thing out of her mouth, and she silently cursed herself. Rolf! She wanted to warn Lilah about Rolf being in danger!
“Of course not!” Lilah blushed, and gave Ma’am Housekeeper an embarrassed look.
“He said his rooms are nicer now than when he first came,” Celie said. It occurred to her that she probably shouldn’t blurt out the Vhervhish plot in front of the servants.
“Are they?” Lilah was looking over some casks of pickles. “And you came all the way down to tell me that? He has dozens of servants, Celie, they probably brought their own furnishings.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t the only reason why I came.” She darted her eyes to Ma’am Housekeeper and then made a face at Lilah.
Celie trusted the brusque and efficient woman, and knew that she would never intentionally harm Rolf or any of their family. But there was always gossip, which spread like hot honey among the housekeeping staff. And if Prince Khelsh found out that they suspected him, would it chase him away, or would it make him act more quickly?
“Well, what is it?” Lilah rubbed at another smudge.
“I—I need to talk to you. Um, alone.” She gave Ma’am Housekeeper an apologetic look.
“It’s all right, Princess Delilah,” the older woman said pleasantly. “We’re nearly done, and there’s no need for you to stay down here in the dark all day. I’ll take care of the things we’ve talked about.”
“All right,” Lilah said, but she was still frowning.
“I’m sorry you’re always so busy,” Celie said as she and Lilah walked out of the storeroom together.
“Someone has to be,” Lilah said with a little sigh. She summoned a smile for Celie. “Now, what is this all about? Why are you carrying all those books and things?”
“Oh. Lilah!” Celie stopped in the middle of the long corridor. “Lilah, it’s awful! I was in the throne room, and Prince Khelsh came in with his ambassador, and they were yelling, and so I hid and wrote down what they said and I’m pretty sure they’re going to kill Rolf!” She ended in a sob.
“What? Oh, Celie! That’s impossible! How did you even know what they were saying? Prince Khelsh barely speaks Sleynth.”
Celie held out the Vhervhish phrase book. “This was in the Spyglass Tower,” she reminded her sister. “I wrote down the words they kept repeating, so that I could look them up. But they said ‘heir,’ like heir to the throne, and they said a word that means assassinate.” She hiccupped.
Gravely, Lilah looked at the words Celie had scribbled on her spare paper, and then she looked in the book herself. In the guttering torchlight, her face went very pale.
“We’d better go find Rolf,” she said. “And Sergeant Avery.”
Chapter
9
B ut when they did find Rolf, he didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
“The Vhervhish are always plotting to assassinate someone,” he said airily. “Me today, Lulath tomorrow, I’m sure.”
“And Lulath is another problem,” Lilah said. “He said to Celie that his rooms are nicer than when he first came.”
Celie gaped at Lilah. Only a few minutes before, her older sister had brushed aside Celie’s concerns about Lulath like they didn’t even matter.
But before Celie could raise a fuss, Lilah gave her an apologetic look. “Now that I’ve had a minute to think about it, it does sound strange that Lulath’s rooms would be nicer. We should look into it. But we can’t very well barge into his rooms and demand to look around!” She turned to Rolf. “And how do we get Khelsh and all his men out of the Castle?”
“That should certainly be our first task,” Rolf said.
“Even if you’re not afraid of them trying to kill you?” Lilah’s face was flushed.
Celie wasn’t sure if her sister was joking or not. She very much wanted Rolf to not be afraid, to assure her that everything was all right, and that none of them needed to be afraid of anything. But on the other hand, if Rolf wasn’t afraid, it might
“Of course not!” Lilah blushed, and gave Ma’am Housekeeper an embarrassed look.
“He said his rooms are nicer now than when he first came,” Celie said. It occurred to her that she probably shouldn’t blurt out the Vhervhish plot in front of the servants.
“Are they?” Lilah was looking over some casks of pickles. “And you came all the way down to tell me that? He has dozens of servants, Celie, they probably brought their own furnishings.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t the only reason why I came.” She darted her eyes to Ma’am Housekeeper and then made a face at Lilah.
Celie trusted the brusque and efficient woman, and knew that she would never intentionally harm Rolf or any of their family. But there was always gossip, which spread like hot honey among the housekeeping staff. And if Prince Khelsh found out that they suspected him, would it chase him away, or would it make him act more quickly?
“Well, what is it?” Lilah rubbed at another smudge.
“I—I need to talk to you. Um, alone.” She gave Ma’am Housekeeper an apologetic look.
“It’s all right, Princess Delilah,” the older woman said pleasantly. “We’re nearly done, and there’s no need for you to stay down here in the dark all day. I’ll take care of the things we’ve talked about.”
“All right,” Lilah said, but she was still frowning.
“I’m sorry you’re always so busy,” Celie said as she and Lilah walked out of the storeroom together.
“Someone has to be,” Lilah said with a little sigh. She summoned a smile for Celie. “Now, what is this all about? Why are you carrying all those books and things?”
“Oh. Lilah!” Celie stopped in the middle of the long corridor. “Lilah, it’s awful! I was in the throne room, and Prince Khelsh came in with his ambassador, and they were yelling, and so I hid and wrote down what they said and I’m pretty sure they’re going to kill Rolf!” She ended in a sob.
“What? Oh, Celie! That’s impossible! How did you even know what they were saying? Prince Khelsh barely speaks Sleynth.”
Celie held out the Vhervhish phrase book. “This was in the Spyglass Tower,” she reminded her sister. “I wrote down the words they kept repeating, so that I could look them up. But they said ‘heir,’ like heir to the throne, and they said a word that means assassinate.” She hiccupped.
Gravely, Lilah looked at the words Celie had scribbled on her spare paper, and then she looked in the book herself. In the guttering torchlight, her face went very pale.
“We’d better go find Rolf,” she said. “And Sergeant Avery.”
Chapter
9
B ut when they did find Rolf, he didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
“The Vhervhish are always plotting to assassinate someone,” he said airily. “Me today, Lulath tomorrow, I’m sure.”
“And Lulath is another problem,” Lilah said. “He said to Celie that his rooms are nicer than when he first came.”
Celie gaped at Lilah. Only a few minutes before, her older sister had brushed aside Celie’s concerns about Lulath like they didn’t even matter.
But before Celie could raise a fuss, Lilah gave her an apologetic look. “Now that I’ve had a minute to think about it, it does sound strange that Lulath’s rooms would be nicer. We should look into it. But we can’t very well barge into his rooms and demand to look around!” She turned to Rolf. “And how do we get Khelsh and all his men out of the Castle?”
“That should certainly be our first task,” Rolf said.
“Even if you’re not afraid of them trying to kill you?” Lilah’s face was flushed.
Celie wasn’t sure if her sister was joking or not. She very much wanted Rolf to not be afraid, to assure her that everything was all right, and that none of them needed to be afraid of anything. But on the other hand, if Rolf wasn’t afraid, it might
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