Over the next few days Ildri felt like she was going to explode with everything that was seething inside her. She went over and over the events that had led her to the castle. There were so many things that she should have done differently, so many actions that would have changed how things had turned out.

Ildri could have stayed at Maxine's. She could have kept walking back to Wildwood or Waldwick or anywhere the first time that she had left him. She could have kept her mouth shut when they were hiding and they never would have been chased so intently. Her reasons still brought a flush of shame to her face and it only heightened the horrible revelation.

It was all Ildri's fault.

The only reason that Ty was in trouble was because of the way that Ildri was. She had always known that she was weak and dependent and slow and useless. She was a burden on everyone that she came near. Her aunts and uncles had known it and Lord Wildwood had been more than understanding about it. And she had led Ty to his doom.

Ildri was feeling so low that it was almost not a surprise when the news came.

* * * * *

There was a knock on the guest chamber door. Ildri got up and opened it even though it was already unlocked. A man who she now knew to be Charles was on the other side of the door. He functioned as a messenger for the king's councillors—Ildri could not remember what his official title was but he was nice enough that Ildri was not displeased to see him.

"Miss Ildri? Sir Geoffrey has asked me to bring you to him," Charles said.

Ildri summoned a faint smile. "Yes, of course Charles," she said. "I'm ready right now."

Ildri followed Charles through the castle although she already knew the way. She had been to Sir Geoffrey's offices a number of times while he ran her through a million seemingly endless questions until her head spun. He was not particularly nasty or cruel but she still felt an unpleasant lump form in her belly at the thought of another session with him.

He had already had Ildri describe everything from the appearance of the soldier's weapons to the sort of cloth that had been used in the tents. While Ildri's curious mind was had a fairly good grasp of remembering general details she was quite sure that he had already extracted every last bit of information from her. She could not imagine what questions he had thought of this time.

She wondered if Anya had been subjected to the same sort of treatment. Probably worse, after all, Ildri was not a criminal like her false friend had been.

They arrived at Sir Geoffrey's door and Charles knocked smartly.

"Come in," Sir Geoffrey called.

Charles swung the door open and went to leave.

"You can stay, Charles. I'm only going to keep her for a short time. Take a seat, please," he said in a lazy voice.

Ildri and Charles both sat down. Sir Geoffrey started directly. "Lord Wildwood asked that I keep you informed on what has been happening, Ildri of Wildwood."

Ildri nodded and watched as Sir Geoffrey folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "We believe that we have discovered what may have happened to your companion."

"What?" Ildri asked, suddenly impatient.

Sir Geoffrey allowed a deep sigh to escape his lips. "There is no doubt that he has been captured by the enemy. There is evidence of a force consisting of many horses met him after he parted ways with you. There was a good deal of blood."

"Blood?" Ildri repeated in horror.

"Although we cannot be sure to whom it belonged, there is a high probability that someone sustained life threatening injuries. If it was not Ty, then there is a good chance that he was merely captured and has been imprisoned somewhere."

"Merely? They'll kill him!" she snapped.

"Not immediately. No offense intended, Miss Ildri, but you are a far less valuable captive than Ty. They will not discard him quite so quickly as they would have you. Furthermore, as you had surmised, he has been interfering in a great amount in the last year. He has made many enemies, but most of them will want him alive because Ty is a valuable prisoner. I must also insist that you do not speak of any of these matters to anyone. When you return to Wildwood—"

"I won't talk about it. But do you think that he is alive?"

"Most probably."

"And will someone save him?"

"The king's forces are doing everything in their power to thwart our enemies and restore peace and order to the kingdom," he said in a voice that was clearly supposed to keep Ildri calm.

It was not working. "When will they save him? How long does he have?"

"I don't know. But you do not need to fear for Ty unduly. This is not the first time that he has been imprisoned. He is a very resourceful warlock and he freed himself the last time he was captured."

"If he freed himself the last time," Ildri said as she digested the meaning, "Then won't they be more careful this time? And what if he really is dead? It's all my fault!" Ildri was not going to cry in front of Sir Geoffrey no matter what the provocation.

Sir Geoffrey's brow furrowed in concern. "Miss Ildri, it is not your fault. Ty has been taking risks for some time now. He knows what he is about and he is aware what could happen. It's a risk that he chose to take. Do you understand this?" he asked firmly.

Ildri longed to say that she did not, but instead she said dutifully, "Yes, Sir Geoffrey." He was only trying to make her feel better. He did not know that the only thing which would do that was to have Ty return safely.

Or to change the past.

"I believe that we have discovered everything we are to learn from you, Miss Ildri. When did Lord Wildwood say that he would return for you?"

"A fortnight or two," she repeated.

"Excellent, excellent. Well, in the meantime perhaps you should go out and view the capital. I believe that it is your first time here, is it not?"

"It is," she agreed but she really did not have even the faintest desire to do any sightseeing. "And I'm afraid that I can't. I have no resources."

"Oh, I'm certain that I can arrange something," Sir Geoffrey said musingly. "You may go."

* * * * *

They were halfway back to Ildri's guest chamber when Charles stopped rather abruptly. Ildri was barely paying attention and she ran straight into him.

"Sorry!" she said as she scrambled backwards.

"No, I'm sorry, Miss Ildri," he said.

"Then we're both sorry, I guess."

"It appears we are," Charles said and laughed nervously.

"So, we should keep going," Ildri said, hoping to disperse the awkwardness of the situation.

"Actually I was thinking, Miss Ildri. Would you like to see a play tonight? Er... With me?" he asked.

Ildri was rather shocked as she looked into Charles' chocolate brown eyes. He couldn't be interested in her, could he be? The thought did not please her. She had well learned her lesson about letting her heart wander freely.

Charles took another deep breath, "As friends?"

Ildri smiled at him for real. She could certainly use a friend. "I'd like to," she told him.

* * * * *

Ildri looked in the looking glass critically just before the time that Charles was to pick her up. She looked almost back to her own age, only a decade or so extra left on her face. The faint lines around her eyes were almost gone. Ildri knew that she was being vain but she did not care. She did not want to look as bad as she felt.

She wore the dress that Maxine had let her borrow. She did not know when she would be able to return it. The dress that she had come from Wildwood in was hanging in the wardrobe, clean but still shabby. No one would likely care what she wore either way.

Charles arrived promptly at the time he said he would arrive to take her to the play. They drove to the theatre by hansom. The driver adeptly manoeuvred the horse through the still busy streets. Ildri felt nervous and she rather wished that she had stayed in her room.

When they arrived Charles paid the ticket taker and they walked towards the seats. The theatre was open to the air and the night was warm enough that it was pleasant to feel the breeze blow across their faces. Ildri still felt a lump of tension, but then the play started and any nervousness she had felt disappeared as if it had never been there.

Ildri had never had the opportunity to see a play before. There had been few entertainments at Wildwood because the lords were neither given to garish displays nor to squandering money that could be used for more vital tasks. It did not bother Ildri but there was something magical about seeing a story played out before her.

The play moved along quickly and Ildri sat with rapt attention, not noticing that Charles' attention sometimes strayed from the play and into her direction. She gasped and laughed with the rest of the crowd and she was both excited and sad when it drew to an end.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Charles asked.

Ildri smiled, feeling better than she had in a long time. "It was wonderful! I've never seen a play before, and it was really nice to get my mind off of everything. Thank you for bringing me."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Ildri."

"I think you can call me just Ildri," she invited, thinking about how lucky she was to have found someone nice to spend time with while she was stuck in the capital.

He seemed surprised. "Very well... Ildri."

Ildri chattered about the play the entire way back to the castle. Charles seemed to enjoy listening to her. She enjoyed quiet people who were content to let her talk without being mean. Not like a certain spy she could name.

And he was missing. She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat whenever she thought about him.

"Ildri?" Charles asked.

Ildri realized that she had stopped talking for a while. She forced a smile. "I had a really great time." It was true. She was tired of being alone.

"So did I," Charles agreed.

Charles walked Ildri to her guest room. She thanked him again and went inside.

She methodically got ready for bed in a provided nightgown, trying not to think about anything but the play she had just seen. Fortunately she was tired and fell asleep quickly.