apart." She turned back. "One mistake, my dear," she said much more quietly. "Do you want to be responsible for that one mistake?"
"Mother." She thought she saw tears in her mother's eyes. "I have to know what's going on."
"I agree." Sarahann turned to her daughter, "but you are so new at this. You don't understand how one wrong word can ruin a negotiation. You're the next in line for the throne. I recognize and respect that, but you aren't ready for it. It's time for bed. We have a long day ahead of us."
"I need to know --"
"Tomorrow." Sarahann nodded to Ula and swept from the room.
Cassia restrained herself from following her mother. She looked at Ula, Yaffa, and Maconahay, mortification moved through her at them witnessing her reprimand. She turned from all of them and paced to the window. The night was black, no moon.
"If you need anything, Your Highness," Maconahay said.
Cassia refused to answer him and after a moment the door shut.
CHAPTER SIX
Cassia tossed and turned in her bed. She drifted in and out of disturbing dreams, never quite waking up, but yet knowing she was dreaming. She rolled as she sank into another dream.
A large meadow greeted her. She raced through the thick green grass toward a dense grove with her heart in her throat. She wanted to scream, but couldn't get a sound out as she stumbled into the trees. Cassia desperately glanced around, but there was nothing in the grove but leaves and branches. Taking a shaky breath she pivoted on her heel, not sure what she was looking for, but certain it was awful. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief someone stepped into the grove behind her.
Cassia spun around.
"Father!" She threw herself into his arms. At the solid feel of him she began to cry.
"Sh, sh," Robet whispered, rubbing her back. "It's all right, little one."
She buried deeper into his arms at the old endearment.
"No need to cry," he said. "All will be well."
"I thought you were dead." Blinking back her tears, she gazed into his beloved face.
Robet smiled slowly. "Sit down, little one." He pulled her down onto the floor of the grove with him. "I know this will be hard for you, but I am dead."
"No, you're not. You're right here."
"I'm here in your dream. You're dreaming."
"No!" She shook her head in denial.
He smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "Yes. I don't have much time."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain. I needed to come and make sure you were safe."
"Why wouldn't I be? Who killed you?"
"I don't know, little one."
"I don't understand. Why did you leave the palace?" The questions she'd been asking herself over and over tumbled out. "How could no one have seen you?"
"Oh, they saw me, they just didn't realize it. This wasn't the first time Westleigh and I traveled in disguise. I was meeting one of Julyan's men. He had some information for me."
"He killed you?"
"No," he paused, "at least I don't believe so."
"How can you not know?"
"I never saw them. I was ambushed," Robet said in frustration. "I didn't see who they were, but there had to be more than one person involved."
"Where was Westleigh? Why didn't he protect you?"
"I left him behind with the horses. They didn't like the narrow alleys. Idiotic of me really, but I needed a break. Erich and I weren't making any progress on the ridiculous treaty."
"But you signed the treaty," Cassia said, interrupting him.
He stopped looking inward and focused on her. "No. Erich and I didn't make any headway in the treaty. Two days of arguing was all that was accomplished."
"He has a signed treaty with your signature."
He shook his head. "I never signed any treaty with Vespera. You must be careful."
"Of whom?" A chill crept through her. "What of your argument with Julyan? Why would you meet with his man when you were fighting?"
"I saw no danger. Julyan and I were having the same argument we'd been having for thirteen years. We always argued about your future."
She didn't understand why they would
"Mother." She thought she saw tears in her mother's eyes. "I have to know what's going on."
"I agree." Sarahann turned to her daughter, "but you are so new at this. You don't understand how one wrong word can ruin a negotiation. You're the next in line for the throne. I recognize and respect that, but you aren't ready for it. It's time for bed. We have a long day ahead of us."
"I need to know --"
"Tomorrow." Sarahann nodded to Ula and swept from the room.
Cassia restrained herself from following her mother. She looked at Ula, Yaffa, and Maconahay, mortification moved through her at them witnessing her reprimand. She turned from all of them and paced to the window. The night was black, no moon.
"If you need anything, Your Highness," Maconahay said.
Cassia refused to answer him and after a moment the door shut.
CHAPTER SIX
Cassia tossed and turned in her bed. She drifted in and out of disturbing dreams, never quite waking up, but yet knowing she was dreaming. She rolled as she sank into another dream.
A large meadow greeted her. She raced through the thick green grass toward a dense grove with her heart in her throat. She wanted to scream, but couldn't get a sound out as she stumbled into the trees. Cassia desperately glanced around, but there was nothing in the grove but leaves and branches. Taking a shaky breath she pivoted on her heel, not sure what she was looking for, but certain it was awful. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief someone stepped into the grove behind her.
Cassia spun around.
"Father!" She threw herself into his arms. At the solid feel of him she began to cry.
"Sh, sh," Robet whispered, rubbing her back. "It's all right, little one."
She buried deeper into his arms at the old endearment.
"No need to cry," he said. "All will be well."
"I thought you were dead." Blinking back her tears, she gazed into his beloved face.
Robet smiled slowly. "Sit down, little one." He pulled her down onto the floor of the grove with him. "I know this will be hard for you, but I am dead."
"No, you're not. You're right here."
"I'm here in your dream. You're dreaming."
"No!" She shook her head in denial.
He smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "Yes. I don't have much time."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain. I needed to come and make sure you were safe."
"Why wouldn't I be? Who killed you?"
"I don't know, little one."
"I don't understand. Why did you leave the palace?" The questions she'd been asking herself over and over tumbled out. "How could no one have seen you?"
"Oh, they saw me, they just didn't realize it. This wasn't the first time Westleigh and I traveled in disguise. I was meeting one of Julyan's men. He had some information for me."
"He killed you?"
"No," he paused, "at least I don't believe so."
"How can you not know?"
"I never saw them. I was ambushed," Robet said in frustration. "I didn't see who they were, but there had to be more than one person involved."
"Where was Westleigh? Why didn't he protect you?"
"I left him behind with the horses. They didn't like the narrow alleys. Idiotic of me really, but I needed a break. Erich and I weren't making any progress on the ridiculous treaty."
"But you signed the treaty," Cassia said, interrupting him.
He stopped looking inward and focused on her. "No. Erich and I didn't make any headway in the treaty. Two days of arguing was all that was accomplished."
"He has a signed treaty with your signature."
He shook his head. "I never signed any treaty with Vespera. You must be careful."
"Of whom?" A chill crept through her. "What of your argument with Julyan? Why would you meet with his man when you were fighting?"
"I saw no danger. Julyan and I were having the same argument we'd been having for thirteen years. We always argued about your future."
She didn't understand why they would
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