The suite doors opened to admit a familiar man, and Ellysetta leaped up, lips curved in a smile of sincere happiness.

"Master Fellows! What a pleasure to see you again."

Queen Annoura's Master of Graces, who had tutored Ellysetta in the courtly arts, was dressed to perfection in exquisitely tailored sapphire silk with an elegant rose brocade waistcoat. A mint-green-lined satin demicape was draped across his shoulders. He executed a graceful, flourishing court bow before her—which was quite a feat, considering the snow-white kitten perched on one shoulder.

"My Lady Feyreisa." Master Fellows straightened and pressed his steepled fingers to his lips in a prayerful gesture. "Dear lady, I can scarce believe my eyes. You have exceeded my greatest expectations. Ah." He sniffed and his thick, curling lashes fluttered as if he were fighting back tears of joy. 'To think this vision of queenly grace and beauty is the same young woman I tutored three months past."

Standing in the far corner of the room, Bel rolled his eyes, but she laughed in delight. Master Fellows had a warm Light. Fussy and critical and pretentious he might be, but he was also intrinsically honest and well-intentioned and bright of heart.

"With joy, this Fey greets her friend and teacher." She held out her hands and clasped his. The instant their skin touched, she opened her senses. A wave of warm greeting showered over him to mask the probing weave that scoured him for the slightest hint of Darkness. Relieved to find none, she said, "You are looking well. And little Love has never looked finer." She smiled at the blue-eyed kitten that had once belonged to Lillis and Lorelle. "She's gotten so big." Much larger than the little white fluff ball who had adored perching on Kieran's shoulder and flicking his ear with her stubby little tail. But larger or not, Love clearly still believed a shoulder was the perfect perch for her.

Master Fellows smiled with indulgent affection and scratched the kitten under her chin. "She is a fine lady of the court now, very fond of her satin and jewels." A large blue satin bow set with a diamond heart was tied around Love's throat. "And she has become quite the arbiter of fashion. No less than a dozen young ladies and Sers have begun wearing kittens of their own on their shoulders."

Ellysetta laughed. "Really? None so beautiful as Love, though, I am sure." She stepped back and gestured to the upholstered settee. "Teska, Master Fellows, have a seat. Shall I ring for refreshments?”

As she spoke, an exquisite china keflee service appeared on the low table beside the settee- Love screeched in surprise and arched her back, hissing it the tea service. "Or would you prefer to simply enjoy the ones we now have?” Ellysetta muttered with a chiding glance at Tajik and Rijonn. The warriors clearly had no use for bellpulls. They had simply spun weaves of Earth and Fire to prepare hot keflee and a tray of sandwiches and sweetmeats from the palace stores.

"How have you been, Master Fellows?" she asked as she poured a stream of fragrant, steaming brown keflee into an eggshell-thin porcelain cup.

'Very well, Lady Ellysetta. The very pink of health."

"Really? And the rest of the court?" She poured honeyed cream into the cup, stirring twice, gently, before offering it to him. "I couldn't help but notice a disturbing hostility in the air when we arrived. I thought those troubles had been resolved before the Feyreisen and I departed this summer."

"Ah ... well, I don't think the troubles were ever resolved, merely silenced by circumstance. But once the shock of the attack and Greatfather Tivrest's death faded, the usual dissonance returned. Such strong feelings can rarely be held at bay for long." He blew across his keflee and took a sip.

Ellysetta poured a second cup for herself and added enough honeyed cream to turn the dark, aromatic brew a milky shade of deep amber. She curled her hands around the cup and lifted it to her nose, her lashes dropping in bliss as she breathed in the rich scent.

She'd not had a decent cup of keflee since leaving the Fading Lands. Lord Teleos, whom she held in great regard in most other ways, drank a pallid brew scarcely worthy of the name. The rich drink she held now, however, came direct from Queen Annoura's palace stores. No matter what other faults she might have, the queen knew her keflee and stocked only the finest.

She raised her cup to her lips and braced herself in anticipation of the rush of exquisite pleasure, the thrill of keflee's complex flavors tumbling across her tongue. She tilted the cup and drew the first, hot sip into her mouth. Magic flared the same instant, and her eyes opened in surprise as the sharp bitterness of gallberry tea spilled past her lips.

Outraged, she spat the mouthful back out and set the cup in its saucer with a clatter that sent tea sloshing precariously close to the rim. She turned to glare at Rijonn. The enormous Fey Earth master gave her a look of wide-eyed innocence and pointed one long, large finger of blame at the opposite side of the room. «He made me do it.»

She swiveled in her seat and narrowed her eyes on Bel. Noble, honorable, serious Bel—General of the Fey armies and deadly First Blade of the Fading Lands—was fighting so hard to control his laughter his shoulders were quaking.

"Is something wrong with the keflee, Lady Ellysetta?" Master Fellows inquired in concern.

She turned back around in her seat and forced the scowl off her face. "Not at all. Master Fellows. The keflee"—she emphasized the word and sent another darkling glance Bel’s way—"is as exquisite as any I've ever tasted, I’m sure." «Or would be if some ninnywit would actually let me taste it. Honestly, Bel. Gallberry?»