I found Liora in one corner of the room, surrounded by a group of men. She laughed with a delicate wineglass in one hand, a purple liquid sparkling under the starlight as though nothing at all had been amiss.
When she saw me, her gaze hardened. She handed her glass to one of the men, excused herself, and threaded through the crowd with marvelous ease, like the fae around her were nothing more than gauzy curtains.
She hooked her arm through mine. “Walk with me.”
I did. The crowd parted just as easily as we wove through the ballroom. “I need to speak to you about Dorian.”
“I know about Dorian.” Her voice was soft, her gaze elsewhere. She wore a cheerful grin. “And if you say another word about it before we’re alone, I can’t promise I’ll be the only set of ears to hear.”
My mouth closed. I became suddenly aware of the close press of bodies.
We walked in silence, arms hooked. She led us through a set of amber velvet curtains hanging from one end of the ballroom and opened a door hidden behind them.
We came into a tiny circular lounge with velvet bench seats set around the edge. A small table sat in the center, and mirrors along the walls. My own reflection stunned me; I hardly recognized the masked girl with her glittering, antlered crown.
Liora shut the door behind us, and a low-light crystal came to lifeon one wall. Not as bright as usual—just enough to see, to give the space a bit of atmosphere.
“What is this room?”
“A space for talking. Or fucking. Or whatever I desire.” Liora sat down on one end of the seat. She gestured for me to do the same opposite her.
I sat. “I’ve never seen you paranoid like that.”
She tapped her fingernails on the table. “Queens are paranoid. It comes with the job, and you should know that by now.”
“This was different,” I said. “Why should it matter who overhears about Dorian?”
“Because Highmark follows certain protocols.” She studied me with a level gaze. “And I’m about to break one of them.”
I sat up straighter.
She sighed. “Dorian is supposed to be publicly tried for attacking a member of my court.”
“Gawain is a member of your court?” Dorian had called him Maeronyx’s spymaster.
She gave a little laugh. “I’m not about to tell you that.”
“Why?”
“It would make me vulnerable. But he and Dorian have… a long history. And Gawain knew what he was doing by dancing with you. That much I’ll say.”
I sat forward. “I need to know.”
“Now isn’t the time for stories, I’m afraid. We’ve much to talk about before we leave this room, and you’ve Gawain to thank.”
“Thank?”
Liora leaned forward. “Right now, you look like a scared, confused queen who’s missing herveyre. Good enough reason to sneak down to the dungeons.” A soft, encouraging smile spread over her lips, as though I should understand what she didn’t say.
“I don’t?—”
She raised a hand to stop me. “Let me be clearer. If you don’t leave your guest quarters tonight, you’ll be dead in the morning.Maeronyx and Iseris are plotting twelve different ways to kill you before you even set a toe in the Killing Fields.”
Wolves. I was surrounded by wolves.
“You think the mirror wraith was bad?” Her lips kicked up, as though she enjoyed the thought. “The tea? Those wereevaluations, Eurydice. And demoralizations. The best enemy, my dear, is a demoralized one.”
The room felt suddenly smaller. “You said you didn’t know about the mirror wraith.”