"You're taking her?!"

Marie-Fey thought Zaafira might blow the doors right off their hinges at the force she hurled them open as she blew into Marie-Fey's apartments the next morning.

Marie-Fey was stood at the window of her meeting rooms, holding Azeeza's diary entries, Zaydan stood beside her, arms folded and leaning his shoulder against the wall.

Marie-Fey didn't jump, but her mild mood did take a downturn as she flicked her eyes up to glare out of the window for a moment before turning to see Zaafira with her ladies racing to catch up, staring death glares at Maanah.

Maanah glared right back from where she'd been organising some of the books Marie-Fey had left lying around. Gharam stared at Zaafira, clutching the shawls she'd brought from laundry closer to her chest.

"What?" Marie-Fey asked, turning to her.

"You're only taking one lady with you and you choose her!?" Zaafira snarled, pointing at Maanah.

Maanah's glare turned vicious. "Why wouldn't she? I'm head of her staff, of course I would go!"

"She is dangerous, Marie-Fey!" Zaafira shouted and Maanah shoved the books she was holding into Gharam's arms, making to lunge at Zaafira.

Zaydan was by her side between blinks, grabbing her arms and hauling her back.

"Now ladies," he said, his smile strained as he shoved Maanah back over to Gharam, "This is hardly proper behaviour."

"Zaydan, you cannot let her go alone! Or at least send others with them!" Zaafira cried.

Zaydan strode over to her, taking her hand and dragging her back out of the room. "What is the matter with you?" he hissed as he went.

Marie-Fey watched them for a moment, then set the pages down and followed.

"My Lady," Maanah started.

"Stay," Marie-Fey ordered without looking and Maanah stopped, watching her leave with wide, panicked eyes. Marie-Fey swept out after the pair and followed as Zaydan pulled a hissing Zaafira down the hall. She snapped her fingers at Zaafira' maids and ordered them away. They hesitated for a moment, then left as Zaydan pushed Zaafira into one of the seating alcoves.

"What is wrong with you?" he said, staring at her.

"You really do not care for Maanah, do you?" Marie-Fey said coolly, sitting down to the left of the window, setting her elbow on the windowsill and her cheek on her knuckles.

Zaydan took a seat beside her, much closer than he should have, while Zaafira paced back and forth in the cramped quarters.

"Of course, I don't. That woman is hiding something! She's always been hiding something! Both of them! Gharam doesn't have the backbone to be a danger to anyone but I know she's hiding something as well."

"The most Gharam is hiding is that she's an informant for me," Zaydan and in the most nonchalant tone he could possibly manage and both ladies paused, then stared at him. He gave them his most placating smile that made Marie-Fey want to smack him.

"Excuse me?" she growled.

Zaydan held up his hands to ward off her aggression, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The move was unconscious, automatic and she felt his muscles stiffen around her as he realised his mistake.

Zaafira moved faster than him. The curtain that hung across the entrance to the alcove untucked with a single tug and fell into place, giving the illusion of privacy.

"Zaydan, I swear," she growled, glaring back at him as he removed his arm.

"Habit," he said.

"Opportunist," she shot back. "You can't be close to her when you're in the capital."

Marie-Fey glanced at Zaydan. "Are you coming with me?" she asked coolly, then looked at Zaafira. "If he is, what are you so concerned about?"

"I'm not coming with you, I'm following after. I won't be able to leave for a week or so, so you'll be a fortnight without me," Zaydan said, his expression instantly sombre. "Honestly, I'd rather you waited until I could join you."

"Could we delay your departure a fortnight if you were the one going?" Marie-Fey asked, looking at Zaafira.

"No," she said bitterly, "He would likely send someone to collect me."

"Then I cannot wait for you," Marie-Fey replied, and Zaydan sighed. "So you had better have a good reason behind your concerns with Maanah."

"Did you not register what I accused her of back in the dining hall, before we left for your country?" Zaafira snapped.

"You mean when you referred to her as a feral dog?" Marie-Fey asked innocently.

"I don't recant my words; your servant has a savage streak. You saw is just a moment ago. She would have struck me if Zaydan hadn't intercepted her," Zaafira said. "I firmly believe she's behind your attempted murders and you taking only her with you will give her to perfect opportunity to finish the job. She's hiding something, will you at least admit she's hiding something?"

"She's hiding something," Marie-Fey agreed.

"So, you realise this!"

"I know she's hiding something. I did not realise Gharam was hiding something as well, however," Marie-Fey continued and glared at Zaydan. "Explain."

"It's really nothing shocking," Zaydan said, "I wanted eyes within the palace to keep me informed of your wellbeing from time to time. She gave brief updates and progress reports. She wrote to me after your poisoning, that's why I was able to arrive so quickly after you sent your letter. She's always been one of the ladies I used to keep an eye on things within the palace, she's very observant. People just don't pay her any mind because she's quiet and demure." He shrugged at it like it wasn't of any note that he had at least one spy in the palace. "I wanted to be made aware if you struggled when you first moved here. I didn't expect you to be quite so steadfast."

He paused, eyes lowering as he fell silent for a moment, then blinked, gaze flicking away.

"I didn't expect my mother to be so attentive to you when she let you marry into a loveless union with my brother," he muttered.

Marie-Fey and Zaafira glanced at each other, then Marie-Fey blinked.

"That's proof Maanah is not the one we're looking for," she said. The other two looked at her as she gently placed her hand over Zaydan's, sliding her fingers through his and giving it a careful squeeze. She then made to remove it, but he tightened his grip and held her there while looking at Zaafira who was glaring at their hands, then at Marie-Fey.

"What?" she snapped.

"Maanah and Gharam are most often together. If Maanah was in some way a danger to me, Gharam would already know. She would have informed Zaydan by now and Maanah would have been executed the same day," Marie-Fey said. Zaydan and Zaafira glanced at her and she shrugged. "If I had any say in it at least," she added.

"You're scary, you do realise that, yes?" Zaafira said, frowning at her, "Even I would hesitate to have one of my close maids executed so quickly."

"I have a low tolerance for my would-be-killer."

"And yet you're so weak back home, you need to figure out how to merge this personally and the other one," Zaafira replied. Marie-Fey glowered at her and Zaafira waved her off. "Besides, Gharam being Zaydan's informant doesn't mean anything. Those two are too close. Maanah's looked after Gharam since the first day she arrived here. Their loyalty is to each other, everyone else is secondary."

Marie-Fey considered that for a moment.

She was in agreement as far as that went. But, despite her suspicion, she didn't believe Maanah was her would-be-killer. Or did she just not want to believe it?

Well, probably both.

"There's also the small matter that the deaths within the palace occurred when Maanah was away with us," she pointed out, "How many murderers do you believe we have running around these buildings?"

Zaafira shrugged at that. "Blood feuds run deep here. Or she could have bribed one of the guards to cause a little chaos while she was away. She's a high-ranking lady, she's rich. On top of being one of the most desirable ladies here? She could get a lot with the offer of sexual favour."

"Nonsense, that's not Maanah's personality at all," Marie-Fey said.

"You only say that because you're biased to her," Zaafira pointed out. "We're all good at deceiving each other here. You know that better than anyone, you're one of the best at it."

"Excuse me?"

"Considering you can understand everything we say without us realising you understand us when we talk behind your back, I'd say you deceived us quite well," Zaafira said, but she said it in the palace language and, of course, Marie-Fey understand her word for word.

She pursed her lips at that, then moved on without comment.

"If Maanah does something to me while we're away, what better proof is there that she is behind my attacks? It is not an intelligent or logical time to attack me and Maanah is both intelligent and logical."

"It doesn't matter about proof if you're dead," Zaafira shot back.

"No, but she won't do it."

"You don't know that!"

"I do," Marie-Fey said.

"No, you don't. You're just holding onto hope!"

"Of course, I am. They're the only two I've ever been able to place any faith in! I don't want to think that my trust was misplaced!" Marie-Fey snapped and Zaafira grimaced at that, irritated but silent.

At least for a moment. She was just opening her mouth to say something else when something brushed against Marie-Fey's ear.

She's listening.

The voice, softer than mist, was so faint she wasn't sure she'd even heard it. And yet she moved automatically, pushing to her feet, pulling her hand from Zaydan's and reaching for the curtain.

She shoved the fabric aside and looked out into the empty hall. The faintest shift of cloth was her only clue and she looked to the right just barely in time to see the flash of blue fabric turning the corner – someone's skirts giving them away. She shot out of the alcove and raced down the hall, the other two following, but by the time she reached the corner, the woman was gone.

"What?" Zaydan asked, catching up.

"Someone was listening to us," Marie-Fey said, "she was wearing blue."

Zaafira's eyes widened but Zaydan didn't wait. He took off, vanishing in seconds as he tore after their eavesdropper.

Marie-Fey turned her back on his direction and ran back the way she'd come. She would leave that route to Zaydan. She needed to get back to her apartments first. The way the spy had gone could loop back around to her rooms, but it took that little bit longer than the way Marie-Fey had come.

If she could get there first...

If she could check!

She threw open the doors to her apartments, Zaafira behind her, and Gharam jumped in fright, dropping the scented oil she had been pouring.

Marie-Fey's heart cracked.

"Maanah!" she demanded, turning on Gharam, "Where is Maanah?!"

"What's wrong?"

Maanah's voice preceded her by a second as she rushed out of Marie-Fey's inner rooms, her blue gown the exact same shade as the fabrics Marie-Fey had seen. Marie-Fey stared at it as Maanah shot a glare at Zaafira.

"What did you do? What did you say to her?" she snapped, marching forwards and pulling Marie-Fey away from Zaafira. "My Lady, are you alright?"

Zaafira narrowed her eyes just as Zaydan appeared. He ran a hand through his hair, though Marie-Fey noted in some distant part of her brain that he wasn't breathing any differently from usual despite the speed he should have been running.

"There was no one there. None of the servants saw anyone pass," he said and Zaafira's expression turned into a glare.

"Marie-Fey, I'm warning you," she snapped.

"My lady, I don't know what she's being telling you but she's lying. You have to take me with you," Maanah said, her hands tightening on Marie-Fey's arms.

"Fey," Zaydan muttered, his voice tight. "What do you want to do?"

Marie-Fey was quiet for a moment, still looking at the beautiful, rich blue of Maanah's skirts.

... But no... no, Maanah wasn't the one behind her attacks.

She knew that.

Deep down, she knew that.

Something about her bothered Maanah. She knew that. Maanah didn't always like her – she didn't blame her. But Maanah was still loyal.

She pulled away from Maanah and smoothed the sleeve of her gown.

"Make sure everything we need is ready to leave by dawn," she ordered, "I don't want to delay less my husband calls for Zaafira's arrival sooner."

"Marie-Fey!" Zaafira cried Maanah visibly relaxed.

"That's enough," Marie-Fey said, her voice hard and unforgiving. "We're leaving at dawn." She glanced at Maanah as she passed, pausing for a fraction of a second. "Don't make me regret you," she said, her voice too low for the others to hear before she glided onwards into her rooms.