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Mina’s cheeks are flushed pink. She looks at Opeth as if she is amazed to be in her presence. “You are the concubine of Prince Atticul?”

Opeth winks. “Yes, dearheart,” she says. “Currently.”

“Come and sit with us,” Lyr says excitedly. “We have some honeywine.”

“How nice,” Opeth says, taking a seat. “I’ve been drinking that foul pearl tonic all evening. Among other revolting things.”

Lyr pours Opeth some wine and looks to Mina, “Will you stay?”

Mina stands, “I won’t, thank you. I need to find someone else to take me to the grove.”

She sweeps out. Opeth says, “Oh, did I offend her?”

Lyr shakes his head. “Not you. She is sweet on me. I think she is disappointed she will not get to have me tonight.”

“Ah, well, that’s understandable. A sweet thing like you will have to offend many scullions on a night like this.”

Lyr takes a sip of the sweet wine. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“I’m sure you did not. But she needs to realise your eyes are only for one person.”

Lyr nods. “Yes. Yes, they are.”

“And I suspect he feels the same after the way he started hitting people for touching you.”

“He shouldn’t have done that,” says Lyr, but he finds himself smiling as he says it.

“I’m glad he did. I didn’t know you were here until he drew attention to you.” Opeth smiles. “We should go to the grove.”

“You wish to rut in the grove? With me?”

Opeth laughs, “No. I wish to speak to you somewhere quiet.”

“The grove will be full of people.”

“Yes. It’s the perfect place to hide away. Come with me.”

Opeth leads Lyr by the hand back out of the kitchen and through the terrace. The grove is full of pairs of bodies, coupling in the trees, flesh lit up in orange strips by the braziers. The minstrels play low drums and the air is full of the sounds of moaning pleasure. It is the lewdest thing Lyr thinks he has ever seen. “I do not understand this place,” says Lyr. “How is Zai so strict about everything and yet allows this.”

“Zai can be strict because he allows this,” Opeth says. “Doroth Zain threatens to declare it a crime against Zai but never does. And he never will. The people here still follow Artemia under another name.”

As they get further from the terrace even the light from the braziers grows distant. Eventually, they reach a place where the grove is dark and quiet. “Here,” says Opeth, stopping by a willow tree. She pulls aside its curving branches, revealing the hidden den beneath them. “Inside.”

Lyr crawls in and sits down with Opeth. “Oh,” he says. “Oh no. I didn’t bring the honeywine.”

“I have something,” Opeth says, pulling a bottle from inside her brief gown that Lyr thinks she must have had tucked between her breasts. “I’m sorry to say it’s that revolting tonic.”

“No matter,” says Lyr, taking the bottle. “The taste might be terrible but the effects are nice.” He takes a long pull from the bottle. before he tells Opeth all about his encounter with Atticul outside Gleamview Market.

At the end of the tale, Opeth stretches her eyes. “What a strange story. Atticul thought you would betray the man who saved your life when he would have beheaded you in Blackstone Castle? And when he tried to make Damon cover you in front of all to celebrate their victory.”

“There are rumours that he did do that and that he fucked me on Atticul’s ship.”

Opeth raises her eyebrows. “Didn’t he?”

“No. He has not taken me. Not in Pellex, or at sea, or here.”

“But Atticul has not let that stop him spreading rumours.”