Page 67 of In the Embrace of Dragons

“I’ve been keeping it a secret for a while now,” she says, leading us down the hall to the next door. “The king asked me to set this up for the queen’s companion, and I’ve been working on it while you’re away.” She arches a brow. “You’ve been with the King’s advisor a lot, so I had time.”

She turns the knob and opens it for us, revealing a lovely sitting room much like mine. I push Ari in first, and she twirls around, her mouth open in a circle.

“This is beautiful,” she whispers, heading to the adjoining room. Here, she gasps, then looks back at us. “The bedroom is mine?”

“Yours,” Zephala says graciously. She goes to another open door and gestures through it. “And this is your washroom. All you have to do is call and someone will come fill the tub for you.”

Ari covers her mouth as she jogs over to peek through.

“Wow,” she breathes. “I’m just a handmaiden, though!”

I’m thrilled to see her so happy, spoiled like she should be.

“I suppose you aren’t anymore,” I say, turning to Zephala. “I might have replaced you.”

Ari gives a squawk of mock outrage, and Zephala giggles.

“Wine?” Zephala asks as Ari opens her new closet and lets out a cry of surprise.

“As long as it’s not firewine,” I say.

My handmaid frowns. “I don’t know if we have anything else, but I will ask around.”

When she’s gone, Ari comes to sit with me at her new table. She runs her hands over the fine wood, her eyes wide with wonder. “This is all for me?”

I’m equally surprised that this was organized all behind my back and I had no idea. “I suppose it is. That’s what Vizarios said.”

Her eyebrows waggle. “I saw that. Are things going... well?” She says the last word with a seductive lilt to her voice, and I snort.

“Maybe. I’m not sure. It’s a very long story.”

“Well, I have time.” She leans back in her chair and puts her feet up on the table, and I laugh.

“What about you, though?” I ask. “Things have changed so much for you in just a few months, and?—”

Ari sighs wearily. “I don’t want to talk about Dad. I want to talk about you, because that is much more fun, and now that we’re together again, I want to havefun, damn it.”

Again I giggle, and I forgot how easy it is for that to happen around Ari.

“All right,” I say, leaning forward. “I’ll tell you. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“So,let me make sure I understand.” Ari squints, like she’s sorting through all the information I’ve given her. “You watched the captain fuck your husband—again—and now... you’re doing nothing?”

“Not ‘nothing.’ I am watching Vizarios to see what he does next.” What I’m waiting for him to do, I’m not sure.

“But what about the captain of the guard?” she asks. “Can’t you, well, sleep with him while you’re ‘waiting’?”

Aghast, I stare at her. “I couldn’t do that. I don’t even know how he feels about me. Ragnakor loves Vizarios.”

Ari studies me as if she thinks I’m telling a joke, and when she realizes I’m not, she rolls her eyes.

“All right, fine. But your husband? Come on. The man—er, dragon—has practically gotten on his knees. You know the letter he sent me?”

Zephala has been sitting with us ever since she brought back the wine. I’ve told her very little of what goes on behind closed doors before, but now she’s privy to every last filthy detail. She and I lean over together as Ari reaches into her bag on the floor and picks through it until she finds a rolled-up piece of paper. She opens it and slides it across to us.

It’s written in very formal, neat handwriting—handwriting I recognize immediately as belonging to Vizarios. The letter asks after Ari’s health and her father’s, which I didn’t think he remembered. Then it cites his “beloved queen,” who has little in the way of friendship. It asks if Ari might consider coming to Selvumrrest, all expenses paid.

“Of course, I said yes.” Ari lets me have the letter. “Imagine my surprise when I hear you’re not even fucking him.”