"Did you miss me?"

Kadakithis whirled away from his window at the sound of that voice and stared inmute disbelief at the young woman in his doorway. She moved through hisapartment toward him, aswirl in a summer cloud of dazzling white silks andshimmering sun-drenched hair. Smiling, she reached out to embrace him.

"Cousin!" They squeezed each other until they were breathless, then the Princeheld her back at arm's length and laughed. "Gods, how yor've changed!" He madeher turn while he rubbed his chin with mock-seriousness. "Chenaya, favorite offavorites, you were lovely even before I left Ranke, but you've grown positivelyexquisite." His fingers traced a thin, pale scar barely noticeable against thedeep bronze of her left forearm. "Still playing rough, I see."

He clucked his tongue chidingly and sighed. "But what are you doing inSanctuary, cousin? Did your father come with you?"

It was Chenaya's turn to laugh, and the sound rolled silver-sweet in her throat."Still my Little Prince," she managed finally, patting his head as if he were apuppy in her lap. "Impetuous and impatient as ever. So many questions!"

"Not so little anymore, my dear," he answered, patting her head in the samecondescending manner. "I'm taller than you now."

"Not by so very much." She spun away, her gown billowing with the movement."Perhaps we should wrestle to see if it makes any difference?" She regarded himfrom across the room, her head tilting slightly when he didn't reply. A silencegrew between them as he studied her, brief but suddenly more than she couldbear. She crossed the apartment again in swift strides and seized his hands inhers. "It's so very good to see you, my Little Prince."

Their arms slipped about each other, and they embraced again. But this time histouch was different, distant. She backed off, slipping gently from his grasp,and gazed up at his face, at the eyes that suddenly colored with tints ofsadness, or something just as disturbing.

Could he know the news from the capital?

"I smelled a garden when I entered the grounds," she said, tugging his hand,urging him toward the door. It struck her now how dark his quarters seemed, howsparse and empty of warmth or light. "Let's go for a walk. The sun is bright andbeautiful."

Kadakithis started to follow, then hesitated. His gaze fixed on something beyondher shoulder; his hand in hers turned cold, stiff with tension. She felt histrembling. Slowly, she turned to see what affected him so.

Four men, guards apparently, stood just beyond his threshold. She had noticedseveral like them as she passed through the palace-strange, blank-eyed men of aracial type unknown to her. She'd been so eager to see her cousin, she had paidlittle attention. She'd assumed them to be mercenaries or hirelings. She tooknote of their garb and the weapons they wore, and hid a private smirk. A manwould have to be good with his steel to dress in such a tasteless, gaudyfashion.

One of the four clapped the haft of a pike on the floor stones, needlesslyannouncing their presence. "The Beysa requests that Your Highness join her onthe West Terrace." Then, Chenaya's confusion gave way to a flush of anger as theguard looked directly at her and added with more than a hint of insolence, "Atonce."

Kadakithis carefully slipped his hand from hers and swallowed. With a shrug ofresignation he drew himself up and the tension appeared to melt from him. "Whereare you staying, cousin? There are quarters in the Summer Palace if you needthem. And I must prepare a party to celebrate your arrival; I know how you loveparties." He shot the guard commander a haughty glance as he lingered over thissmall talk, but he took a first step toward the door.

His expression begged her indulgence; more, it warned her to it. She watched,brows wrinkling, as he moved away from her. "My father has purchased an estatejust beyond your Avenue of Temples. The lands reach all the way to the Red FoalRiver. The papers are being finalized at this very moment." She pushed the smalltalk, forcing the Prince to defer his exit, studying with a subtle eye theguards' minute reactions. Whoever this Beysa was, these were certainly her men.And who was she, indeed, to command sentries within a palace of a Rankan royalgovernor?

The Prince nodded, drifting farther away. "Good land can be had cheaply thesedays," he observed. "How is Lowan Vigeles?"

"Loyal as ever," she said pointedly. What the hell is going on? was the messageher expression conveyed. Are you in trouble? "Though somewhat tired. We made thejourney with only eight servants. Protectors, really. Gladiators from myfather's school. I handpicked them myself."

Kadakithis pursed his lips ever so slightly to acknowledge her offer. If theywere from Lowan's school, better fighters could not be found, and she had placedthem at his service. "Go home and give Lowan my well-wishes. I'll need time toplan your party, but I'll send you a message." He turned to join the four guardswho barely hid their impatience or their indignation at being made to wait. Buthe stopped once more. "Oh, have you seen Molin, yet?"

She frowned, then put on a very wide, very forced smile. "I wanted to delay thatunpleasantry and visit a friend first."

The smile that spread on the Prince's face was genuine; she'd learned to readhis moods in early childhood. "Don't be so hard on the old priest. He's been agreat comfort to me, always full of"-he hesitated, and a twinkle sparked inhis eyes-"advice."

"Maybe I'll see him," she agreed, running her hands over her bare shoulders,down her arms, feeling somewhat naked and alone as Kadakithis went through thedoor and out of the apartments.

Two of the fish-eyed sentries remained. "Would you accompany us, please."

Polite words, but she sensed there was no courtesy in them. She shook back herhair, batted her lashes, lifted her nose to a neck-straining angle, and walkedover the threshold into the corridor. She was very careful to step on their toesas she passed between them.

Chenaya held her anger in a clenched fist behind her back and regarded the tall,fair-skinned woman who addressed her. Obviously a foreigner like the fourguards, she thought, but from what god-cursed land? Painted breasts, indeed! Wasthat really some kind of webbing between those bare toes? Why, she must be afreak! The woman would be laughed out of any court in Ranke, if only for hergarish costume.

Yet, she was also the Beysa, whatever that was, and the guards had bowed whenthey had presented Chenaya.

The Beysa moved about a room that had to be part of her private apartments. Witha short clap of her hands, she dismissed guards and servants all. Only the twoof them remained facing each other.

"What did you want with Kadakithis?" the Beysa probed, moving to a chair in thecenter of the room. Chenaya suspected it had been placed there for just thisaudience. The foreign woman sprawled there, making a show of appearing at ease.

Chenaya answered slowly, containing herself. There was much to learn here, asecret she had not known when she had come to this city. Now she began tosuspect why no word had come to Ranke from Sanctuary in some months.

"The world is a vain collection of private pursuits," she responded vaguely. "Bywhat right do you issue commands in a Rankan governor's palace, or in violationof Rankan law, dare to maintain a personal guard within these walls?"

The Beysa's gaze hardened, fixed on her with a subtle ^ menace. Chenaya liftedher chin and hurled the same cold glare back at the foreign bitch.