The Eighth Warden Bk. 05 Ch. 23-24

"No, Ambassador, I'm here on my own. I'd like to speak with my parents."

"Of course, of course. Lord Samuel was just behind--"

"Yassi!" her father exclaimed. He grabbed her in a tight hug, then shook her by the shoulders. "What in the world do you think you're doing? Why did I have to chase you halfway around the continent?"

And then her mother was there as well--Meerah, whose name Yassi had used as the basis for her own alias.

"Yassi? Is that you?"

It took some time to make it through the appropriate greetings, but finally Yassi and her parents were ensconced in a private sitting room, Narini positioned outside the only door.

"I went home this morning," Meerah was saying. In this context, she meant her family's camp at the edge of the city. "I thought I'd find you there, but Mama and Saira say you've been living in the orange grove district. Your father and I were planning to visit tomorrow."

"I figured you would, so I decided to surprise you," Yassi said. "I Saw you arrive."

"You never answered my question," Samuel said. "Whatever possessed you to leave Larso and come all the way here?"

"Rusol told me to!" Yassi said. "He's worried the Church knows I'm a mage, and that they believe the baby will be, too." She'd had to add more details to her lie to turn it into something her parents might believe.

They exchanged uncertain glances. "He didn't mention anything like that," Meerah said. "It must have been a false alarm. He insists that you return home with us."

Yassi tensed, but despite the odd phrasing her mother had used, there was no corresponding push on her mind. Perhaps Rusol's orders only worked when they were delivered in person.

"He told me I should stay in Sanvar no matter what," Yassi said. "You must have misunderstood."

Samuel produced a sealed letter and slid it over to her. "He was very clear. He said this would explain it all."

His eyes were glazed over, and Meerah had an absent-minded look on her face as she nodded along--they, too, had been compelled. How far did their orders go? Would they try to force Yassi to come with them? She might still need Lucanus.

She took the letter but didn't open it. Something written in Rusol's hand might still trigger the compulsion. She'd ask Merice to read it to her later.

Yassi would have to adjust her lie again, to provide her parents with a reason why she would ignore their demand.

"What if he's wrong?" she said. "What if he thinks the threat has passed but it hasn't? Living in Telfort has always been a risk for me--you know that. I'm going to stay here until I'm certain it's safe." She tried to keep her voice steady and firm. She was still the queen, after all, even if that would hold little sway with her own parents.

"You can't stay in Sanvar!" her mother exclaimed. "What does Shereen think about all this?"

"The empress? Why would she know about it?" Her parents knew Empress Shereen from Samuel's days as ambassador, but Yassi had been too young to remember any of it.

Samuel's eyes went wide. "She doesn't know you're here? Yassi, you're the Queen of Larso. You can't just sneak into the city!" He paced back and forth. "We'll have to smooth things over with the palace. I'll send Luthe with a message informing them we've arrived. I was hoping to speak with Shereen while I was here anyway. Hopefully we can get it all settled before you cause a diplomatic incident."

Yassi considered that. Could she still act as queen? In Larso, the queen held little power of her own, but a queen visiting from a far-off land, in an empire ruled by a matriarchy... that held some promise.

Perhaps she could come out of hiding. She could even tell Rusol--by letter, of course--part of the truth about why she'd left. The part that would excuse her actions, not the part that would make him even angrier. If she supported him publicly, and aided any efforts he made in Sanvar, he might give up on trying to fetch her back.

It was a risk, but not much more of a risk than she already faced. He knew where she was. She'd have to figure out a way to coexist with him sooner or later.