Chapter Thirty

  ostasis lets you refle how everythi wrong. Maybe it would have bee not to have succeeded so much? Even if they had trihat revealed a ck of truthiness for some answers, or they had the suspiaybe Harmony could have juggled one or two more balls than she did, perhaps this wouldn't be the position she was in with the majority of the room's attention focused on her. All over that ridiculously cheap blow she'd delivered, a valid attack if not a polite one. She had plenty of time to ponder while her pet prince dashed across the ballroom floor somewhere to her left. Yelps and barks from the event staff and guards at his disturbance were just starting.

  Could it have been the silence affeg their bond and pushing Adric to a? He’d been distinctly unfortable when she cast it on herself. The reason didn’t matter. He was here. He was ing. It was time to get answers and she missed him.

  Familiar hands picked her up and spun her around. At least they’d given him access to his old wardrobe. All the clothes he’d had with her were slightly threadbare even after multiple mends. The red coat with gold trim looked dashing and princely on him, not that he was ever not adorable, and matched his white shirt and bck pants. “What are you doing here..” She watched the realization that his Harmony was distinctly not looking Harmony-like before he plopped her back down. “... um, stranger.”

  The eager undead prince bandying about with a woman who had no disable past and happeo be Lady White’s height. Even the dullest of news hounds would figure this o. Pn to sneak in, che Adrid sneak out pletely ruined. “It’s okay.”

  Harmony dropped the act. [Beauti] entwined with [Manipute Dead] to undo the ges she’d made, rest her hair and face. From inside her, [Small Armor] exged the bnd less funal get-up she’d donned of old modified clothes and ball-busting gau fht. Even the obsg choker was whisked away with it, but if they got destroyed, who cared.

  “See, Addy. I was a tad worried and wao che without causing a fuss. Since you disappeared without telling me.“

  “Jacob promised he’d deliver my letter.”

  Harmony gave a slight shake of her head dissuading him of that.

  “I mean he is fetful.” Maliciously so, if the stories she’d heard from Adric were true.

  “Halt!” The staff and guards finally arrived after pushing through the now even more curious and growing crowd. With their hands resting on their ons they were probably more fused than anyone else. Well. There’s that to deal with.

  Before Harmony could decide what to say. The abbess Violet Everdeen stepped before them. “My applit, the neancer Lady Harmony White is merely having a meeting with her pet Prince Adric Highsmythe. Please carry on.”

  Frustrated looks of irritation paihe faces of all the sun temple guards. “Our mistake.” The head one said sourly. This ’t be worse than Violet’s st applit who set the fires.

  Where before the crowd had looks of i and analysis. They now had wide-eyed shod curiosity. She wasn’t even a big deal in Naewauld like she was in Hazeldown, at least wasn’t before the Asdant Games annou. As a whole, she gave the crowd a slight shrug and faint wave. They all started to talk and move forward almost at once.

  “Let the dy verse with her prince. I’m happy to field any questions and inquiries.” The abbess intervened.

  Gratitude, but it isn't like the woman had done more tha Harmony for the first time st ho. There was sure to be some favor owed somewhere because of this. Focus.

  Harmourned her attention to Adrio letter was received even after we’d inquired about you. When you didn’t return I was a bit worried. I merely wao che to make sure everything was okay. Perhaps with a more subdued meeting. I'd po use our bond to call for you when I had a more private bit of space.”

  “Everything is okay. Family matters. They’ve been evaluatio make sure I’m all healthy before weling me back.”

  Remembering the tea i, Harmo an, oh, really? Look.

  “Nothing I haven’t tried myself already. Pnts, potions, physical examinations, some anti-undead spells and items.” Adritinued.

  That did not souh-indug. Despite his resistao expected skills, Harmony knew he had been dead, weeks dead. He wasn’t even alive now in the way others were. Resistao [Manipute Dead] had proved that. He is teically undead, but not a ghost, or a zombie, or anything she was aware of. Subjeg him to such things was not approved of, if she’d known of his risky experiments earlier she’d have stopped those too.

  “I’m gd no harm has yet to e to you. If you’d gotten hurt, think about how Ambrosia would react if someoook a sling to one of her birds. Sounds like you passed all their nasty tests, they be free to reinstate you a you e bae. There we talk steps as a team.”

  “Um, actually. I’m not allowed to leave the pace. The charter members are sending their expert in to review the situation.”

  [Recall] reminded Harmony he’d mentiohis group once before. “Charter Members?”

  “The royal family are kind of stewards of the kingdom. We're tiny with only Hazeldown and Naewauld, pared to the other kingdoms. We operate uhe charter set up by mostly the neighb evolved kingdoms, that way none of the rger kingdoms gobble us up without the other charter members defending us. It’s like a defereaty. “

  “And they get a say in what happens to you?”

  “It’s just a formality,” Adriswered as though that had been told to him a huimes. This must be one reason why Len thinks that something is off about the kingdom. And if it just a formality then why won’t they let him leave and why didn’t they respond to her requests?

  “Well, I want to be there when this formality happens. If possible I’d like access to you to visit when I want. I’d rather not go to the guild and suggest to them that the kingdom is trying to unduly influence me through my pet over the Asdant Games.” That st statement Harmony said loud enough for the crowd to hear. You’d think clergy were good at keepis, but while she didn’t associate with them she’d heard they spread rumors and gossip like fishwives. Probably more useful than actually gettiangled deeper with the guild. “Put the request through. If I don’t hear from them by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll o be more assertive.”

  And there she ying politics. Adric was hers, damn it.

  Adric’s shove came as a surprise. That fir of dahrough their bond. [Stride Before the Fall], while she hadn’t had the skill for that long, part of her training has been ter it when you feel that sense of trouble. That’s probably what she o i i with her free skill slot, something that gave her a little more warning of trouble. Everyone serious about advang tried to make themselves jacks of all before evolving as it is, cover your weaknesses before you specialize.

  She watched ahe dagger pluo her bad through her chest with a speed that would prevent [small armor] from blog, not that she could see the skill to block it. Hyath would call it a proper ambush. A lethal shot from out of the shadows. Night resisted some of it not even cutting, but the force was too mubsp; You’d thih would hurt more.

  “Adric screamed. The crowd screamed. Harmony reached back to her attacker as she felt her life slip away grabbing his ear [Cold Touch] synergized with [Final Silence] boosted by her dying state that allowed her to put everything into the act. The man who was her attacker screamed as well, but his was silent.

  The decision to choose was gone as only one Harmony was alive and with that [Stride Before the Fall] leveled for the first time. All that work she'd put int to level the skill earlier wasted. Dying was key. Such a stupid skill.

  Adric grappled the silenced assassin. Sun guards joined him. Even while struggling his eyes found Harmony’s.

  With a nod, Harmoo slip away while everyone was watg the se unfold. Night did not make the easiest outfit to slip away in as it stood out. Two guards joined her. Abbess Violet as well.

  “I want to apologize, Lady White. I never expected this. Some prejudices I guess die hard.”

  [Poise and Bearing] kept her from wing at Violet’s use of the word “die.” Plenty of people disliked neancers, abuse, slights, and invenience from it had always bee. But this? Naewauld had plenty of neancers, she hadn’t heard of attempted murder like this. First, get to safety. Then dissect the problem.

  “I wish I could say the evening was fun. But some chaos is not my cup of tea. Thanks for letting me crash this party.”

  By the time she was outside the pace, her guards were a good dozen. Janos, that knight she'd knocked down, and two patrons she didn’t reize joined five sun temple guards and there were four paes.

  A croak came out of the shadows. “My familiar is here,” Harmony informed the group so as not to spook them. The massive toad hopped into the protective crowd. Harmony put her hand on him. Shadows were everywhere, cast from buildings and trees lit by glow stones for the night. The mass of people around her even cast long shadows. “It’s certainly been a party. Farewell.”

  She and Hyath slipped into those shadows back to The Dragonfly Inn. Discreetly go and che her pet to assuage her fears. Don't stand out, don't get into trouble, aainly don't die. None of that had goo pn.