TWENTY-FOUR
When her maids were done dressing her the following day, Ava asked to see Lagle again. The palace was too quiet for her sister to have recovered, and she worried about what would happen to her if Lagle died. The Queen had a long reach, and Ava shivered at the thought of what the Queen might do to her here.
After considerable hesitation, the girls led her back to the room where she'd first seen Lagle, only to find it empty.
Ava stared down at the thin pallet, hope rising in her breast. "So she is recovered, and she has been moved to a better chamber?" she asked eagerly.
The maids held a whispered conference.
Finally, one ventured, "We do not know, mistress."
"Find out, then," Ava snapped, startling herself with her imperious tone. She opened her mouth to apologise for th
