy would be the only person he’d have to avoid. He’d be able to slip in and out of that stupid Shalador village, fetching her a special little friend in exchange for being allowed to go home, which was the only thing her First Circle seemed to want to do anymore.
    And once she had a Sceltie to help her entertain the men Theran brought here to meet her, no one would remember old Freckledy’s name.

    Wrapping himself in a sight shield, Laska dropped from the Summer-sky Wind to the northern landing web in Eyota. A handful of men were outside the small Coach station near the web, talking and playing cards. Probably a couple of Coach drivers along with the men who took care of the horses for hire and drove the carriages that served as conveyances for visitors.
    One of the men looked toward the landing web as Laska arrived. After a moment’s study of the area, the man returned his attention to the card game, and Laska snuck away, feeling more confident that he would remain undetected long enough to complete his assignment and return to Grayhaven.
    As he slipped along the village streets, looking for the required prize, he wondered why he couldn’t approach one of Cassidy’s First Circle and just ask for a dog. Why had Kermilla emphasized the need for stealth? Had she already asked Cassidy and the request had been refused? Or was Kermilla using this as a pissing contest to prove her court was better than the court Cassidy now ruled? That a member of her court, a Summer-sky Warlord, could slip in and out of a village that several Warlord Princes regarded as their personal territory?
    He didn’t care anymore what Kermilla wanted. Her appeal had soured at a devastating speed once she had control of a court, and despite having months left in his contract, he was already counting the days until he wasn’t hers to command.
    A dog barked. Laska hurried toward the sound. Then he turned a corner, stopped, and swore under his breath.
    There were Scelties here all right, the first ones he’d seen. But he was on the main street of the damn village, and there were an awful lot of people out and about.
    Maybe that would work to his advantage. With so many people milling about, who would notice him in a crowd? And he wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the landing web. Courtesy and formality dictated that landing webs be used when arriving or leaving a village, but people could catch or drop from the Winds anywhere along the way. He didn’t even need to catch the Summer-sky Wind. Any of the lighter Webs would do. There wasn’t a thread of any Wind he