“Good afternoon, Senator,” Elara said.

He saw her and turned toward her, plastering his fake smile on his lips. From her vantage point, she could see the entire yard. As he walked toward her, Hugh’s people fanned out around him. Stoyan, Hugh’s second-in-command, casually wandered on a course that would put him in Skolnik’s way just as he reached the stairs.

Everyone in the yard stopped what they were doing and came closer, instinctively uniting against the common enemy.

Stoyan got to the stairs first and stopped two feet away, a pleasant smile on his boyish face. Skolnik eyed him and halted.

“Good afternoon,” Skolnik said.

“What can I do for you, Senator?”

“I heard you got married. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Skolnik glanced around. “So, is your husband around? I’d like to meet the man.”

“He’s out,” Elara said. “Can I help you with anything?”

“You can reconsider my proposal.” Skolnik raised his chin.

“Thank you, Senator, but the castle isn’t for sale.”

“I guess I’ll have to talk to your man about that then. I’m sure he will see reason.”

Yeah, let me tell you about his moat… “As I said, he’s out.”

Skolnik looked around, raising his voice in a practiced pitch as if giving a speech before an adoring crowd. “You do realize that if the castle is sold, all of you stand to make a great deal of money.”

This was the same speech he gave the last time he came here. Alarm pinched her. He was up to something.

“Enough to make sure you are all set for life.”

Yes, the exact same speech.

“You can set up a settlement anywhere…”

“The castle isn’t for sale,” Elara said, sinking ice into her words.

“If your leaders are too short-sighted to understand, you have to use your head and think for yourself.”

The alarm blossomed into full-blown dread. Something bad was about to happen. Elara took a step down the stairs. She needed to get him out of the castle now.

D’Ambray rode through the gates on his enormous horse, a spot of darkness in his black uniform. One of the Dogs ran up to him and said something quietly.

D’Ambray turned Bucky toward her and grinned, a huge infectious smile. She almost smiled back, raising her hand to wave.

What the hell am I doing?

Elara snatched her hand back. How did he do that? How was it that this vicious sonovabitch of a man could smile like that and look as if he were the world’s best hope? Hugh grinned and everyone around him wanted to be the one to make him happy.

D’Ambray took a lungful of air and roared. “Honey, I’m home!”

Skolnik turned to look. The stallion bore down at him and the senator took an involuntary step back. D’Ambray dismounted, ran up the steps, and pulled her to him, clamping her against his hard chest. “Give us a kiss.”

She would murder him. He showed no signs of letting her go, so Elara brushed his lips with hers as quickly as she could.

D’Ambray was gazing at her adoringly. “Did you miss me?”

“Counted the moments since you were gone.” In joy. She counted them in joy, hoping they would last forever.

D’Ambray finally released her and turned to Skolnik. “Who’s our guest?”

“State Senator Victor Skolnik,” Elara said.

D’Ambray smiled at Skolnik. His face practically radiated a good-natured “aw shucks” attitude. He looked impressed. “State Senator? Well. How about that? We’re moving up in the world. Honey, couldn’t you have brought Senator a glass of tea or something?”

What?

Skolnik’s eyes lit up. “I do apologize for imposing on your hospitality.”

“Don’t mention it.” D’Ambray walked down the steps. Elara followed him, trying to keep her rage from her face.

“State Senator,” Hugh said, clearly impressed. “How many of you guys are in the Senate, what like a hundred from the whole state?”

Skolnik visibly relaxed, the tension seeping from him with every word. “Thirty-eight.”

“Wow. Thirty-eight. Say, have you ever met Governor Willis?”

“As a matter of fact, I have.” Skolnik nodded. “We had dinner together during the last session.”

“Well, how about that, dear?” D’Ambray turned to her.

“Amazing,” she said.

“Say, I heard he has a honey of a wife,” d’Ambray remarked.

Skolnik grinned at him and leaned closer. “It wouldn’t be proper of me to comment, but yeah, she’s a good-looking woman, if you know what I mean.”

Hugh laughed and Skolnik smiled.

D’Ambray was pretending to be an idiot and was making her look like an idiot too, in the process. Elara strained to keep from grinding her teeth. Her magic coiled and uncoiled within her, an icy restless fire.

Stoyan had drifted away from them, moving all the way to the opposite castle wall.

“So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?” d’Ambray asked.

“Business.”

“A man after my own heart.” D’Ambray clamped his hand on Skolnik’s shoulder. “There are only two important conversations in this world. The first is the kind that gets you money and the second we won’t mention in mixed company.”

A big horse grin again. She had an irrational urge to punch him.

“So, what sort of business are we talking about?”

Skolnik opened his mouth.

“On second thought,” d’Ambray held up his hand. “I hate to be rude, but there is one small matter I have to take care of before we start, if you don’t mind. I’d like to give you my full attention.”

“Of course, of course.” Skolnik gave him a magnanimous wave.

“Excellent.” D’Ambray glanced at Stoyan. The Iron Dog raised his hand and made a come-here motion.

Four Iron Dogs came around the keep, dragging two men between them.

Skolnik froze for a moment. His expression shifted back to affable again, but she saw it, and the brief taste of his alarm was delicious.

The Dogs dragged the two men forward. The left one was taller, with a shaved head and hard eyes, his face pissed off. The one on the right, wiry and blond, wore a blasé expression as if this was just another day and he wasn’t being half-carried by two hard cases.

Professionals, she realized. Mercenaries of some sort or private security.

“Caught these two trying to climb over the wall.” Stoyan closed in and handed d’Ambray something.

D’Ambray held it up to the sun. A long, thin glass tube sealed with plastic with three pieces of cloth inside dipped in sand-like powder.

D’Ambray squinted at the tube. “Nasty bugger.” He held the tube out to her.

She took it and concentrated. Traces of her magic wrapped around the tube. The powder on the cloth shifted in response, crawling across the fabric to pool against the glass. Whatever was inside was alive and hungry.

Her magic touched it.

A living disease, boosted by magic, a disease that would spread like fire and kill within hours. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose. She spat the word out. “Cholera.”

“Mhm,” d’Ambray said. “Our new friends planned to drop a present into our well. What would you say, honey, six hours and everyone in the castle would be dead and the disease vector would jump to the settlement, then to the lake? Or do you think it would be more like eight?”

She was too focused to answer, wrapping her magic around the vial, containing it.

The two mercenaries stared at him, the first still angry, the second still bored.

She finished the cocoon of magic and called, “Emily! Get Malcom and Gloria!”

Emily took off at a run.

Elara held the vial gently. They would have to dispose of this thing properly, with a lot of acid and fire.

Her gaze fell on Skolnik. It had to be him. He knew that once he walked in, everyone in the castle would gather around him, because he was a threat. While they were watching him, the two mercenaries would scale the wall and infect the well.