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as you fulfill your purpose."
    Well, there were a whole lot of warnings
couched in that pleasant little bundle of assurances. Clearly, if I
tried to ditch the Golden City, my safety would be in question, and
I could only count on being "treasured" as long as I was benefiting
the kingdom in some way. Good to know.
    "I am sure that my purpose is to bring
greater glory to Solis, so I don't doubt that I will be well looked
after," I returned, pasting a falsely sincere smile on my face.
Probably it would be too much to flutter my eyelashes as well.
    Efrim's smile was thoughtful and for a
moment, I thought I glimpsed admiration in his dark, shielded eyes.
The corner of his mouth twitched before he bowed over my hand,
touching the knuckles with his forehead, a gesture I assumed meant
respect or genuflecting.
    "I believe you will bring glory to Solis,
Honey Sullivan. I imagine you and I will have many enlightening
discussions. But for now, I will depart and allow you time to rest
before you meet with the king." He glanced over me, taking in my
dress and pale skin, my long red tresses. "Please do not concern
yourself with proper etiquette at this time. You will be assigned
an advisor in due course who will educate you in the ways of the
court, but for now the king will know that you are not familiar
with our customs. I take my leave," he murmured, backing away from
me, a Cheshire grin widening his cheeks. "We will meet again soon,
Honey Sullivan."
    Before I could protest he was out the door
and I was left alone, blinking at the door and trying to ignore the
heat of threatening tears. The fire blazed cheerily beside me, but
no matter how close I got to it, my bones still felt cold.

Chapter
VII
Oh, Who Would Ever Want to Be King?
    The sound of the door opening woke me.
    I wasn't sure how long I had been curled up
there in front of the fire dozing, and despite vaguely formed
dreams that involved masculine hands in some intriguing places, the
rest had done me good. I felt more clear-headed and a bit more
myself as I straightened my hair and got to my feet, unwilling to
meet anyone else at a disadvantage. As I turned to face the
newcomer, I heard a gasp and a muttered word in that language I
still hadn't been able to translate, the Old
Tongue as Damki had called it.
    The boy who stood in front of me looked to
be no more than twelve or thirteen, just at the cusp of manhood and
awkward in the transition. Dressed in an intricately embroidered,
knee-length dark green tunic and fawn colored leggings, he was tall
for his age, the top of his head nearly reaching mine, and I could
tell that his lanky build would eventually fill out into something
pretty impressive; for now his arms seemed overlong and wiry, his
shoulders too broad for such a narrow waist. Big violet-hued eyes
blinked at me from behind luxurious indigo lashes and an unruly mop
of the same colored hair. Golden-skinned, his features were hawkish
and he hadn't grown into the aristocratic hooked nose and high,
tilted cheekbones. This boy would one day epitomize the image of
royalty, but as he shuffled nervously before me, I knew that day
was still a while off.
    "Hello, I'm Honey Su..." I started before
the boy-king paled alarmingly and began to sway where he stood.
Less concerned about etiquette than having the king keel over while
alone with me on my first day, I hurried forward and grasped his
arm, gently guiding him over to my couch and pushing him down with
his head between his knees.
    "Take a deep breath, there you go...that's
it, wait until the dizziness passes. You're doing fine, just take
another breath...and let it out....that's it..." I crooned as I
rubbed his back, worried over his reaction and wondering what on
earth could have the kid so stressed out.
    A few minutes later, he let out a deep sigh
and raised his head, eyeing me warily. Though intellectually, I
knew he had to be the king and therefore probably above my paltry
ministrations, he looked like a kid who was