The morning after Cond Yse's birthday celebration, I found myself staring at a slip of paper that I found on the floor where I had taken off my coat. It must have slipped out of a pocket or sleeve.

On it, there was a scribbled sentence, inviting me to meet someone:

need help or names? come to the rookery ask for black rat

The snout of the envoy flashed through my mind. I still didn't understand why there was a Klisimian envoy speaking with the Elafoz. The Elafoz wasn't supposed to have any ties with Klistoss. In fact, the past few years, the Elafoz had been opposing the king precisely about trade, trying to remove the restrictions on merchants from Keiran and the South who competed with our lizardmen neighbours.

Mother had taught me that it was precisely because of its monopoly on trade with Klistoss that the Duke of Hartun, who had the smallest duchy in Farand was able to continue holding so much wealth and power. It was just too difficult to get past the duchy that controlled the fiefs bordering the forests and lakes to the West.

I did find it strange how the envoy had greeted me even though I was just reading by the balcony.

Did he want to leave me a message? Look for some kind of ally in Gristol?

I felt a lot of sympathy for the lizardmen after his story yesterday. He looked honest and powerful and his people still treated us well even after the Keiranians had persecuted and chased them from their swamps.

Thump

I turned around to see the boy who threw open the door.

"Hey, Tilly, guess what, guess what?"

"What is it, little brother?"

Sometimes Brendal could be a pain in the ass, but seeing him so excited wasn't such a bad thing.

"Guess who I met yesterday."

"Hmm, who you met yesterday," I pretended to think hard about his question. I remembered Brendal was basically dozing off in Ivian's lap in the carriage returning home. Father had been quietly angry, meaning all we heard was the trotting of the horses' hooves and the creaking of the wooden frame for what seemed like hours.

Brendal definitely seems to have regained his cheer after a night's sleep though.

I saw Ivian come in and lean against the door, smiling affectionately at the two of us.

"Oh!" I slapped my palm with my fist in realisation, "I know. You're so excited because you met a girl. Am I right?"

"Hey, it's not that." He complained but I saw him hesitate just a little bit.

"Really? She wasn't a girl?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not why it's important."

"Okay, so tell me then, what happened yesterday?"

"The princess!" Brendal seemed to think jumping up and down was the way to brag, "It was the real princess, right there with us at dinner."

"The princess? You mean Malory?" That was one of the Elafoz's daughters. I leered at my brother incredulously, "I think we'll have to talk to father about this. You and the princess, that's not going to work."

Technically she wasn't a princess, not until her father ascended the throne. I probably really would have to talk to father, just to make sure Brendal wouldn't call her a princess outside the house. Grandfather was quite close with the Elafoz recently, so it's possible some of the Efeles aristocrats were trying to suck up to him by speaking as if the Elafoz had already become king.

"What? No, not like that." my brother frowned. Why was it that I thought my brother was cutest when he was pouting? But I shouldn't take it too far, "I didn't even really talk to her, we just said our names."

I tousled his hair with my left hand, like father did mine after a practice bout, "I'm just kidding, Brendal. That's cool, really." I almost felt like telling him that I met the real prince and a Klisimian, but thought better of it. It was bad enough already that I did...

"Yeah! I'll see you outside!"

He ran off, excited again, and eager to go join father in the yard. Ivian winked at me as she closed the door behind them.

I yawned as I opened my right hand, the note a bit crumpled up from hiding it.

"I thought there was something you were hiding."

Simila's voice startled me. When did she enter the room?

"What is it you have there that you're so nervous about?"

I sighed, not really having much choice but to tell her.

"It was in my pocket last night. I'm not sure what it means though," I handed her the crumpled piece of paper. "I think it's the envoy from Klistoss. He came to talk to me while I was reading on the balcony before dinner. He looked like a snake!"

"Oh? The envoy did?" Simila looked genuinely surprised. That's good, I had been wondering just how far she took the whole shadowing thing. "Hmm."

"That's why grandfather put us on the spot," I said glumly, "the Elafoz came to talk to the envoy, but since he was talking to me, I ended up getting in a mess."

Simila nodded, but I wasn't sure if she was listening to me or just reading the note.

"It says to go to The Rookery. That's a tavern down near South Gate. Are you sure it's from this envoy?"

I shrugged. How could I be sure?

I didn't actually know anything about the district around South Gate, except that it was not the best part of town. I had always lived near East Gate, and gone once or twice to Lookout or Westhill up near the palace. I had never even been to lower town, though father promised we would see that cursewright someday.

But why would the envoy, or anyone who was invited to the Elafoz's palace want to meet in South Gate?

"It must have been. No one else I talked with could have put a note in my coat without me noticing." Was there anyone else who came right up to me? Lady Phienna could have, maybe, while we were eating...

"That's weird." Simila said, but she gave the note back to me. "Do you want to go see?"

"Go to The Rookery, you mean? But it says to go alone..."

My curiosity warred with my caution.

As Simila had just pointed out, I didn't even know for sure if it was the envoy who gave me that note. I could be walking right into a trap from one of the bad guys who wanted to be the next duke. It wasn't all that long ago that mother's father and Sir Barker were both killed themselves by bandits in the woods. Well, officially at least, I didn't believe that Sir Barker and a viscount could really be bested by some ragtag bunch of bandits like it was said.

And even if I did decide it was worth the risk, how could Simila just take me there?

"My mother wouldn't let me go. Maybe I can send someone?"

But I was intrigued. The envoy was really mysterious and no one I talked to seemed to know why he was showing up at grandfather and the Elafoz's event. He seemed more like a warrior than a politician when I talked to him. It was hard to think he would be trying to threaten me.

I just realised I never got his name. Maybe mother or father would know.

"I'm curious too now." Simila said, "It has been a long time since I was at The Rookery. I don't think anything bad will happen, even if it is a bit of a shady part of South Gate. We can keep it a secret from your mother. What do you think?"

"But it said to go alone."

"You will be, just a young noble, out alone with his maid."

I finally understood what she was saying. No one would think Simila was more than just a maid. And if she was wanted to go so much...

"Okay! Let's do it then! We'll go meet the Klisimian envoy."

I trusted Simila. She had saved my life more than once before. I know Nistan was Pricel's shadow like Simila is mine before he went rogue, but Simila isn't like him. She's a bit apathetic, but she's mine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I made up my mind to go, but that didn't mean I could throw away the rest of my routine.

I trained outside with father and Saul and then went back in to clean up and read a bit before my parents were ready for lunch.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Tilvrade?" Father asked from the head of the dining table.

"Sorry, what's that?" I asked. I was having trouble thinking about anything except how to tell father that I was going out with Simila after we finished eating.

Tomorrow was Thursday, that's when I usually practised flute with mother. She had started teaching me when I asked about it.

"Oh, right. I've practised, though I'm still having trouble with the trill."

Father never asked about my lessons.

"The trill? No, not that. How could you forget? After all that commotion you caused yesterday."

"Ah. No, of course I didn't forget." Not the flute. Grandfather summoned us on Thursday. I wasn't looking forward to that.

"Don't make the same mistakes you made yesterday, alright?" Father started lecturing, as if he was any role model in handling grandfather.

How was I supposed to know I should ignore my father when he was right beside me, or that I couldn't introduce myself with my full name when speaking to this one person in particular? I had no clue he was going to call us like that when we were trying to leave.

"Feles is his family name. Just use your given name. And don't mention me if he deliberately ignores me. He's a stubborn old fool, but I much rather have him ignore us than openly disfavour us. And don't accept anything if he offers it. We just need to show the my brother and uncle we're not a threat, and the succession will pass us by."

I nodded as he talked, trying to look like I agreed.

It felt weird to me though. How could he think the succession was passing us by? Every time I saw Ivian or Simila I was reminded of Nistan, of the shaman, of Sir Barker dying, of the nobles bullying Pricel and I or spurning or rushing back to surround father like yesterday.

Wasn't it only because of grandfather's support that I now had Simila with me? If he was going to help us out, then I wasn't going to turn it down blindly.

"And please, answer your grandfather truthfully and do as he says. I probably won't be able to stay with you, so you have to be on your best behaviour. Alright?"

"Yes, father," I said but realised this might be my chance. "Father, Simila said this morning that I might need a new pair of dress shoes. The ones I wore last night got a scuff on them."

"On your shoes?" Father asked, drawn along in the new direction of the conversation. "Is that right?" He turned around to ask Simila who was standing at the edge of the room.

"Yes, my lord. We could ask the cobbler here, but since Tilvrade will need a pair of shoes for tomorrow, it might be quicker for me to bring Tilvrade to lower town."

Simila was so natural, I almost wondered if she had lied to me before.

"Right. Of course. He can't have a scuffed pair of shoes tomorrow," my father said, "I'll trouble you with my son this afternoon then. Tilvrade, you aren't going there to play, so do as Simila says."

"Yes, father." I quickly said, hoping to end that part of the conversation. I saw mother looking confused, which meant she might know I didn't have any problem with my shoes.

After finishing the meal, I quickly went upstairs and tried to calm my pounding heart.

I had never lied to father quite so blatantly before, but it was unexpectedly exciting. My racing heart felt almost a bit like when Cinder made a jump over a fallen tree. It was almost a a week since I went to take Cinder out of the stables. Ben should be letting him out into the pen to graze, but I should still probably go take him for a ride tomorrow before we go see grandfather.

"Are you ready?" Simila asked me. She was still dressed in her maid's clothing, hair tied into a bun. But I could see she was wearing leather boots now, instead of the slippers she wore in the house.

"Just let me get my coat on," I said, and put on the dark blue tailcoat, buttoning it up along the side. I wanted to look proper, since I might be meeting with the envoy, so I also took my sword. I had never actually used it, except in some morning forms to get used to its heft. It was fully functional, with a leather wrapped pommel and a sharp if short and thin blade for stabbing if not slashing. It was mainly decorative, a part of my outdoor costume.

Simila walked ahead of me as we went to the sunny living room where mother was practising the flute.

"My lady, Tilvrade and I will be heading to lower town now. Please expect us back by dinner."

A note that didn't fit with the others cut off mother's playing as she turned to see us away.

"Tilvrade, let me see those shoes," she said, so I walked up to her and showed her the scratched shoe. "And this was from last night?" She asked, "Tell me again what happened?"

I hesitated. Simila had just ruined them with a knife in her room this morning as I was distracted, talking with Brendal.

I averted my eyes from mother's as I thought quickly, "It was-" The first thing that came to mind was Clous, but I couldn't talk about that, "outside. I was playing with Dilthimay and tripped on one of the carriages. It was Lord Kridley's carriage."

I even added some details as Sam whispered them to me. He knew a lot better what to say to be convincing.

"You tripped on the carriage?" Mother repeated. "Well, you do need new shoes. I will see you on your return. Don't cause your maid too much trouble, alright?"

"I won't. See you soon, mother," I said hastily and then went with Simila down to the door.