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For the same reason no one asks about your credentials“By Blood law, I cannot interfere in another Queen’s Territory”

“We could fix this before she left your Territory”

“No”

“Why?”

She studied hielline?”

“With everything I am”

“So do I And that is your answer, Butler That’s why” Sabrina sat back “When I met with Jaenelle and soo, I was ready to haul Kermilla back to Dharo It would have been an insult to Cassidy, would have implied that she wasn’t able to defend her Territory from even a small threat, but I was ready to do it I was overruled”

Butler thought it over and nodded “I understand”

Because he did understand, she added, “So Jaenelle said to me in private has shaped my decisions about Kermilla and is the reason I’ll stand back and let this play out as it will”

He said nothing, but his eyes asked her to share And in all fairness, if he had to spend the next couple of months in Bhak, he deserved to know

“Jaenelle said sorow—and some peopleare the hard lesson”

Later that evening, Daemon returned to his seat at the table where he and Jaenelle were playing an idle game of chess He handed a note to his Lady “This came from Sabrina”

“She must have had her chat with Kermilla,” Jaenelle said as she opened the note

Daemon stared at the chessboard It would be so easy to fix this little problem He had fixed a lot of these little problems when he’d lived in Terreille, despite Dorothea SaDiablo’s efforts to control him But unless Ker ofthis problem to Dharo’s Queen

Jaenelle read the note and gave it back to him “You’ve had more experience o to do?”

Ignoring the rules of play, he picked up his Queen and set her down behind a castle guarded by a Warlord Prince

“What do you think Cassidy will do?” he asked

Also ignoring the rules of play, Jaenelle set her Queen squarely on the edge of the battlefield, flanked by two Warlord Princes

They looked at each other, knowing nothing more needed to be said

CHAPTER 36

TERREILLE