MYRINA WAS RELEASED from her confinement that afternoon, after the physician came and declared her state perfectly alright. The wounds, of course, would take longer to heal, but she was feeling far better than she did when she first woke up.

  Asteria quickly filled her in about everything that had happened. The silence of the assassins, the situation with the engagement—while it was not something that brought any sort of joy to Myrina, she recognised the importance of going along with the lie for now. And it would be useful.

  Asteria also revealed her meeting with Uncle Fang earlier that day. Myrina greatly regretted not being there herself, but at the same time, she recognised that this was far easier. Especially with her new status as the Crown Prince's fiance.

  But first, the assassins:

  Myrina was led to where they were being kept. Asteria hadn't gone to visit the woman yet, as she'd only woken up a few hours prior and had to be kept in a conscious and stable state before she could be taken for questioning. Neither had been gained from the man, which wasn't particularly surprising. But now, with two of them, it might be easier to make them talk.

  The woman had already been moved away from her bed, and was now sitting on a chair in the small cell-like room that had most likely been used for storage until it was cleared earlier. Myrina had not gotten the chance to observe her features before, but now she did.

  The woman looked... familiar. She had not realised this when half her face was covered, but now with her face fully exposed, Myrina felt a sense of familiarity as she stared at the assassin.

  "I've seen you before," Myrina said.

  The woman gave no response. Asteria turned to Myrina, one brow raised. She knew of her memory. If Myrina said someone looked familiar, then they most definitely looked familiar.

  "You're from the Eastern Palace."

  Asteria's eyes widened, the only sign of her surprise. The woman looked up momentarily, before her gaze flickered downwards ago.

  "Gu Fu Hall. You're one of the new maids who entered the Eastern Palace earlier this year, I personally scouted and interviewed all of you beforehand. This operation was planned long ago, wasn't it?"

  "The same people from that attempt in the Palace, then," Asteria said impassively. "The man... hired afterwards?"

  Myrina ignored Asteria's mumblings, staring at the woman. "You said that it was one of our own who hired you. Yes, that makes sense. They install you as a maid, tell you to find a chance to finish him off. You fail to, so they hire another man to accompany you—and to assure your loyalty?—to tail us on this trip."

  Asteria said nothing now, but Myrina knew her mind was already working. Trying to figure out who would be able to put someone in place like that and go undiscovered. Myrina did not personally scout out the information about the maids and servants. Someone could easily have been bribed or the information tweaked.

  "Let me think..." Myrina's eyes fluttered shut for a moment. "The report I got from you... an orphan. An orphan from the east of the Empire. Yes, that was it. Your past looked squeaky clean. What was your name?"

  The woman's eyes had narrowed into slits, as she finally opened her mouth for the first time. "You have an excellent memory."

  She couldn't be older than eighteen. Someone had specifically found her for this very purpose. A conspiracy was at play in the capital. And Myrina hasn't a clue who was behind it.

  That puzzled her greatly.

  "You're willing to talk," Asteria laughed. "Your partner wasn't. He seems to be a lot more loyal than you." Someone who was trusted enough to be placed on a mission like this and not give away the culprit behind the scenes? There were only two possibilities: someone who had been by their master's side for a long time, completely trusted, or someone who had something important on the line.

  With this woman—no, girl—Myrina was betting on the latter, unless her situation was truly so dire. But there were still plenty of other choices rather than agreeing to assassinate one of the most important people in the Empire.

  She shrugged. "I would either succeed or die. I knew it from the start. Do not expect me to speak now." But despite her carefree words, there was tension in her movement. Not aggression—there was not a sign of that. She was totally passive, yet she was still on alert. As if she was fearful, as if something was going to happen.

  But no one was going to get in or out of here. Myrina would make sure of that. They all would. They finally had the assassin in their hands now, they would not let anything happen to them. Any object that could be used as a weapon towards themselves or others had been removed from the room. Everything was safe. They'd made sure of it.

  "Tell us, at least," Myrina murmured, "are you the assassin from the Eastern Palace those months ago?"

  "Yes." She admitted this freely, unlike her counterpart, who had always remained silent on this matter. "It was me, only me. I failed, of course. I recall you being there too."

  "I pushed him out of the way."

  "Well, that explains it. What fast reflexes you have, Lady Mai."

  "I pride myself on it."

  Well, that was one mystery solved. It was almost odd, the way she admitted it so easily, not a fight held. Was she expecting to die? Well, she wasn't wrong. Ryan would not let these two assassins go off alive. It was either execution or a life in prison. Myrina was willing to bet that this girl was wishing for the former. Everyone did, in the end.

  As if sensing that Myrian and Asteria were about to ask more, the girl flashed a smile. "I won't say anything else. Not another thing."

  Asteria raised her chin, eyes cold. "We have ways of making you do so."

  "But you won't use it, especially not here," the girl laughed. "I've been watching everything that is happening, you are not at peace with your family, Lady Mai." She was far more informed than her partner seemed to be. It was almost as if she was the person who was meant to execute the assassination and everything else, and the man was only the guarantee. To make sure she stayed in line, to ensure she succeeded and cover for her if needed. She said that the first assassination was her own attempt, and only her.

  They would find trails. From this girl's past, and from the man's too. Someone had installed this girl in the Eastern Palace as a maid, either originally intended as a spy or directly for this assassination. When she failed, they put the man by her side, to ensure her loyalty and guarantee success. Of course, that did not work.

  Yes, it was all starting to piece together now.

  Myrina and Asteria left a little after. The two girls exchanged a look. Asteria began, "She's not refusing to talk because she's loyal. She's either scared, or genuinely knows nothing."

  "A bit of both, I think." Myrina tilted her head. "This is a game that has been set into play long ago, but the chess pieces are only being moved now. This person is patient. One, I think. If it was many people, there'd have been far more attempts by now. This was all by one person, and they are exceedingly patient in this."

  "Tailing us for days."

  "And waiting months before their second attempt." Myrina shook her head. "And it is most definitely one of our own."

  "Not the first time we've had to deal with moles."

  "This mole is lodged in a very centre spot, I think."

  "We've had to deal with those before. Hua Lin, for example."

  "And that took many years to root out. No one knows about this in the Scarlet Palace yet, yes?"

  "No," Asteria shook her head. "We kept the news private. No one knows yet. We're waiting for the right time to reveal it."

  Myrina fell into thought. "We cannot continue on with this tour. Send a missive to His and Her Imperial Majesty, I think, telling them that there has been a special situation on the journey here and that we need to return immediately for our own safety. Then, reveal the news a day or two before we arrive in Hong Cheng. They may attempt to flee."

  "But if they do not? We will be alerting them for nothing."

  "Well, there has to be something. Some kind of clue. They will not just remain... impassive. If they do, we'll just have to find another way."

  "It's risky, Myrina."

  "Everything we do is risky, Ast. We don't have much of a choice right now. I'll start arranging everything."

  "You are feeling better?" There was concern written on Asteria's face, and Myrina could not remember the last time someone cared so much for her own body and health. Irina was a good friend, more or less, but warmth was never something she knew how to display. Responsible, yes. But she would never come and comfort you when you were sad. Instead, she'd only tell you the reasons you ought to have recovered by then and berated you for not having done so. She didn't mean any harm, she never did. It was just how her brain worked, and she never seemed to understand that others didn't work the same way. Other people had emotions they couldn't simply neglect. Irina Gu did not.

  It was a trait, thankfully, that Ryan did not have. He was far better with emotions. Even Asteria, known by the public for being cold and distant, was better with handling emotions and the more delicate feelings than Irina ever was.

  "I am. I can handle it, don't you worry. You and Ryan, focus on the assassins. We need them alive."

  "Nothing will happen to them." Sometimes, the most dangerous thing in this kind of situation to the captives was themselves. They've dealt with far too many failed assassins who ended their own lives while in captivity. They did not want to risk that again this time.

  Myrina hesitated for a split moment, wondering if she should continue asking the question that was right on the tip of her tongue. Asteria seemed to recognise her trouble, staying silent as Myrina contemplated her choices. Finally, she gave into the urge, asking in a soft voice, "The lie about the engagement... what are we do to about it?"

  Asteria shrugged, lowering her volume as well as she replied, "It has not left this estate so far. It could remain that way forever if you wish to. But at the same time... Myrina, you are the best option. It is a political marriage, love is not necessary. And you do not even need to be politically active unless you wish to be."

  "I will have no freedom."

  "You have never had freedom," Asteria pointed out. "The moment we were born into these titles, we have lost any chance of true freedom. It is a problem of which cage you enjoy the best, Myrina. I will not try to persuade you or anything, simply tell you that this is the best option. You can decide for yourself now."

  "I will be trading my current elaborate cage for one that is gilded with all the treasures of the world."

  "To some people," Asteria whispered, "that is not a bad thing."

  "Not for you or me."

  "If not for Max," Asteria said with a little smile, "I'd have sacrificed myself to end this little game long ago, Myrina. But I have him, so I cannot do that."

  "I don't want to make another sacrifice." Myrina stared off into the distance, heaving. "I already gave up everything once for the bigger picture, I should not have to be the one to do it again."

  "No one will force your hand this time. I promise. If anyone tries to do so, I'll be by your side."

  A promise from Asteria Lu was something you could rely on. She was not someone who went back on her words. She was a wonderful ally to have in these places that ate you and spat you back out with only bone.

  "Thank you." Myrina paused, shaking her head as she turned back to face her friend. "I need to take my leave now, I think. I am still quite fatigued, and I need to start planning our return back." She sighed. "A pity. I spent much of my time on that original schedule."

  "Perhaps we could redo this tour in some months' time," Asteria suggested. "Then, it does not all have to go to waste."

  "The people will be very disappointed. Many have already been informed of what is happening."

  "They will understand," Asteria assured. "We can still send someone to continue this tour in a few weeks' time, though I think it best if Ryan remains on the downlow in the meantime."

  "Curious how they do not target the Emperor and Empress, but instead Ryan."

  "If Ryan is gone," Asteria pointed out, "Sai immediately falls into extreme instability. The next immediate heir would be Irina, but she is all the way in Arecia. It is very unlikely she can take the throne now, unless she and Prince Stephen separate. And then there are some wholly unimportant cousins who are not politically active at all, who none of the people even know about."

  "There is your father."

  "Aye, yet my family is only distantly related to the Gus. I believe it is a marriage in our grandparent's generation. Besides, my father is a spymaster, not a ruler. He is more likely to attempt to assist a new heir rather than vye for it himself."

  There were examples of rulers in the past passing on the throne to their most trusted advisors and chancellors throughout history, when they were heirless or the potential blood relatives failed to deliver. If it did occur in Sai, in the extremely unlikely chance something happened to Ryan, the Duke of Shui Xiang would be the most likely choice. He had an heir in Asteria, and he was already extremely influential and powerful in the country. Though he was already of a rather old age himself.

  "But that is not a likely situation, because nothing will happen to Ryan."

  "Exactly," Asteria echoed. "Nothing will happen to Ryan. Nothing at all."

  That sounded oddly menacing. Myrina did not dwell on that, though, turning as she bopped a curtsy. "I will go now, Asteria."

  "I wish you the best of rest, Myrina. I will see you again at meal time. I expect we have much to discuss."

  "Is it only us?"

  "The two of us, along with Ryan, Malcolm, Rhysa and Dominic. The inner circle. I expect Rhys and Dom will inform us of their findings. I have already told Chunyi, she will call for you at the right time."

   "Thank you, then."

—

  THERE WAS A small study in the house she had been allocated, and Myrina spent most of her time between waking up and dinner there, going over the details for their return. They would do so as quickly as possible, with only one stop in between. It would be a tiring journey, but they could not risk anything. If they set off now, they'd be back in the Scarlet Palace within two days.

  Though, they still had some unfinished business. She would place the return date later, after her dinner with the others. They'd have to discuss it then.

  She wondered how the others on the tour were feeling. Confused, most likely. Lady Ru had sent a message through her servants inquiring about Myrina's health and offering congratulations about the engagement. Myrina did not say anything about the congratulations, ignoring it completely, but she had someone send over a message that she was feeling far better. No need to make the poor lady unnecessary worry. This tour must have been nerve wracking enough so far, and rather pointless for her and her brother. They were innocent, simply caught up in all this... chaos.

  She did not want to see them because that would mean calling up the topic of the engagement, which they did not know was a sham. It would be all too awkward, and Myrina had never been the best liar. None of this was her lifeblood, the way it was for her friends. For many years she'd actively gone against anything the others had instructed her to do, even if it was subtle enough that it never truly affected anything.

  "My lady," Chunyi came in, bopping a curtsy, "it is time for dinner."

  "Of course." Myrina placed down her brush pen, watching the ink on the paper before her dry. She pulled her large sleeve, which she'd been holding back to avoid the ink splattering on it, back down. "Do I look presentable?"

  "Perfectly presentable, Your Ladyship," Chunyi said with a small smile. "But perhaps I might redo your hair for you very quickly."

  "I am not completely presentable, then," Myrina laughed. "Alright, let us do that very quickly before heading off for our meal."

  Chunyi quickly redid Myrina's hair, creating a simple bun with a hairpin, checking that it was secured before they made their way to Ryan's residence, where this dinner was being held. His was the only one with a dining room large enough for all of them, since Myrina's had been temporarily turned into a medical ward, and not everything had been moved out yet. It still stinked heavily of herbs and plants, though it wasn't as unpleasant a smell as some others might think. Myrina quite enjoyed the scent.

  It was relaxing. On some days the temple smelled like this too. And the times right before her mother died, when the physicians were there every day. The smell made some people nauseous, but Myrina was not one of them. It was the wisdom of the ancient Saians. She respected it greatly. To not do so was to reject her people's history and traditions.

  Of course Ryan was already there, since it was his residence. Asteria was as well with Malcolm. The Iron Wolves remained missing. Myrina nodded her greetings before sitting down in the seat beside Asteria. "Where is Rhys and Dom?"

  "Coming soon," Asteria said quietly. "They're probably tired after scouting and going around the area all day."

  "Feel free to start eating if you're hungry," Ryan offered, giving her a tight smile. Myrina returned it but shook her head. It would be extremely impolite of her to start eating before the Wolves had even arrived in the first place. She could and she would wait until they were here to start digging in.

  "Anything discovered today?" Malcolm asked, glancing around at his three friends. Myrina was struck with how uncomfortable he looked at the table, before realising that perhaps this has always been how it was. Malcolm seemed to be more Ryan's friend than any of theirs. With the exception of Justine, most of them rarely had anything to do with the Colonel, and many of the women in Ryan and Irina's private court were disgusted with the way he'd handled things with Naeva. And Malcolm most definitely sensed the animosity and tension when he was in the room.

  Thus, it was rare for him to truly take part in one of the meetings. He usually held those alone with Ryan, along with their friend North, who had been absent from the capital and from the tour.

  "We ought to set a date for our return," Myrina said calmly. "I think it best if we rush the journey, spend as little time as possible on the road itself."

  Asteria nodded. "We should have everything here handled soon, yes? I'd say, in three or four day's time?"

  "Give it four," Ryan suggested. "Let us leave at the very end of the week. How quickly will we rush it?"

  "Two days, I think. That is the quickest we can manage without pushing ourselves too far."

  "That works," Ryan agreed with a nod. "You will be working on that, I suppose?"

  "Aye, Your Highness. I already have a rough plan drawn up."

  Ryan nodded. "You handle that, then. And sent missives back to the Scarlet Palace whenever necessary. No one knows what happened." They'd taken excruciating care in keeping all information concealed. No one within the Mai estate, except their own people, had been allowed to leave the estate so far. It would not work forever, but it would for now. They did not need to keep this information suppressed forever anyways.

  A knock on the door was followed by the voice of a servant. "Mr Lang and Ms Jiang, Your Highness!"

  "Let them in," Ryan announced, a grin on his face. A moment later the door slid open, and Rhys walked in, her dark hair tied back in a bun, still dressed in the robes she utilised for missions, with a purposeful stride. She was followed by her partner and lover, Dominic, who seemed far more relaxed, a smile plastered on his expression.

  "Look who decided to show up," Asteria laughed. "Anything?"

  "Some," Rhys said, pursing her lips. "But let's start eating first. I am starving."

  How Rhys expected any of them to eat comfortably when she'd just revealed that, Myrina wasn't sure, but the four of them exchanged a glance and started digging in, though it was clear curiosity was killing all of them.

  Dom was the one who decided to put them out of their misery. "We've found some trails left behind by the two assassins. Including names. Most definitely are aliases, of course, but still. The girl used the name Wang Shu, and the man Wang Wen. They were travelling under the guise of brother and sister. We got into their rooms too, got some men there right now, sorting through their belongings."

  "Anything special there?" Myrina asked, brows creasing.

  "We found some correspondence, but most of it seems to have been destroyed. Just one letter that they didn't burn. It was in a secret compartment in the girl's chest. A fake bottom."

  Ryan straightened. "From their boss?"

  "No. From the girl's younger brother."

  "Who the boss has," Rhys filled in.

  "It's all very expected," Dom murmured. "The usual trajectory of how things go. I wouldn't have put any real focus on this case if not for the fact that the mastermind seems to be a courtier in the Palace."

  "The letter was quite menacing," Rhys interjected. "It was written from the little brother, but there were... basically thinly veiled threats all through it. Not from the brother, I assume related from the mastermind behind the scenes."

  "It explains why the girl is working for him," Dom pointed out. "And why she refuses to say anything, from what I've been told. Her brother's safety is in this mastermind's hands."

  "We guessed that," Asteria sighed. "It makes it slightly more tricky with the way we announce all of this, to keep this boy safe as well. But it's not the first time we've dealt with this kind of situation. It's all very... classic. Cass and Marcus had to deal with a case just like that many years ago." Cass was Cassalyn Dalton-Diao, Countess of Farnsworth; and Marcus her husband, the Earl of Farnsworth. They were dear friends, and agents of the Arecian Secret Service, though Cass used to be one of theirs as well.

  "Anything regarding the man?"

  "The man was a lot more careful," Rhys explained. "Nothing personal that could be used to identify him, really. If anything, he seems far more professional than the girl is. Far more used to this kind of life."

  "She wasn't much of a fighter. The girl, I mean. I'm sure she makes a decent assassin, though, when she's not caught in the act. But the man knew how to brawl." And no one had more to say on this topic than Myrina, who was the target of his fists. "He has to be some kind of mercenary."

  "That much is clear now," Dom agreed. "He must be a hired muscle. But we have no way of identifying him. I don't suppose you find his face familiar, Myrina."

  She shook her head. "I have never seen him in my life. Especially not within the Palace."

  "Well, if the first assassination attempt was only the girl," Ryan hummed, "this makes much more sense. I didn't have any of my guards particularly interrogate the maids. She could have easily blended back in."

  "Our mistake," Asteria sighed. "If we did that, this whole business would have been done and dealt with long ago. Well, perhaps not. If the mastermind was not caught, they'd have simply continued on with this."

  Malcolm tilted his head. "Was there nothing else? Nothing that might help eliminate or narrow down the choices for this mastermind?"

  "I mean, we could deduce a lot about the identity of the mastermind from what we have right now," Ryan began. He raised one finger, "They have to have good access into the Eastern Palace and its system, especially regarding the hiring and managing of servants." A second finger, "They had access to our schedule. Of course, they could have just directly tailed us, but that still suggests there'd been eyes on us for a while now. That they'd been biding their time."

  Dom chimed in. "The room in the inn had been booked beforehand. They knew where we would be staying and when."

  "Perfect access to our schedule then," Asteria said, brows furrowed. "That's concerning. It suggests it's someone within our own private circle, or at least with direct connections to it."

  "Someone in our sphere," Myrina agreed. "Who would that consist of? People who are somewhat one of us, but not precisely? Naeva, Luciana..."

  "Jianqu." That was the new Viscount Shen, who had a distinct interest in diplomacy and had been growing closer to them in recent times. "But he wouldn't do something like that."

  "None of our friends would do something like this," Ryan concluded. "It doesn't make sense for any of them. And if they were the ones, they wouldn't have waited this long for a secondary attempt. There have been thousands of better opportunities."

  "It is very odd, isn't it?" Asteria asked, tilting her head. "Waiting so long between the first attempt and the second. Unless there have been other foiled ones in between, but it doesn't seem like so at all."

  "I've been awfully safe until yesterday," Ryan admitted. "No sign of any attempts."

  "It isn't a personal grudge, then?" Rhys asked. "If it was personal, I don't think they'd have waited that long. This seems far more calculated. Patient."

  "A political assassination," Malcolm grunted.

  "Yet," Asteria noted, "who on earth in the Empire would want to assassinate Ryan for political reasons? If he's gone, Sai is thrust into instability. There have been no rumours of coups or any words at all from the previous dynasty. All of the biggest heavy hitters are dead, with perhaps the exception of Prince Jing Huan. But he's been missing for ages."

  "Even the Duchess of Dai is gone," Myrina murmured. "It doesn't make sense for it to be someone of the old dynasty. They'd go after the Emperor and Empress anyways, not Ryan."

  "Makes it even stranger. Seems like someone has a personal grudge against Ryan, and political reasons to want him dead. Ryan, my friend, you piss far too many people off." Rhys leaned back in her chair, yawning lazily, twirling a stray lock of her black hair between her fingers.

  Dom glanced over at his lover, amusement written on his face. "He's a politician and the Crown Prince of Sai, Rhys. I don't think he has a choice in that department."

  "He's right," Ryan admitted. "I don't have much of a choice. It's quite unfortunate, really."

  "Who does this narrow down, then?" Myrina asked, frowning. "The only people who'd really have any political reasons for killing him..."

  "Could the Meliqueans be behind this?" Malcolm asked weakly. "I know it's stupid to link everything to them immediately, but consider it. Assassinating Ryan puts the country in disarray, the perfect chance to restart the war and guarantee an early advantage."

  "But how would they get access to the Eastern Palace?" Asteria asked, flabbergasted. "We've already scouted everyone out over the years, taken utmost care. We've rooted out the Cuckoos they've installed. And no Saian would willingly work with them."

  "You're putting a lot of faith in people's loyalty and patriotism," Dom scoffed. "There's plenty of Saians who'd be happy to work for the Meliqueans if there's enough money to be given."

  Asteria raised a brow, glancing at the Iron Wolf. "I tend to try and not think of those people. They're pathetic traitors."

  "Your mistake," Dom said with a shrug, "because more of those exist than you'd ever want to admit. This country hasn't done the same thing for every single person, Ast. Not everyone is as devoted as we are."

  "Pity that," Asteria muttered.

  Of course Asteria wouldn't get it. Most of the people here wouldn't. The rise of the new dynasty had given them so much: Asteria's father had become a duke, Ryan royalty, Malcolm his position.

  But the truth was that most people weren't as in love with the new regime as they all liked to act like they were. Myrina remembered the early disgruntlement among her family, when the new dynasty had first taken over. The Mais had not been affected by much. Their centuries of glories continued, but as their political power was slowly taken away, their former seeds in positions of power uprooted, there had been anger.

  They just hadn't acted upon it, that was all.

  Dominic was the son of ordinary citizens. If not for his wiccai abilities, he would not have been here at all. The Saian Revolution two decades ago was one of the nobility, not the common people. While it didn't cause too much of an effect on the ordinary citizens of Sai, there would still be discontentment among those who were affected, and among those who had sacrificed things that they were never repaid for.

  But Asteria wouldn't understand that.

  It was one of her very few flaws.

  "I think it's a nobleman," Myrina said quietly. "The officials, unless they've been promised something absolutely fantastic, they wouldn't try something like this. It's the nobles, who have some guarantee of richness even if the dynasty falls, who'd try something like this." If the dynasty fell, so did the officials. And most of the officials were ordinary people who had been given things in the aftermath of the revolution. A chance at a new life, at a higher position. If there would be any anger at how things had been handled in the new dynasty, it would be from a noble. It was the most logical choice.

  "Agreed," Ryan said with a nod. "A nobleman. Not an official."

  "That is depressing," Malcolm sighed.

  Ryan glanced at his friend, humour in his eyes. "Everything is depressing to you. Come, we've forgotten about the real reason we are here. Eat, my friends, eat."

  And so they continued digging in, though no one particularly had an appetite by that point except for Ryan, who offered some critique of the food that no one else understood as he carefully tasted the dishes. In his spare time, he liked to be a connoisseur with his food. It was not a hobby anyone else particularly understood.

  But perhaps it helped him stay grounded. Like the way Hongyun helped Myrina keep her mind clear. They all needed their own thing to keep themselves going in the worst of times, when the entire world seemed to be collapsing around them. Or when all you received day from day was intel from the battle fields. Of how many troops you'd lost, of all the injuries that had been sustained.

  It was brutal. It had always been brutal. And sometimes it scared her, that they were heading back to that life so soon.

  She prayed desperately that the Meliqueans were not behind this attempt, and that it was merely some discontent lord in the Scarlet Palace who wanted a bigger piece of the cake than he was given. That was easy to deal with. The Meliqueans were not.

  The Meliqueans made things ten times more complicated, and she was already rusty from the peacetime. She wasn't sure if she could immediately adjust back to dealing with them the way she used to.

  She'd find a way to adjust eventually, of course. She always did. It would just take time.