Rubbing her face, she went in search of her room. Once there, she cleaned up the pile of hair on the floor, made her bed with the blanket, and tucked her tennis shoes into the plain wardrobe.

Then she regarded her dirty outfit from Earth. Somehow the clothes didn’t seem as important as they had the day before. The important things were in her pocket—her twenty-one worry stones and her telepathy earrings.

If… when she made it back to Earth, she had an entire walk-in closet filled with all kinds of clothes and every type of shoe imaginable. She didn’t need this outfit. Still, she couldn’t quite bring herself to burn it.

With a sigh, she pulled out her clean tunic and trousers from the wardrobe, gathered up the dirty jeans and hoodie, and took her drying cloth to the bathrooms. After spending a strenuous amount of time washing her clothes in the tubs of warm water, she wrung them out as best as she could and then washed herself quickly.

Again she lucked out and didn’t run into anyone else while she worked. It must be the wrong time of day to have much traffic in the bathrooms. She was glad for the privacy and made a note to avoid mornings and evenings whenever possible.

On the shelves that held the soft, unscented soap, there were stacks of sticks with stiff bristles at one end set beside jars of mint-scented powder that seemed, when she cautiously tasted it, to be like bicarbonate of soda.

After inspecting both items, she concluded the sticks must be some type of toothbrush. Taking one, she used it with a small amount of the minty powder she shook into one palm and scrubbed her teeth.

The last thing she did was wash the dress she’d been wearing. That went much easier than washing her Earth clothes had. Kallah had been true to her word. After she had dunked the dress into the water several times, she held it up, and the water ran off the material. Within a few moments, the dress was clean again, and almost completely dry.

By the time she had finished her toilette, she was chilled and starving. Heading back to her room, she hung up the wet clothes and draped the drying cloth over the wardrobe door. The clothes would dry more quickly if she could put them out in the sun, but she didn’t know where she could hang out laundry, and she hadn’t been given leave to step outside.

It was clear her behavior was being monitored, and she didn’t want to run the risk of another scolding. She and Kallah might have had a less than acrimonious interaction, but she didn’t confuse that with believing they had built a true rapport, and she didn’t want to strain the Light Fae woman’s patience any more than she already had, especially since Kallah had the ear of the Queen.

Once she had finished her personal chores, she went in search of the kitchens. They emitted a blast of heat, noise, and energy, and were easy to find. Several people worked on different dishes at once while an intense man barked orders.

Sid had slipped in and out of hotels through the kitchens several times in the past in order to avoid overzealous fans and the press, and as she looked around with interest, she thought this kitchen was not unlike those hotels. They had to feed a lot of people every day.

The intense man caught sight of her, left what he was doing and strode over. “Yes?” he snapped. “What do you want?”

“I missed breakfast,” Sid told him. “I hope it wouldn’t be too much trouble to get something simple, like maybe a slice of bread and butter?”

He pointed at her. “You miss a meal, it’s on you. I create court meals every single day, and I see the servants get fed as well. I don’t have time for anyone who shows up here looking for a snack.”

Sid narrowed her eyes. Clearly, there was a pecking order to this castle, and she was tired of being the one who got pecked on.

“I understand,” she said in a soft, even tone. “I have been rehearsing so intensely to play for the Queen I haven’t been able to make mealtimes yet. Perhaps you will make an exception just this once. If I don’t have the energy to practice properly, I’m sure her majesty won’t be pleased at the result or be very forgiving of the reason why.”

By the slight widening of his eyes, she knew she had scored a hit. “Very well,” he said stiffly. “I will make an exception in your case.”

“I appreciate that.” She smiled.

The Queen’s love for music must be well-known. Perhaps there was leverage to be gained from that. It might not win Sid her freedom, but she could make her life a great deal more comfortable until she could find a way to go home. And there was nothing wrong with doing whatever she could to make her life better in the meantime.

The intense man stalked away. She watched him pluck a small, round golden loaf of bread from a pile set on a large platter. Then he went over to a steaming pot that hung suspended over a fire in the giant fireplace.

His back was to her, so she couldn’t see what he did then. When he returned, he thrust the loaf into her hands, and handed her a plain metal spoon. An appetizing fragrance rose from the loaf. As she inspected it, she saw that he had cut away the top, scooped out the middle of the loaf, and filled it with a thick, meaty stew.

It was so much more than what she had hoped for, she stared at it. “This is amazing,” she told him. “And it smells delicious.”

She must have said the right thing, because his stiffness relaxed. While he did not quite smile at her, he gave her a short nod in acknowledgment of the compliment.

“Be sure to let her majesty know how honored I am to support her love of the arts,” he said. “And you may have as much food as you require whenever you like. Be sure to ask for me.”

If only Sid could reach such an accord with everybody so easily. She nodded in return. “I will,” she replied. “I’ll be sure to ask for you by name.”

“I am Triddick. And you?”

“Sid.”

His expression filled with curiosity. “When do you play for her majesty?”

“Soon,” she told him. “Tomorrow evening.”

“She has exacting tastes,” he told her, not without a good amount of pride, since that reflected on him. “You must be quite nervous.”

“I was yesterday,” she replied with a smile. “Now I’m looking forward to it.”

Arching one eyebrow, he studied her with that intense, narrow stare. “With her music master, Olwen, away visiting his family, you have a rare opportunity. Good luck to you, young lady.”

“Thank you,” she said. Indicating the loaf, she added, “And thanks for breakfast.”