"I don't understand how that gives the Council answers," Allia said.

"It's quite simple, Allia," she replied. "The Council will obviously want a reason for why they have to put out so much effort. When the Keeper says it's for Tarrin's protection, the next logical question is 'who wants to kill him?' Well, for her to answer that, she'll either be giving them information that we need, or lying to them in order to secure their cooperation. Either way, it's information we'll want to know. If she gave them answers, then that's information that we can use. If she lied to them, we can use that too."

"How?" Tarrin asked.

"Any number of ways," she said, turning to them and holding out her hand. "One," she said, ticking a finger. "Leverage. We could use that information against the Keeper as a threat. Two." She ticked another finger. "The very lies she tells may be useful to us, just for what she says. The best lie is a lie that is sweetened with truth. Sometimes those small truths can be added up together to form part of a real answer. Three." She ticked another finger. "If she's lying then it's something that she doesn't want her council to know, or she doesn't trust them. Either way, we'll know where to look for the information that we need. Knowing why she lied may be useful itself. Four." She ticked her last finger, keeping her thumb tucked against her palm. Tarrin noticed that she had a pad on her palm, and her fingers, the same way he did. "If we know what those lies are, we can build on them ourselves in order to further our own interests. All it takes is a little bit of creative thinking."

Tarrin was impressed. This was something at which the politically versed Keritanima excelled. "You certainly don't seem like the Brat Princess right now," he laughed.

She grinned at him. "I have no idea why I told you. I could have easily lied my way out of it. I guess I trust you or something, which is a first."

Or something, an impish voice called in his mind for the briefest of moments, and then it was gone. Tarrin smiled to himself, both relieved and excited. So his memories of that weren't dreams, or nightmares. "I must say, I like this version of Keritanima much better than the old," Allia added. "Your screams hurt my ears."

"I practiced a long time to get them that way," she said with a laugh. "You have no idea how much work it was for me to perfect that."

"Why?" Tarrin asked. "Why all this deception?"

"Protection," she said with a sigh and a defensive tightening around her eyes. "I have three sisters behind me, any of which would gladly plant a dagger in my back at the first available opportunity. And that doesn't take into account the army of greater and lesser nobles, all of which view my untimely demise as an event worthy of a celebration. Because they all think I'm a scatterbrained wastrel with no thoughts for anything but pretty dresses and jewels, they constantly underestimate me. It's what keeps me alive." She sat down again. "To be very honest, I don't want the throne. I'd be much happier anywhere else. But whoever does take the throne after my father dies will track me down and have me killed, because I'll be a direct challenge to her power. I could decide ten years down the road that I wanted the throne, and law would demand that she step aside in my favor. There's no law for abdication in our country. I can't just say 'I don't want the throne' and expect to be left alone. I learned that when I was about seven years old. And that was when the Brat Princess was born. The only reason I'm still alive is because Jenawalani, Veranika, and Luralalena think that the only reason I'm still alive is blind luck."

Allia gave the Wikuni a compassionate look, and Tarrin took her hand in his paw. "It must have been awful," he said quietly.

"Yes, well, one learns how to stay alive," she said with a sniffle. "I spent my childhood learning how to convice people that my idea of a serious decision was whether to wear a silk gown or a satin one. Sometimes people found out, and then I'd have to have them killed. That happened quite a bit as I was starting out, and still learning." Tarrin shuddered at the calm, matter-of-factness in her voice. But he realized that he was probably no better. He too would kill without mercy to protect himself. "I've made it this far," she said with a wan smile. "I've just got to live long enough, which isn't very easy. Unfortunately, my game against my sisters has convinced most of the nobles that I'll be an absolute disaster as a Queen, so they've decided that Jenawalani, the next oldest, is a much better choice for the Diamond Throne. When I'm not disrupting the scheming of my sisters, I'm dodging the assassins hired by the nobles. After I take the throne, I can have my sisters exiled, so they'd have a great deal of trouble getting me killed. I won't like being Queen much, but it's the throne or the grave. And I'm not too happy about either choice."

"Why not leave?" Allia asked.

She laughed. "I have, several times. It looked like it was just an immature fit over not getting my way, but each of them were serious attempts. You have no idea how far my father's arm can reach. If I want to get away, I have to literally convince him that I'm dead. But that's another matter," she said crisply, getting control of herself again. "We have more important matters to handle here than my sordid past. The problem is, we can't tackle them right at the moment."

"I take it you want time to think about it?" Tarrin asked.

She nodded. "This is pretty complex, and besides, I haven't really had time to settle in yet. I need to identify the agents that both the Tower and my father have watching me, so I'll know who to misdirect when the time comes to start getting serious. That, and the Brat Princess can be very useful in gathering information. You wouldn't believe how talkative some people can get when they think that you have no idea what they're talking about." She chuckled to herself, then cleared her throat. "We'll just have to wait for a while, until we've had time to come up with some ideas about how to go about this, and I've managed to gather up some information. In the meantime, we go on as if this conversation never happened," she told them. "That means that once we leave here, I'll be the Brat Princess again."

"I understand," Allia said. "I'll do my best not to kill you."

Keritanima laughed. "I appreciate that," she drawled. "You can hit, just be gentle."

"I can knock you down without so much as mussing your fur, shaida," Allia smiled.

Keritanima all but glowed. "And may I call you shaida?" she asked in a strangely formal, tentative voice. As if she was afraid of the answer.

"I would be honored," Allia returned, standing up and putting her hand on Keritanima's cheek. Keritanima gave her a shy smile, then blinked. "Uh, I have to go. They'll be looking for me soon, and I can only say I was lost in the gardens for so long before it becomes illogical."

"Alright," Tarrin said, standing up. "How will we tell you-"

"I'm a fast learner," she said. "Isn't that such a lovely statue?" she asked, staring at it again. "And look, roses. They're so thick and well tended. By the way, I'm pretty sure that they'll be following me, watching me, writing down everything I say, and probably inspecting my dirty shifts. I think you two should expect the same kind of treatment, so be very careful. The only reason I've gone against my every instinct about speaking frankly in an open area is because the place seems to be very well hidden, and it's too soon for them to really set up their eavesdropping network."

"It is," Tarrin agreed.

"This is the only place where we can talk freely," Allia added.

"Good. Now, just for my own sanity, please keep my indignities to a relatively low level," she grinned. "The Brat Princess is afraid of Tarrin, and of you, but that makes her angry, so she'll overcome it eventually and start in on you. You'll have to chastise me occasionally, but please keep it to a level where they don't have to call in a healer. What Tarrin did to me keeps him off of my list for almost a good month," she grinned.