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Ranon said nothing It was one thing for him to deny the truth about the Shalador courts once That was an instinctive effort to protect his people, and probably so it touldto her and that would be a break in trust
“I have met the Shalador Queens, Ranon,” Cassidy said, “and I’m sure their courts arevery official But not obvious to an outsider who expects a Queen to have a big house and lots of frills and ruffles”
Which is Ranon? Shira asked A frill or a ruffle?
Cassidy couldn’t hold back the quick burst of laughter that had all the ain
Shira kept her head down and her hands folded in her lap She would have looked de
“The point, gentle to look at any of the accoee”
“You don’t rule a se, Cassidy,” Powell said respectfully “You rule the Territory of Dena Nehele”
“Morghann is the Queen of Scelt—a Territory in Kaeleer She lives in a ser than this one The only member of her First Circle who lives with her is Khardeen, the Warlord of Maghre And the only reason he lives there is because he’s her husband as well as her Consort Their house is divided between family and court There are offices for her and the Steward, a s rooather to relax, plan, or do whatever is needed There is a large dining room that can accommodate the whole First Circle for a meal—or be used for social functions The rest of the house belongs to the Queen and her family”
“Then where does everyone else live?” Gray asked
“In the village,” Cassidy replied “And that’s what I’ we do here”
“It’s not safe” Half the Circle growled that opinion—including Ranon
“This is what I had in mind” Cassidy raised her voice in order to be heard above the growls and mutters “Talon and Poill reside here withQueen training in a court requires a chaperon, and that is one of the duties of the First Circle There are several cottages on this street and nearby streets that look abandoned, and they’re all close enough to the stable we’re using for the horses If the village elders have no objections, the rest of the es”
“In Kaeleer, why don’t those men want to stay close to their Queen?” Gray asked
“Most of them have families,” Cassidy replied “For the First Circle, their work is the court They’re paid from the tithes They have families They have expenses They have a life just like everyone else in the village” She looked around the table “You’ve never seen this, have you?”
Talon didn’t respond, but the rest of them shook their heads
“Ranon, you es where the Queens lived”
“I can’t say,” he replied “The Queens’ safety depended on the rest of us not asking too many questions”
“A Queen is entitled to a private life too,” Shira said
Suddenly no one was looking at Cassidy—or Gray