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Djindji-Taje’s Right Hand, saving me an utterly unnecessary and potentially quite dangerous trip into Kumron. I owed you for that. If you wanted to go to Ijesh, I’d help you get there. And three…” Shrugging diffidently, she told him the truth. “I was attracted to you, and wanted to get to know you, in case it had the potential to go somewhere. I may be ‘of the Royal Blood,’ as you put it, but I’m still quite normal.”
    Elrik glanced sharply at her. That sounded like…He adjusted his conical hat again, which was being tugged at by the wind now that they were off the up-and-down swells of the dunes. “What do you mean by that?”
    She eyed him askance, wondering why he hadn’t picked up on her meaning. Somewhere along the way, they had crossed paths in a misunderstanding. Arasa addressed him bluntly to compensate. “I mean, I’m still very interested in you. Being a perfectly normal female, and having traveled in the company of an intelligent, amusing, handsome man for the last three weeks’ ride, I would very much like to know if you’d mind my jumping all over you, once we get to Ijesh…. After we bathe, of course. I have grit in places only a sand-demon would enjoy.”
    That was too blunt. It shocked a laugh out of Elrik, not expecting royalty to be quite so forthright. She joined him, chuckling. Shaking his head—carefully holding his palm-woven hat—he asked, “How did you manage to be so… normal, growing up as a princess?”
    “With great care on my father’s part. He didn’t always have time for us, but he made sure my sister and I visited with our mother’s kin, who were given instructions to treat us as just another pair of kids. No spoiling, no laxing of discipline, and no holding back of love. And he made sure that we knew he loved us, just for being ourselves. Our tutors were also instructed to teach us how to see through flattery and obsequious fawning, and to know when someone was being honest and trustworthy…though I’ll admit that Truth Stones make a nice shortcut.” She smiled at him to show she was teasing.
    “It’s good to know I’ll always have employment,” he dared to joke back. Her earlier words finished sinking in, making him flush despite the heat of midafternoon. “So…you want to know if I’m interested in you?”
    “Yes, if you don’t mind speaking plainly about it,” Arasa said. She reminded herself silently that holding her breath was undignified. “And provided my little revelation hasn’t tipped the balance either way, in your original intent.”
    Elrik could understand that. Freeing one hand from the reins, he dug into the satchel slung at his side, and pulled out the Truth Stone. “I may be a little intimidated—all right, a lot intimidated by your station—but I’m still interested in you. Arasa-the-woman. Very interested. More than I probably should be, given your station.”
    The stone was unblemished when he unfurled his fingers. Arasa blushed. “Well. Now it remains to be seen if you can handle being in the midst of the madness that surrounds my ‘station.’ At least the bed will be big and soft.”
    “Assuming your father doesn’t have me thrown out, or worse,” he muttered. At her sharp look, he gestured at his freckled face. “For being a foreign commoner, and daring to want to touch his child.”
    “Considering he arranged for my sister and me to have formal instruction in the erotic arts as soon as we reached adult status, plus the necessary contraceptive amulets, and gave us a message to ‘play responsibly,’ I don’t think it’s as big a concern as you’re fearing,” Arasa revealed dryly. “Kalasa certainly took advantage of his tacit permission for such things, but then I’ve always been more bookish than her. You don’t run across that many males who are both interested and young enough in the Royal Archives. They’re more apt to be found hanging around the Imperial Salle, which was where she spent most of her