smile played across the princess’s lips. “Leonidas has never brought a woman home before.”
The sudden change in topic startled me, and it took me a few seconds to pick up on what she was implying.
I shook my head. “No. It’s not like that. Leonidas came to my rescue when those . . . bandits attacked and was kind enough to bring me here to recuperate. There’s nothing more between us.”
“Mmm. Whatever you say.” Delmira’s smile widened, and her eyes sparkled with merriment.
She obviously thought I was lying, but I didn’t correct her. Better for her to think I was besotted with Leonidas than spying on Milo.
“Well, however you got here, I’m so glad you’ve come to Myrkvior. Leonidas spends far too much time alone, holed up in his dusty, cluttered library.” Her nose crinkled with comical distaste.
I could have pointed out that her chambers were just as cluttered as her brother’s, and that she seemed to spend just as much time alone as he did, but I changed the topic instead. “What about your other brother, Milo? I hear he is engaged.”
The more I learned about Milo, the better I could navigate the treacherous palace politics, and the sooner I could figure out what he was planning to do with the tearstone.
Delmira’s smile vanished. “Yes, Milo has been engaged to Lady Corvina for a few months. She comes from a very old, powerful, wealthy noble family. The Dumonds. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”
“Of course.”
In addition to the Morricones, my father and grandfather also paid close attention to other influential Mortan families, especially the Dumonds, who had almost as much magic, money, land, and men as the Morricones did. Over the years, various Dumonds had tried to wrest the throne away from Maeven, although none had been successful. Marrying Milo to a Dumond must be Maeven’s way of trying to appease the noble family while still making sure the throne stayed firmly in Morricone hands.
“Does Milo spend much time at Myrkvior?” I asked. “Surely he has his own chambers here.”
Delmira shrugged. “He has his own private workshop, of course, although he rarely lets anyone inside it. Milo used to spend far more time traveling, especially to some of the eastern kingdoms, but this year, he’s spent most of his time at Myrkvior.”
A private workshop? That sounded promising, and it matched up with what Leonidas had told me earlier. I didn’t think Leonidas would lie about where Milo might be hiding the tearstone, but it didn’t hurt to confirm his claims.
I opened my mouth to ask Delmira another question when a shadow fell over us, and a loud, harsh caw! rang out. Wings flapped, and a strix streaked down from the sky and landed in the courtyard.
I tensed, thinking the strix might be here to attack me, but then I recognized the creature. Lyra. I relaxed a bit. She probably wouldn’t hurt me. Probably.
Delmira laughed and held out her hand, and Lyra rubbed up against the princess’s fingers like an oversize house cat. Leonidas might be Lyra’s favorite human, but Delmira seemed to be a close second. Then the strix turned to me, quirking her head from side to side.
“Go on,” Delmira encouraged. “Hold out your hand. Lyra won’t hurt you. She is Leonidas’s strix, and the two of you met before. During the bandit attack, right?”
Something about the way she said that made me think Delmira didn’t believe her brother’s lies about me, but I had no real reason to doubt her, other than my own paranoia.
“Of course,” I murmured.
Delmira was the princess here, not me, so I did as she asked. Lyra hopped over and rubbed her head against my outstretched hand. Laughter bubbled up out of my lips too, and I scratched her head right in between her eyes, the same spot where Grimley always liked to be petted—
An idea popped into my mind, and I leaned closer to the strix and stared into her bright, shiny amethyst eyes. Lyra. I gently sent the thought to her. Will you help me? Please?
The strix squawked and hopped back, clearly startled. I kept staring at her, and she eased closer to me again.
What do you want? Her singsong voice filled my mind.
Grimley, my gargoyle, is coming to Myrkvior. Can you find him and make sure he gets to the palace safely? I don’t want the other strixes to hurt him.
Lyra let out a sound that was somewhere between a huff and a snort. Stupid rocks-for-brains gargoyle coming to my city.