"Dance with me?" he asked.

Astra forced away the grimace that was about to emerge and settled for a small smile. "Of course." Her voice didn't shake. There was that at least.

"You look absolutely resplendent," Xernes said as he twirled her around.

She tried not to grimace. "Thank you, sir. You look wonderful, as usual." It wasn't a complete lie. With his dark, ashy blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and navy suit, he looked sharp and dignified, hardly a day past thirty though Astra knew had just passed forty years of age.

"What have you learned?" he asked. His voice was loud and clear, though not so loud that anyone else could hear what he was asking.

"Not that much," she admitted, "but Auxerre does indeed have an underground army of wraiths, as you suspected, sir."

"How many?"

"A few hundred, but I don't think this is the only base. Based on what I've heard and seen, there should be more bases, perhaps smaller in population, near the borders."

"Hm." Xernes studied her as they swayed around the ballroom. "What else have you learned?"

Astra hesitated, and the Commander of Varaly's Special Forces noticed. Slowly, like he had all the time in the world, Xernes looked past her shoulder, and, against her better judgement, she turned her head, following his gaze. A short distance away, the prince of Solasia was dancing with Jemma.

"There's the little runt from Solasia." Astra turned around to find Xernes smiling. "Quite foolish of the queen to send someone so young."

She swallowed. "Indeed, sir." Next to them, one of the six Varalian agents swept by, a lady in a voluptuous orange dress on his arm. Unnerved by the Commander's unspoken threat, Astra said, "There was another spy in the army. She knows I am a spy; she found out somehow, but to the best of my knowledge, she doesn't know my name or my allegiance. However, I'm unsure of who has her loyalty."

The orchestral number changed to a faster, more lively tune, but neither of them changed their dance pace, sticking instead to the slow and steady sway. The movement made Astra feel like they were both prowling around each other, and she had no idea who would pounce first.

Xernes frowned down at her. Astra tensed, waiting for him to to be the one to pounce, to make his move. "Astra," he said, saying her name for the first time in months, "I expected better from you."

"Y-yes," she said, stumbling over the word. If it were anyone else, she would have been embarrassed by the lapse in confidence. "I'm sorry, sir, but I've been led to believe she received the information from an outside source."

"Has it ever occurred to you that you were purposefully led to believe that?" he questioned, an eyebrow raised at her.

She wasn't stupid; she'd been in the business for years, but Astra nodded and tried to slow her racing heart. Suddenly, dancing wasn't very enjoyable—not when her legs were uncomfortably numb. She repeated, "I'm sorry, sir."

Xernes pulled her to the side, stopping at a table laden with drinks. He ignored the champagnes and handed a chilled glass of water to her, grabbing one for himself as well. Astra sucked it down gratefully. She'd started warming up sometime during the dance, and her nerves were too shaken. After the zynthe... she was too rattled and afraid to try and control her magic to cool herself down.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" he asked.

Astra carefully placed her empty glass back on the table, trying to formulate an appropriate response. "I—"

"Look at me," he interrupted, his voice a harsh whisper, and Astra realized his initial question had been rhetorical.

She could hear the blood pumping through her body, feel her heart expanding and contracting beneath her ribs. Slowly, as she stopped breathing, Astra raised her eyes, meeting his light blue ones.

"Last chance, Astra. What else did you learn? Don't make me ask again."

She kept her eyes on Xernes, if only because that was the only way she could ensure she wouldn't look out to the people dancing in the ballroom. Slowly, she pulled up her long sleeves, revealing the black and blue lines coloring her arms. "The king has a physician who has concocted a serum, a diluted form of zynthe, that can be used on mortals."

Xernes raised both eyebrows—the only sign of his surprise. "What does it do? How has it changed you?"

"I'm stronger," she said. Then, to make her information seem more impressive, she added, "I'm faster, more agile. I believe the serum will be distributed to most if not all the wraiths in the army." She hesitated again, and then sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes flitted to the figure walking up from behind Xernes.

"Commander!" the king of Auxerre proclaimed. He eyed Astra with a suspicious glint in his eyes. "How are you... Ambassador Yunai?"

She gave him a polite smile. "I'm quite alright—"

"Oh, there's no need for such formalities," Xernes cut in smoothly and placed his glass back on the table with a soft clink.

Astra waffled, her heels sliding as she tried to make a decision of whether to stay or leave. She stuck with the safe one of staying.

"Commander, you told me you wished to speak to me about something?" the king inquired.

"Oh, yes, indeed." Xernes' smile was like a predator. "Your Majesty, I'm sure we both know this isn't really Lumianna Yunai."

The smile slowly slipped off her face replaced instead by a sort of panic that Astra knew well.

"Sir, surely—"

"Sir?" the king mocked.

Astra flinched against her will, and she went to run a hand through her hair before she remembered her hair had been pinned up.

"Yes, I do suppose it's a habit of hers," Xernes commented lightly. "Am I right, Astra?"

Her eyes flicked to the king's again, and desperately, she tried to dig herself out of the situation. Surely, Xernes must have suspected her deceit or else he wouldn't be doing this. She laughed, the sound uneasy, and said, "Commander, you must be strung from the events of the day. I might not be Lumianna, but I can assure you my name isn't Astra."

The king now eyed the Commander. "What did you want to discuss?"

Xernes clapped his hands twice. "It's simple. A favor, Your Majesty, if you will, to continue the goodwill between our countries."

Astra clutched the skirts of her dress, knowing she couldn't do anything, or else Xernes would happily dole out the repercussions. She was trapped. There was no stopping the Commander as a sly grin split across his face before he spoke.

"This girl here, Astreia, is a traitor to Varaly. I'll be taking her back, of course, to punish her for her crimes. I hope you don't mind if you keep her in one of your jail cells until it is time for me and my entourage to return to Varaly."

The king stared at her, and his eyes widened slightly. He must have recognized her, known that she was the test subject he'd subjected the zynthe torture to, as he turned to glare at Xernes.

"A jail cell would be a simple favor for a friend," the king said easily, and the Commander beamed, "however, if it is true what you say, that she is Varalian, then that would mean she would also need to be punished under Auxerran law for being of fugitive status and not requesting asylum before entering my borders."

Xernes nodded good-naturedly. "I would concede to that point, Your Majesty, but since she was first a traitor to Varaly, surely you would agree that the Varalian government deserves the right to punish her first."

Astra watched as two of the most powerful men on the continent debated her fate, as if she wasn't standing right in between them. She debated whipping out the two blades under her sleeve. If she was quick enough, she could catch Xernes off guard. And then... and then...

If breaking out of the castle was her plan, then she was sorely ill-equipped. Two tiny knives, which were only good for throwing, the magical hairclip that she really wasn't willing to use except in an emergency, and she was in a huge ball gown and heels. She'd be overwhelmed before she even got out of the ballroom. And she wouldn't underestimate Xernes—even if she somehow killed him, she wouldn't put it past him to have some backup plan to ensure that the prince would be captured, tortured, and killed.

The safest option, for both herself and him, was to wait it out.

"I think it best for you to simply agree to my original proposition," Xernes suggested. "Or else I might find it... necessary... to let slip that you're building an army of wraiths."

The king's eyes whipped to hers, accusatory. "I see that she still shares secrets despite being marked a traitor."

Xernes shrugged easily, his blue eyes dancing with amusement as he looked down at her. "Oh, I just happen to know what makes her tick." He drew a few circles on the table with his finger before he asked, "What do you say, Your Majesty?"

The king huffed. "I suppose." He turned to gesture to a few royal guards.

Astra's breath quickened, and her eyes darted around the ballroom, searching for a way out. Surely, surely, there was some way, some path—

"Now, now," Xernes soothed. Astra stiffened as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "There's no need to panic." He stared out into the ballroom, where everyone was dancing without a care in the world. She followed his gaze, withholding a spike of panic as she saw the prince of Solasia dancing with a court lady. "Yes, remember him? You care for him, don't you?" He tucked a curl of hair behind her shoulder and hissed in her ear, "I don't want any trouble, and I trust you don't want any, either. Misbehave, and believe me when I say I'll have the six soldiers I have with me kidnap him in the dark of the night. And when you come home—" Astra shuddered involuntarily at the word home "—I'll force you to watch and listen as I peel him apart."

"The Queen of Solasia will wage war if kidnap him," she said, but even her voice sounded unconvincing.

"Will she really?" Xernes let out a breathy chuckle. "You and I both know she won't. And we both know he's only around after all these years because you've proven yourself useful. Let's keep it that way, shall we?"

Astra watched the prince twirl with the court lady, oblivious to her and the Commander.

Xernes asked quietly, "Do you want to hear what I'll do to him if you don't do as I say?"

She shook her head.

He ignored her. "I think I'll have his skin peeled off first. I think I'll break all his fingers and toes next. Then, well, the wonderful thing about the human body is that there is so many places you can cut and slice without killing the person. How many hours do you think he would last? I bet over a day, at least."

Despite her history, even though she'd seen all he'd described before, Astra gagged. "Please," she said, "don't hurt him. I'll do as you say. I'll do everything, sir." Astra winced as she realized what she'd just said, and she imagined him smiling behind her.

"Everything?" he asked. "What if I ask you to kill him? You're good at that, aren't you? Killing." Xernes laughed when she didn't bother to answer. "I'm just joking, darling."

She wasn't so sure. It wasn't the first time he'd threatened to have her kill him herself.

"Now, be a good girl, and follow the palace guards to your little cell." He patted her head, like she was a dog, and then said, "But don't think I've forgotten your little stint of trying to get on a ship to the Beaukarou Basin. What a foolish move, did you really think I wouldn't hear about that?

"You've been a lot more trouble than you're worth," he whispered. "Try to do better; I haven't yet decided who will suffer for that mistake." He walked toward the center of the ballroom without a backward glance, leaving the guards to take up the space he had vacated.

As the guards chained her hands and legs together, Astra felt a tear roll down her cheek.