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they have heard of, or
to see you fall.” He smiled.
    “ I would imagine,” I said.
“No change, then. We will proceed as planned.”
    Steed and Grey did a little salute of sorts
at my command, the shuffle of their boots on stone bringing my
attention to their straightened posture. I shook my head absently
at their dutifulness.
    “ To the hall.”
    As with the throne room, there was a private
entrance to the hall, designed to allow direct access to the
designated position without having to navigate the crowds. Asher
didn’t like to be touched. Still, it was a good idea and also handy
for a grand entrance.
    Chevelle was waiting for me there. I had the
pleasure of seeing his jaw go tight at my arrival, but was quickly
distracted by his own getup. He had been raised wearing the garb of
a warrior and it fit him well. It had been a very long time since I
had seen him so, and I’d forgotten exactly how well. I cleared my
throat.
    “ Elfreda.” He nodded
formally.
    “ Vattier,” I threw back, and
irritation took over as his chief emotion. I could deal with that.
The other was too distracting.
    He quickly reviewed the arrangements for the
evening before asking, “Have you made your decision on the
demonstration, or do you merely plan to wing it?”
    I didn’t bite. “I have a fully choreographed
performance. Not to worry.”
    He looked dubious. We stood there for a
moment, knowing a full hall awaited us, but neither eager to
proceed. He would not be at my side through the evening, as Asher
had spent many years planting seeds of distrust and prejudice
against Chevelle to prevent any alliance on my part. My public
denial of him had done nothing to help, either. As it was, the
position he held as my guard was generating plenty of whispers.
    Chevelle stepped forward, his hand
unexpectedly on my waist, and my pulse stuttered for an instant.
But he spun me around, speaking low as he did so, explaining,
“Checking your wound. No one must see this.” He adjusted the
material, verifying everything was still in place, and spun me once
more to face the door as he stood behind me. His hands ran the edge
of my cape to settle on the bare skin of my upper arms and he
leaned in to murmur, “Show them who you are.”
    Damn him . His breath on my ear caused a shiver and then his hand found
my lower back and gave a little push toward the door. I didn’t look
back when I heard a low chuckle.
    I was glad we’d called “even” earlier,
because I was about to tip the scales.
     
    The hall fell silent the moment I entered.
They had been waiting on my arrival, but no doubt the synchronized
“stop everything you’re doing and turn to the dais” action of all
the servers and related castle personnel didn’t hurt. I stopped for
a moment, found each of my guard (excepting Ruby) scattered about
the room, purposefully not acknowledging the presence of any
leaders. I’d had a gathering previously, but not of this magnitude,
and many were left out intentionally, so I continued as if no other
had occurred.
    “ As the former guard is
disbanded,” a reminder that we’d killed them, “I have invited the
clans to gather,” a reminder they were here upon invitation, “to
honor the seven of my new guard.”
    These men were no fools. They had watched my
eyes fall upon only six men. The guard was unmistakable in dress
and stature, so there would be no question as to who stood among
them. However, there would be a building curiosity to the identity
of the seventh. I nodded toward the steward and service began. It
was an incredibly brief speech, but there was more to come.
    I stepped from the dais and took my seat at
the head of the table to feast among the leaders of the north. The
room was situated not as the dining area with its long, narrow
tables, but with many short tables, arranged so that my slightly
elevated position became the focus of the room, as well as the dais
behind me.
    Anvil had positioned the attendees in order
of preference;