A half an hour later, almost to the second, Lyria was sitting in the carriage with Aertis, waiting for Alpha Windmere.
“Of course he is late, but you know if I had been, he never would have let me hear the end of it,” she grumbled. Aertis nodded in a sympathetic, but vague, sort of way.
“Lyria,” Aertis said, “tell me about the King!”
Lyria waved a hand, unsure if she was ready to tell even Aertis of all that had happened. “It was nothing, really. We were on the watch, Haribelle and I. Unfortunately, I ended up falling from my hiding spot. Created a bit of a fuss.”
“Is Haribelle all right?” Aertis asked, concern flitting across her face.
“Yes,” Lyria said, peering anxiously out of the carriage, looking for Alpha Windmere. She had no desire for him to learn what she had really been doin
