15 Chapter 15

“He agreed,then.”More swiftly than I’d imagined.My emotions roiled back into a mess.I couldn’t decipher whether I was happy for Tylen,disappointed he was moving on so readily,or something else far more selfish.I attempted to hide them by hurriedly adding,“I can’t say I’m surprised.You were quite right about how he ingratiates himself with the Regent.”

Tylen’s smile faded.“What’re you talking about?You saw him today?”

“Didn’t you?”

“A few minutes after breakfast.But I didn’t know he’d come in here.Whywould he do that?”

“He had a meeting with the Regent.”Briefly,I described how it had gone,though it became increasingly clear this was all new to Tylen.“The Regent’s attention is a good thing,is it not?”

“Yeah.”Though the vague way he agreed made me less sure.“I can’t understand why,though.And the timing doesn’t match.My day’s itinerary was waiting for me at breakfast.He wouldn’t have met with Dourack by that point.”

“He likely assumed Dourack would offer no resistance.”