Shalador's Lady

asked. “Gray will have a fit if they start digging in the gardens he’s been restoring back there. So will Cassidy.”
    “No, they’ll be all right,” Khardeen replied. “Ladvarian was First Circle in the Dark Court. He knows about not digging in a Queen’s garden. Of course, some of the youngsters will need to have it explained to them more than once, but they’ll understand it sooner or later.”
    Khardeen’s blue eyes twinkled. Ranon’s stomach sank in response.
    “I gather Vae didn’t tell you about this?” Khardeen asked.
    “About what?”
    “Ah. Well, having been here long enough to assess the situation, Vae didn’t think she could take care of all the humans who needed a Sceltie’s help.”
    “Really?” Mother Night.
    “She talked to Ladvarian about helping her find other Scelties to take care of the other humans while she took care of the court. Then those two talked to Morghann and Jaenelle, and there you are—twelve youngsters who wanted the challenge of taking care of humans who have no kindred of their own.”
    No. Oooh, no. “Who’s Morghann?” He’d heard the name before, somewhere, but it was the only question Ranon could think to ask. The only safe question, anyway.
    “Morghann is the Queen of Scelt.”
    Hell’s fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful. Now he remembered. Cassie had mentioned Morghann when she was explaining court living arrangements in Kaeleer. And she’d mentioned Morghann’s husband, Khardeen.
    The Queen of Scelt and the former Queen of Ebon Askavi had hand-picked these dogs to live here? How was he going to convince Khardeen to take them back? No matter what Vae thought, she was all the humans could handle.
    “What are they supposed to do?” Ranon asked.
    “Oh, they’ll figure that out,” Khardeen said with a breeziness that was a bit terrifying. “They’re good at herding, and they’ll herd anything—sheep, ducks, goats, cows, children . . . stubborn males.”
    “Can you take them back?”
    “I can,” Khardeen said. “But you’ll be the one who will have to explain it to the Ladies, and any man who knows either of those Queens isn’t going to get within a mile of you while you do it.”
    Shit.
    A wave of fur came around the Residence and spread out, tails wagging while they busily sniffed their surroundings.
    Then one of the Scelties raced up to him and began dancing on its hind legs.
    *My human! This is my human!*
    It was the homeliest little dog Ranon had ever seen. He—because Ranon had picked up the caste of Warlord—had the Sceltie face and the Sceltie body, but the fur looked like it had been taken from the leftovers of a dozen different dogs and patched together any which way. There was white, tan, brown, black, and three shades of gray. Hodgepodge dog.
    *I will take good care of him. I am going to live with him!*
    “No, you’re not.” The words were honest and out before Ranon thought about it.
    The dog stared at him for a moment, those brown eyes full of heart-breaking woe. Then the whimpering started, turning to whines and keening and . . .
    * My human doesn’t want me! *
    Ranon glanced at Khardeen. There was still some amusement and sympathy in those blue eyes, but underneath was the bite of anger.
    *Can’t you do something*? Ranon asked Khardeen.
    *I’m not the one who hurt his feelings.*
    That anger made him uneasy, although Khardeen made no overt threat. Then he discovered he had a lot more reasons to worry.
    He hadn’t seen them, hadn’t sensed them coming toward him. One moment he had one whining Sceltie sitting in front of him; the next he was surrounded—and the thirteen pairs of brown eyes staring at him held more than a bite of anger.
    *Of course he wants you,* Vae said. *But he is male and human, and sometimes he gets confused. Don’t you?*
    Ranon glanced at Khardeen.
    *There is only one correct answer,* Khardeen said. *So take the kick in the balls, apologize to your little brother, and assure him that he can live with you.*
    *Is there any other choice?*
    *Not if you want to stay healthy. Darkmist is a year older than his little brother and isn’t someone you want to tangle with,* Khardeen said.
    Darkmist? Ranon scanned the Sceltie faces. The dogs were a variety of colors, but there were three that might fit the name—if the name was meant to fit. Two were a silver-gray and white, and the third . . .
    Pewter and white with black speckles on the face. And an Opal Jewel.
    Warlord Prince.