She glanced down at the woman’s sword to gather her thoughts. Right now, they needed to deal with the fact that Xyda not only wasn’t going anywhere, she couldn’t because she was unconscious up in her bedroom. “First, Xyda can’t come because she foolishly drank half a carafe of Feney in a fit of pique, and she’s passed out on my bed. So, no, she won’t be coming out in the next candlemark.”

  Humor lit the woman’s eyes. “That’s so far-fetched, I actually believe you.”

  “Second, how would you know what happened earlier? With the portcullis?”

  The woman stared into Sábria’s eyes as though trying to decide how much trust she could place in her words. After a while, she nodded. “You seem like an honest woman, if perhaps a bit ill-informed.”

  Sábria’s brows rose. Her immediate reaction was to take offense, but then she had to concede the point. “Yes, in this instance, I’m appallingly uninformed. I tried to gather information from Xyda, but she passed out before I could learn much about what was happening. Now, how did you know?”

  “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you that no Hunter ever enters a Temple without someone watching from the outside in case they need rescuing from the Blades inside.”

  Both Shirin and Sábria barked in unison, “What?” Realizing under normal circumstances, she never would have so blatantly shown her surprise, Sábria turned, paced to the gate, and back again, trying to understand how things could have gotten so far out of control. “I don’t believe you.”

  The woman held out her hands. “And yet here we are.”

  Indeed. Sábria wondered about the distrust she’d encountered in Xyda and thought about how she could regain the trust and loyalty that had been lost. Having this woman here only added to the complexity of the issue. Sábria needed several days with her Hunter so that, hopefully, Xyda could come to trust her. “Please, I’d like to know your name. We’re on the same side here. It’s obvious to me that you care a great deal about my Blade, as do I.”

  “I do. And under normal circumstances, I would, of course, tell you my name. But these are hardly normal circumstances, and in this instance, I think it gives you a power over me that I can’t afford to give.”

  “Well, you and I have a problem here. You’re threatening to burn down my Temple if I don’t have Xyda out here in front of you in one candlemark. As I told you, she’s lying unconscious in my bed. Not only that, I intend to spend the next couple of days visiting with her, trying to understand the problems that have developed between the Hunters and the Blades. I can’t have you out here threatening me with archers and flaming arrows.”

  The woman glanced over her shoulder at the rooftop. She turned around, crossed her arms, and stared at the ground. “Perhaps I overstepped myself, My Lady. And, if Xyda, or rather, when Xyda finds out that I threatened you in the Temple with flaming arrows, she just might run me through herself. There is no one more loyal to you than my Xyda. If she had to choose between you and me, I have no doubt whom she would choose. But know this. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

  “You don’t need to protect her from me. Again, we’re both on the same page. I’m not your enemy. I’m not Xyda’s enemy. If you come with me, you’ll see that she’s safe. I’ll even allow you to stay in my guest bedroom tonight while we wait for the alcohol to leave her system.”

  Amusement sparked in the woman’s eyes, and Sábria felt that if they’d met under different circumstances, she and this woman might have been friends. Her instincts also told her that she would have made an excellent Blade, and while she didn’t know the specifics of her life, she felt Elyon’s hand was very much on her shoulders. Without her Goddess-given insight, Sábria would have taken the woman’s actions as an unforgivable offense against the Temple. Instead, she could see the carefully concealed desperation in the woman’s actions. She desperately believed she needed to get Xyda to a place of safety. Sábria relaxed her posture, hooked a thumb in her belt, and smiled. “Since you won’t give me your name, I’ve decided to call you Quariss.”

  Quariss’s brows rose, and the astonishment Sábria saw in her eyes would’ve been humorous under different circumstances. She purposefully softened her gaze and touched the stunned woman’s shoulder.

  Quariss blinked several times in total confusion. “Let me get this straight. I threatened to burn down the Temple, and you give me a name that means ‘little one’ in one of the Trenchian Aisle dialects. How does that make any kind of sense?”

  When Quariss glanced away, Sábria placed her fingers on the other woman’s chin and brought her face back around so she could stare directly into her eyes. When she was sure she had Quariss’s undivided attention, she opened herself up to her Goddess. “Believe me when I say that you are Elyon’s child as much as I am, as much as these Blades surrounding you are, and as much as Xyda is. You can trust me to keep Xyda safe. I didn’t know what was happening between the Hunters and the Blades, and I won’t rest until I make that wrong right again.”

  Quariss stepped back. “That may be, but I’d be a fool to be the rescuer who willingly walks into what might very well be a trap. Are you willing to have my second accompany you into your rooms to ensure that Xyda is safe?”

  At least that was something. They were communicating, which is precisely what Sábria had hoped for. “Yes, of course.”

  Quariss whistled a string of varying sounds, and before long, a tall, rugged-looking man jogged around the corner and came to stand next to the noblewoman. “My Lady?”

  “Bow to the Arch Priestess, Sten.”

  After the man had bowed low, Sábria shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, Quariss. We don’t generally allow men into the Temple unless there’s a pressing reason. I saw several women among your archers. Would you trust one of them to come with me?”

  “I trust all of my people, My Lady, or they wouldn’t be my people.” She whistled another sequence, and a young woman about Ailith’s age climbed over the roof’s edge and dropped down to the plaza.

  Sábria recognized the excitement in the young woman’s eyes as she ran up and stood beside her leader.

  Quariss barked the order this time. “Bow to the Arch Priestess, Banin.”

  Flustered, the young warrior blinked and glanced at Shirin and then Killian, both of whom had the aristocratic features common to the nobility.

  Quariss tangled her fingers in Banin’s hair and turned her to face Sábria.

  Looking inordinately relieved to know who to bow to, Banin did so and turned to face Quariss again. “Ya wanted me, Milady?” A shock of blonde hair had fallen onto her eyes, and she absently swiped it out of her face with a dirty hand.

  Quariss grabbed the hand, inspected it, and glared at her young warrior. “Banin, why do you look like you just mucked out a pigsty?”

  “Sorry, Milady. When ya had me run to give th’ orders to th’ archers, I slipped and fell in a muck puddle in a back alley. I didn’t have time to wash because I knew I needed to be here in case there were a fight with th’ filthy Blades, and ya needed all yer warriors backin’ ya up, ya ken?”

  Quariss closed her eyes and sighed. “Tell me, Banin, Do you know why they call her the Arch Priestess?”

  Banin glanced at Sábria, looked down at the highly polished black boots, brought her gaze up to the well-worn sword hilt, and shook her head. “Nai Milady. Some kind’a religious thing, I’m guessin’?”

  “Nai?” Quariss barked the word while her second grabbed Banin’s tunic in a meaty fist and practically lifted her off her feet.

  He spoke through gritted teeth. “Did ya just say nai to our Lady?”

  Banin stuttered, “N…n…no, Sor, I mean y…y…yes, I did, but I meant to say no, Sor. I mean, I meant to say no, Milady.”

  Amused, Sábria glanced at Shirin, who silently communicated her own amusement with a raised brow. Young trainees were the same the world over, it seemed.

  Quariss growled, “Let her go, Sten.”

  The big man released Banin’s collar with a shove.

  Tipping her chin in the direction from which Sten had come, Quariss quietly said, “I’ll call you if I need you.” She watched the man go and then turned back to Banin. “Lady Sábria is the Arch Priestess of the Daughters of Elyon. She’s in charge of the eight thousand Blades you just insulted.” Her glare left nothing to the imagination. “Apologize.”

  Banin shot Sábria an angry look. “You’re th’ one what’s got hold of Xyda? Yer keepin’ her here, like?”

  Quariss grabbed Banin’s arm and twisted it up behind her back. “Apologize, Banin, or I’ll twist it right out of its socket.”

  “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that we all look out fer Xyda, and ya locked her in a—” She sucked in a breath and rose to her toes as Quariss twisted her arm higher.

  Quariss shoved her towards Sten and said over her shoulder to Sábria, “I’ll be right back.” She called out to the big man who’d almost reached the corner, “Sten, take her back and send Gyander to me.”

  Sábria heard Banin say, “But…” right before Quariss threw her into Sten’s arms.

  Quariss watched them turn the corner and waited until another woman, this one in her mid-to-late thirties, joined her. The top of the newcomer’s head came to Quariss’s chin, but she was broad-shouldered and slim at the waist, someone built like they knew their way around a battlefield. Quariss spoke to her for a while, and once the woman nodded her understanding, they returned to where Sábria and the other four Blades waited. “Lady Sábria, this is Gyander, or Gyan.”

  Gyan glared at Sábria before bowing. The bow wasn’t nearly deep enough, but that was the least of Sábria’s worries right then.

  “Gyan will go with you into the Temple to check on Xyda. Do I have your word that she’ll be allowed to return?”

  “You have my word. And by the way, Xyda and I’ll be having breakfast in the Temple in the morning, and you’re welcome to join us.”

  Quariss sniffed at that. “Not likely. I don’t know where my communication has failed, My Lady, but I’ll speak with Xyda in the morning, and if we decide she’s leaving, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I’m not waiting until after breakfast. She wakes up and leaves the Temple immediately, or I swear you won’t like what happens next.”

  Sábria was known for her patience until the moment it ran out. That moment had just arrived for this stubborn noblewoman. “Then, Quariss, you won’t be speaking to Xyda until she and I finish our business. That will take several days because there’s a lot of information I need to learn from her. As I told you before, if I say Xyda stays in the Temple, she stays in it whether you like it or not. During that time, if you or your people threaten my Blades, I’ll have the lot of you rounded up and thrown into the cells at the Goddess’s Court. I don’t care that you’re a noble. I don’t care that you’re a warrior, and I don’t care how many people you brought with you. If you think for one second that you can go to war with the Temple of the Daughters of Elyon, you’d better think again. Many, many people have tried it in the past and have either died in the attempt or run away licking their wounds. This is my Temple, my city, and my Empire. You will never threaten me or my people again. Do I make myself clear?”

  As if Sábria hadn’t said anything, Quariss turned her back to her and spoke to Gyan. “You’re to go in, check on Xyda, and immediately come back out.”

  Gyan nodded once and turned towards Sábria, who didn’t move. There was no way Sábria would be ignored, so she crossed her arms and settled in to wait.

  Quariss knew precisely what she wanted, that much was evident by the way she mimicked Sábria’s stance.

  With her temper nearing the boiling point, Sábria nodded. “Game’s over, Quariss. Neither you nor Gyan is welcome in my Temple. You’ll leave my plaza. If you or any of your people return, you’ll be taken into custody.” With that, Sábria walked toward the Temple gate.

  “I need to know she’s not being held against her will.”

  Sábria kept walking, and Shirin stepped in front of Quariss. “No, what you need to do is leave. Now.” She turned to Terro. “Terro. Guard Lady Sábria.”

  Terro brought her fist to her chest and jogged after her.

  Quariss whistled, and her archers reappeared. What she didn’t expect were the twenty archers who stepped into view on the allure of the Temple wall. Every single one had a locked and loaded crossbow aimed at Quariss’s people.

  Shirin raised her brows. “One word from me, Quariss, and every one of your people will be dead. Tell them to look around to see what’s standing behind them.”

  Quariss looked up at her archers. “What’s behind you?”

  Her people glanced back. One woman turned frustrated eyes on her leader. “About ten archers, standing to either side of the roof so they’re not in a crossfire.”

  Shirin pointed down the street. “Now, look there.”

  When Quariss turned, she saw that the remainder of her people had been rounded up by the members of the Deadnight shift who’d been participating in weapons practice inside the practice grounds. While Quariss and Sábria had been talking, Shirin had anticipated trouble. When the noblewoman had the audacity to have her people threaten the Temple with fire arrows, she’d taken precautions.

  Through silent hand signals, Shirin had told Dina to have Geller take her people out to round up all of Quariss’s warriors. She’d also had her send out a silent call for archers to man the allure and for others to take up a position behind Quariss’s archers. “You and your people will be spending the night in the cells in the Goddess’s court. Lady Sábria will decide your fate in the morning.”

  “You can’t do this.”

  “All you had to do was have a civil conversation and acknowledge that Lady Sábria is not only the head of this Temple but also the Empire’s co-ruler. This is your lesson, and be thankful that, so far, this is your only consequence.”

  “I am a noblewoman of the Empire.”

  “You are a noble of Lady Sábria’s Empire. Learn your lesson, Quariss, and maybe she’ll allow you to speak with Xyda tomorrow.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Until you give us your name, you’ll be Quariss to us.” She motioned to Geller, who was waiting with the others down the street.

  Geller jogged over and brought her fist to her chest. “Aye, Commander?”

  “Take her and all of her people and lock them in the cells in the Goddess’s Court. They aren’t to be allowed out until Sábria releases them.”

  Even though Quariss was now her prisoner, Geller was fully aware that she was dealing with a member of the nobility. They didn’t know whether she held a minor title or was a member of the ruling elite; either way, she still needed to be treated with the utmost respect. The Prime stepped aside and indicated Quariss should precede her.

  The livid anger shining from Quariss’s eyes told them what she thought of being arrested like a common criminal. “How dare you. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. When I send a message to⁠—”

  Shirin stepped in close and held a warning finger in front of the woman’s flushed face. “Be careful, Quariss. If you think invoking Emperor Aloric’s name will keep you from the cells, you’d better think again because by doing so, you align yourself with him against the Lady Sábria. Is that really what you want to do?” Without waiting for an answer, Shirin grabbed one of Quariss’s wrists, purposefully holding the spring-loaded knife in place. Not taking her gaze off her face, she reached beneath the tunic’s cuff and removed the first knife.

  Under normal circumstances, she’d have instructed Geller to disarm her, but since she was a noble, it was more fitting for Shirin to do the honors. She handed the knife to Sela before retrieving the second one. After handing that one over as well, she unbuckled Quariss’s sword belt and gave that to Killian. “Let’s go.”

  Quariss pursed her lips. “You don’t need to accompany us, Commander. I’ll behave.”

  Geller pointed to Quariss’s boots. “There are more in her boots, Commander. Do ya want me to grab those, too?”

  “I’m aware of those, Prime. I never think it’s a good idea to completely disarm a leader when they’re locked in a cell with their followers.” She raised her brows, “Unless I wouldn’t mind finding them lying in a bloody heap on the cell floor the next morning. So tell me, Quariss, if I took those last two blades, would your people be so quick to defend you?”

  With a snarl, Quariss reached into her boots and produced the two knives.

  Geller immediately stiffened, ready for anything.

  “Don’t worry, Prime. I may be a lot of things to a lot of people, quite a few of them unfavorable, and even though I consider many of the Blades I’ve come across to be brutish bullies, I’d never harm one if I could help it.” She expertly flipped the knives and caught them by the tips of the blades, not an easy feat to do with two knives simultaneously.

  Sela, who’d called Dina over and handed her the first two knives, stepped forward and took those two as well.

  Quariss looked at Shirin again. “And to answer your question, Commander, I trust every one of my people with my life. I kept those two back because it’s the Blades who concern me, not my own people.”

  Even though Shirin was beyond tired, and her belly was protesting the dinner she’d missed because of this fiasco, she closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and reluctantly looked at Geller. “I think I better go with you, Ursuna.” She glanced at Quariss, “Its standard procedure whenever we put anyone into the Goddess’s cells that you be strip-searched.”

  Every muscle in Quariss’s body stiffened, reminding Shirin of a porcupine whose quills had instantly risen and were now standing straight up at rigid attention.

  Shirin set her fists on her hips and glared at the woman. “And that reaction underscores why I need to escort you to the cells personally. Because you care so deeply for one of our Blades, and because of your nobility, I’m going to extend you a boon. I’ll personally search you in a private room and will even arrange for a private cell, away from your people, if that’s what you prefer. Your men will be in separate cells from your women. Each cell holds four people, and if you’d like to dictate who goes into what cell, I’ll allow that as well.”