“My poor Alberto is about to be slaughtered!”
“You mean the duel?”
“Of course!” Tatiana paced across the room, wringing her hands. “I heard them talking about it in the barracks.”
Luciana perched on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been worried about it, too.”
“You know it won’t be fair, right? My poor Alberto will be murdered by that Beast!”
“The Lord Protector said he wasn’t going to use his power, that it would be fair—”
“And you believe a Beast?” Tatiana screeched. She ran toward the bed. “There’s only one thing we can do. You have to beg the Beast not to kill Alberto.”
Luciana winced. “I don’t think—”
“You have to! If anything happens to Alberto, it’ll kill me!”
“You’re already—”
“It’ll kill me again!” Tears filled Tatiana’s eyes. “I’ll be a lost spirit, wandering the earth, wailing for a thousand years.”
“But how—”
“How can a love be as pure as ours?” Tatiana thumped a hand against her chest. “You might as well ask how does the sun rise in the west—”
“East.”
“Whatever.” Tatiana waved a dismissive hand, then gave her a pitying look. “You poor child. You’ll never know a love as glorious as ours.” She fell onto her knees. “So you must beg the Beast not to kill him!”
“It’s late. I don’t even know where to find him.”
“You must find him! Ask the guards to take you to him. And be sure to wear that nightgown. He’ll see everything.”
With a groan, Luciana fell back onto the bed.
“And after you’ve dazzled him with your beauty—”
Luciana scoffed as she stared at the ceiling. “Are you saying I’m beautiful now?”
“Of course you are. You look like me. So, all you have to do is lounge on his bed like you’re doing now, but try to look a little more lively than a beached whale, will you? And then he’ll be so smitten, he’ll grant you anything you ask for.”
Luciana sat up. “Anything? As in sparing the life of my former lover? How could that possibly appeal to him?”
“You have to do something! Please!”
Luciana sighed. How could she leave her sister wailing for the rest of the night, much less a thousand years? “I’ll send him a letter. No doubt one of the guards could deliver it.”
“Wonderful!” Tatiana bounced up and down. “Thank you so much!”
“Did you learn anything else in the barracks?”
Tatiana stopped dancing and pressed a finger to her lips as she considered. “Oh, yes! It was quite shocking.”
Luciana jumped to her feet. “You know who the assassin is?”
“No. But I discovered I’ve been wrong about something for years. I’ve always thought that the bigger a man was, the bigger his male … part would be. But that’s not actually true.”
Luciana’s mouth fell open.
“I know.” Tatiana nodded gravely. “I couldn’t believe it, either, so I made a point of studying as many men as I could—”
“That’s enough!” Luciana put on her black cloak to cover up the thin nightgown. “I need to ask Jensen to bring me some paper and ink.”
Tatiana gasped. “And you wouldn’t believe Jensen! I mean, he seems so ordinary, but—”
“I don’t want to hear it! I have to be able to face him without blushing. Now, why don’t you do something useful, like finding out who wants to kill me and Father?”
“Fine, fine.” Tatiana waved a hand. “You’re so bossy. And you’ll send the letter?”
“Yes, I promise.” When her sister vanished, Luciana drew the bolt and unlocked the door.
“My lady?” Jensen asked when she cracked open the door.
Her cheeks grew warm. “Could you bring me some paper and writing utensils?”
He bowed. “Right away.” He glanced at the other guard as he headed for the stairs. “Don’t leave your post.”
Luciana closed the door and spotted a form taking shape by the window. “What now, Tati—”
The ghost spun around, a shocked look on her face.
“Mother.” Luciana stepped toward her.
With a sob, her mother zoomed across the room and vanished through the door.
“No, wait!” Luciana flung the door open and ran outside.
“My lady.” The guard bowed. “You shouldn’t—”
“Th-there’s someone in there!” She pointed to the room, and the guard dashed inside.
She hurried down the stairs, following the white wisp of her mother’s spirit. “Don’t go! Please!”
One floor down, her mother flew onto the wall walk headed south. One guard was across the landing at the northern entrance and the second guard was just coming out of the privy. They gaped in surprise as Luciana darted onto the wall walk.
“My lady! Come back!” They chased after her.
She sprinted along the wall walk, quick in her bare feet, the black cloak fluttering behind her. “Wait!”
Her mother reached a corner where the crenellated outer wall veered suddenly to the east, but instead of turning with it, she went straight through the wall into the night sky and vanished over the Southern Sea.