“You can’t give that to them,” Sapphire insisted. “I have to,” Pt’this claimed. “No, you don’t. You can’t.” Pt’this sighed and stopped. She had been arguing with him since he got the message from The Dragon High Council. She’d followed him to the palace, trying to change his mind. He put his arms around her. “Sweetie, this is part of my job as ambassador. It’s okay. They know I sometimes have to deliver messages they won’t like. They know I sometimes disagree with what the council says.” “But they won’t actually do it, will they?” “I doubt it. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of him,” Pt’this assured her. He kissed her forehead. “If they go along with the council, Ann and Drepal will have a fit.” “They won’t be the only ones. Go back home and help Dae with the kids. I’ll try to get home for lunch and tell you what happened.” Sapphire nodded and left. Pt’this went to the steward on duty. “I need to speak with King Emeton and Prince- general Remtani, on council business.” The steward frowned. “May I ask what business the council has with his majesty?” “I’m afraid it’s best left confidential.” “Prince-general Remtani is unavailable at this time. He should be available within half an hour. I could schedule you for court at that time.” Pt’this shook his head. “I need a private meeting.” The steward nodded and looked over the schedule. “They both should be free in an hour.” “That will do. I’ll let the council know of the delay.” He relayed the message telepathically and went to take his place as advisor. Emeton frowned as he sat next to the throne. He was late. “Council business,” Pt’this explained. “Do I need to be concerned?” “We’ll talk privately.” “What’s going on?” “Sire, it’s best not to be discussed in public,” Pt’this insisted. “We have a meeting scheduled in an hour.” Emeton nodded and continued with court. The hour passed quickly enough. Pt’this saw Remtani enter, wearing his dress uniform. He didn’t want to do this, but as he told Sapphire, it was part of his job. The three went into a private meeting room. “What’s going on?” Remtani asked, looking between them. Pt’this sighed. “I’ve been ordered by the high council to demand the arrest of Thailyn va Shawtila Mishtali to be turned over to them for banishment.” Emeton frowned. “This is not the time for one of your jokes,” he insisted. “And it’s not funny.” “I wish I was joking, sire. The council contacted me this morning. Apparently, according to them, Thailyn did something during the war and was banished. I haven’t spoken to him yet but it’s likely why he let you adopt Ann.” “What are the charges?” Remtani asked. “They didn’t tell me.” “Then I won’t arrest him. I don’t know about in Baj-tisk, but here, we don’t arrest people without reason.” “I’ll let them know.” Pt’this relayed the message. “Treason,” he said a moment later. “Treason?” Emeton’s face grew red. He had quite the temper. Remtani laid a hand on his father’s arm. “Ambassador Pt’this, will you scry the council for us? I’d like to speak to them personally,” he requested. He was more levelheaded than his father. Pt’this nodded. “It would be you’re right.” He cast the scrying spell. “Council members, Sir Pt’this tells us you want Thailyn turned over for the crime of treason. The treaty laws say that noncitizens cannot be tried for treason.” “Thailyn is Menthanlan,” they pointed out. “Only recently. The status is not retroactive. By our records, during the war, he was a citizen of Tricon. Was he made Baj-tisk and we weren’t aware of it?” “No, he was not,” Pt’this answered. “Which of the four kingdoms was he a citizen of during the war?” Remtani pressed. “None,” one finally admitted. “He was a war guard,” another said. “He acted against orders.” “Thailyn was injured during the attack on the palace and is still under a healer’s care. He’s in no condition to travel. I will bring him when he is. Until that time, I want to complete, detailed list of all charges sent to Princess Annlonna, in writing, so there’s no confusion. If she doesn’t get it, I will not turn him over.” “Why should we give it to the Princess?” One asked. “Because she’s our ambassador. It’s part of her job to make sure our citizens are being tried fairly in foreign kingdoms. She’ll be part of his defense.” Remtani barely held his temper. This was part of a treaty. They should know this. They frowned, looking at one another. “How is it a healer as strong as Thailyn is still recovering?” Remtani shrugged. “You’ll have to talk with the healer treating him. You can scry my head healer, Darkham for the details.” “We will. And we expect Thailyn’s recovery won’t be much longer.” “It will take what it takes,” Remtani told them. Pt’this ended the spell. “We should warn Darkham.” Remtani chuckled and waved it off. “No need. He won’t tell them anything more than that Thailyn’s a patient and won’t be released until he is ready. If they push, they’ll wish they were dealing with Sapphire.” Pt’this growled. “That’s my wife you’re talking about.” Remtani chuckled again. “So you know how good she is at lecturing people. I think she’s taken lessons from Darkham. He’s lecturing someone every other week.” “How many times has it been you?” Emeton asked. “Too many. And he lectured the head of the healing college, who went to the college headmaster. Master Thorgrey told him if he needed a lecture from a mere army healer the only business he had at the college was taking classes.” “Thorgrey doesn’t play around,” Pt’this agreed. “Now, what are we going to do about Thailyn?” Emeton asked. “Aside from warning Ann and Thailyn what’s coming? Nothing. So far, they’ve shown no indication that an arrest is warranted. Once they have the charges, I’ll have Ann check them to make sure they’re still valid. If they are, and Thailyn is ready to travel, we’ll take him. Ann will have a defense ready by then.” “What if he runs?” Emeton asked. “He won’t. He stayed to keep an eye on Ann until he thought she was dead. He came back for her and became a citizen. His grandchild is here too,” Remtani assured him. “And if Mishtali found him, he’d wish for the council,” Pt’this added. “His father won’t tolerate anything less than perfection.” “How will he handle this business?” Pt’this shuddered. “He’s going to be livid, mostly with Thailyn. But he’ll stand against the council. Thailyn’s family,” Pt’this explained. Emeton nodded. “Very good. Rem, let Ann and Thailyn know. And talk with Nim. Make sure he’s available for Ann to interview. He and Pt’this were there. They can give us a better idea of what happened.” “Mishtali was there too,” Pt’this reminded him. Emeton nodded. “Thailyn’s his son. I expect he’ll be helping.”