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pathetic at the next tavern. Or like a jilted
lover who might be carrying his child.
For she’d have to go to another one. And if
she got an answer the next time, she’d have to
go to another after that to confirm it.
“Is—is the queen in residence?” Elide said,
that beseeching, whining voice grating on her
own ears. “He s-s-said he travels with her
now, but if she is not here—”
“Her Majesty is not at home,” the
commander said, sharply enough that Elide
knew her patience was wearing thin. Elide
didn’t allow her knees to buckle, didn’t allow
her shoulders to sag with anything but what
they took to be disappointment. “But where
Cairn is, as I said, we do not know.”
Maeve was not here. They had that in their
favor, at least. Whether it was luck or due to
their own scheming, she didn’t care. But Cairn
... She’d learn nothing more from these