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"You look good," Roland said, giving me a head-to-toe assessment He would never let on to it in front of everyone else, but I kneas checking me for scrapes and bruises the same as he would if I was ten years old Whenever he was in the Otherworld, he also had a tendency to ignore everyone else and only talk to ray but was still lean andthat came his way Tattoos of whorls and fishes adorned his arms, and I took comfort in their familiarity

"Your, uh, creature said you wanted to talk toaround, I saw that between athered quite a crowd Dorian followed o inside where we can speakA glint of surprise flashed in Roland’s eyes, but there was no real reason Dorian couldn’t hear as being discussed

"I went to your other place first," Roland told uards there explained where you were at and brought me here" I couldn’t help a s a queen was still unsettling for Roland, and he couldn’t quite bring hidom"

"Then you’re fortunate," said Dorian "This is a much enie usually prefers to spend her tireenery, war birds "I don’t know," he said "I think I like the other one better This one’s kind of boring"

"Typical," scoffed Dorian "Like father, like daughter"

Roland wouldn’t admit as much in s hadn’t turned out as they had with my Otherworldly involveical heritage for the rest ofto hihter for years, and as far as he was concerned, that’s how it still was

The three of us sat down in a sns of its previous owner’s taste in decorating,"trapped" indoors made Roland uneasy, and he shifted uncoe of his lion-footed velvet chair Quickly, I explained to hirew darker, and all his discoentry walls faded as his concern shifted toabout that one too How did they find it? There’s no way they can have spies in every part of our world"

"They’re pretty good at having spies everywhere in this world," I pointed out "We know they regularly watch the borders of doms--and Dorian’s--to track uarded for theate that led to Hudson, and froured outthat off was so Mainwenn and Kiyo’s spies would’ve had to have done over a long period of time--and I’d never noticed

"So we need to find another doctor," said Roland I could already see the wheels spinning in his head as he assessed various locations and what he knew of their Otherworldly connections

"Well, that’s up for debate," interjected Dorian "These hu her she’s fine and healthy Why does she need to keep seeing them then?"

"To ensure she stays healthy," said Roland evenly "No offense, but I’ her in the hands of your ht of any of usdecisions for her" That al "helpful" decisions on round about h," I said "Both of you Dorian has a point--I have been getting healthy reports Butit’s hard for o of modern medicine"

"‘Modern’ indeed," said Dorian dish to talk healthy now," said Roland "But childbirth’s an entirely different matter You’ll want our doctors then You don’t knohat can happen"

"Given birth to lots of children, have you?" asked Dorian

"What’s your infant mortality rate around here?" returned Roland I saw Dorian flinch ever so slightly Once they were adults, gentry were extremely healthy and hard to kill Infants were another entry had conceiving--eneral pretty difficult

"It’s irrelevant if she gets herself killed with all this world crossing!" exclaimed Dorian in a rare show of frustration "If she stays put here and doesn’t venture out of her lands, she’ll be safe"