Dearest Zann,

A strong pair of hands clamped my shoulders and pulled me backwards. Ambe’s foyer furnishings clung on as hard as they could, which lost me a lot of skin from my arms, but whoever was pulling me away was stronger. I fell back against them and we tumbled back onto the grass.

I twisted around to see who had saved me. It was Wryth, the Amaydyan guard officer. “Are you hurt?” she said.

“Not badly,” I said. “Thank you very much.”

“I am pleased to be of use. Does one encounter such hazards often in this palace? I confess your peril was one I had no knowledge of.”

She helped me to my feet. “I think it’s a spell that Ambe uses to guard her lair when she’s not in it. Which I should have thought of before pushing my face in there. Foolish of me.”

“I see. A magical spell that is also your colleague, then. And mine,” she said, grinning.

“Ay, I guess so.”

“I saw you crossing the courtyard. I caught you up because I wished to speak with you.” She pointed to a canopied greenfolk thing where people could sit.

“Oh. Well. What would you like to talk about?” We sat down on the thing.

She made a squaring-up gesture. “Our delegation to Crideon is in a difficult position. This court is cut off from the rest of the world, and is doing nothing to address the catastrophe outside. Some of the rebels are demanding that we be turned over to them as prisoners.”

“They are?” Not the ones at Cas Crid, I thought, Acea would never stand for that.

“They are. Many of your countrymen have no love for mine. One struggles to imagine a resolution to this conflict. So I am spending a lot of time thinking what to do. And when I see you, I think, perhaps he would be good to talk to.”

I nodded slowly. “I want to stop it all,” I said. “I don’t know how, or who can help, or what to do next. But I’m going to do something, because I don’t know who else is. Will you help? If you can?”

Wryth considered. “I remember you pushing a bench, at a wedding, to save your guards from being killed. I thought to myself, that is a clever man, not just to push a bench, but to know that the bench must be pushed. It is why I thought I should talk to you. Yes, I will help, if I can.”

I hadn’t expected to feel such relief. “Thank you,” I said. “Again.”

“How does one begin such a conspiracy?”

I reached out my hand and she shook it.

“Perhaps you’d like to speak to the Amaydyan ambassador?” she suggested.

That sounded like a good idea.

All my love,

Ybel