Yes. So. Freaking. Stupid.

“The Dax is in a foul mood,” Diandra snapped, pulling my attention from me being stupid back to her pointing out the results of my stupidity, “and this foul mood might come home with him but it also spreads and, being the Dax, when it spreads, it spreads far and it spreads wide. I can assure you that if he shares his frustration with you at home, you can take this a hundredfold at how he shares it with his warriors and anyone close enough to receive the lash of his tongue.” She leaned into me. “I can assure you of this because Seerim told me that King Lahn is surrounded by an aura of black and everyone, be they warrior, trainee, free man or slave, is giving him and his aura a very wide berth. ”

Oh man.

Being Diandra, she kept at me. “And, I would say, that Dax being Dax Lahn it is a good possibility that lash might graduate to the tip of a whip or the edge of steel should you carry on much longer holding your grudge and withholding your charms. The man is practically begging for a challenge or some reason to unleash some of his impatience on someone and the only thing I know is that someone will not be you. ”

Oh man!

Before I could even open my mouth, she kept right on going.

“What I’d like to know is, are you willing to be responsible for one of the trainee warriors not buffing his saddle to a deep enough shine and having his back opened up for this perceived mistake?”

No. One could say I didn’t want that, like, not at all.

Though I was surprised Lahn had his saddle buffed. I didn’t think a savage brute would care about something like that.

“No, Diandra,” I whispered and my hand curled tighter on my son’s head because, really, I was so… fucking… stupid!

Her hand dropped but she didn’t move out of my space.

“I understand, my dear, after you told me how he reacted to your being who you are and where you’re from… the words he said, how this would mark you. Words make marks deeper than fists; they last longer and sometimes never go away. But The Eunuch told you Dax Lahn stopped at nothing to bring you home and when he got you here, to keep you at his side. And I saw the fear...” her eyes narrowed on my face when mine widened, “oh yes, my dear, I didn’t miss it when you were delivering upon him your children and he thought you would be lost to him in a way no magic could bring you back.” She sucked in breath then kept right on going. “I love you, my beautiful friend, my golden queen, you know I love you dearly, but this has gone far enough. I know with the instances you and I have shared that you find it difficult to speak to those you love when you feel you have done them wrong…” Jeez, freak me out, she totally knew me. “But I also know that you are our warrior queen, your heart is as fierce as it is warm, and that you can pull up the strength to find the words to mend wounds and find forgiveness.”

Her hand came back to mine at Tunahn’s head and her eyes looked deeply into my own.

“Find words, Circe,” she urged gently. “Mend the wounds in your marriage, forgive your husband and let him forgive you. Do it for you, for him, for your wee ones and, by the gods, for us all.”

I bit my lip.

Then I looked through my posse.

Then my eyes lifted and, one by one, caught Zahnin and Bain’s.

Zahnin tipped his chin up. He’d heard. He agreed with Diandra.

No surprise there.

Bain grinned. He’d heard. His thoughts were already beyond the hard part and getting to the good stuff.

And one could definitely say I missed the good stuff.

So no surprise from Bain either.

I shook my head at Bain then dropped it and Diandra took her hand away as I rested my lips against my son’s fuzzy head.

Then I heard a flurry of movement, my head came up and my hand left Tunahn’s head to wrap an arm protectively around him as I saw Zahnin detaining a young boy with his big hand wrapped tight on his shoulder.

“The Dax commands his golden queen’s attendance. It is urgent.

She is ordered not to delay,” the boy, out of breath from his run, rushed the words out.

Oh shit.

My eyes went to Zahnin to see him jerk his chin at me and then he moved as commanded, that is to say, without delay. My posse fell in and Zahnin took point, Bain took rear as we hurried through the marketplace and the streets of Korwahn up to Lahn and my house.

We all barely crowded through the door before I stopped, shocked to see Lahn standing, arms crossed, legs planted, face set in granite, in the courtyard. Beside him stood a woman who had to be older than time. Her hair was all gray, wiry and there was a lot of it shooting everywhere around her head, down her shoulders and chest. She was even more stooped and wrinkled than Twinka, who stood just behind her and Jacanda stood behind Twinka.

“Take the children, now,” Lahn barked, my body started at his tone and Twinka and Jacanda jumped forward (Twinka, by the by, still did not like me and still did not hide it but she freaking adored

my kids, so much I had to keep an eye on her because I swear, the crazy slave would spirit them away in the night if I didn’t).

Twinka went to Narinda and Jacanda came to me, both moving to untie our wraps and take the children as Lahn kept issuing curt orders.

“The rest, go. Now. I want no ears.” His eyes sliced to Twinka.

“The children will be cared for in your quarters, do not enter this house until you have my leave,” he jerked his head at Twinka who nodded and rushed away with Isis, Jacanda with Tunahn on her heels. “Zahnin,” Lahn finished, “you stay to escort the witch out when she is through.”

I blinked at the crazy-haired, stooped woman to see she was studying me and she had the skin and probably used to have the hair of a Korwahk but her eyes were bright blue.

Weird.

And she was a witch.

Weirder.

I didn’t know what to do with that. What I did know was that whatever she was doing here, Lahn did not like.

I didn’t think this was good.

My posse filed out. Zahnin took his place inside the front doors.

And Jacanda and Twinka were long gone with Tunahn and Isis when Lahn dropped his arms and stalked into one of the rooms on the bottom floor which was kind of a living room but then again they all were, seeing as they all mostly just had rugs and cushions except the room that had a dining table.

When the witch and I followed, he slammed the door after we entered the room and wasted no time turning, planting his legs, crossing his arms and barking, “Deliver your message to my queen.”

My head jerked and I looked from my husband to the witch.

“You are Circe Kaye Quinn?” the woman asked in Korwahk.

I opened my mouth to answer but Lahn got there before me to bite off, “She is Dahksahna Circe, the true, golden warrior queen of Korwahk.”

The witch nodded to Lahn, a small smile tipped her lips and her eyes came back to me.

Then she lifted her hand, reached into a fold in her sarong and pulled out a folded piece of rough-edged, brownish-yellow parchment.

Then my heart leaped and my head got light when she announced,

“One week ago, I fell into a trance and a message was delivered upon me by your father.”