A word to a servant had Miranda before her with Binter some ten minutes later. Miranda was curious, it was all over her face. Calling her to court was something that Miranda hadn't expected. "You sent for me, Highness?" she asked curiously.

"I want you to send a message to a woman named Lizelle Sailmender," she said calmly. "She's a commoner who owns a trading business. Tell her that I'd be most pleased to meet her at the Dancing Swan inn tomorrow at noon."

Miranda gave her a very long, very uncertain look, but the calm assurance in Keritanima's eyes made her finally nod. "I think I know that name, Highness," she replied finally. "I'll send the message."

"Good. You're dismissed."

Miranda curtsied gracefully, as she was required to do when dealing with Keritanima in public.

Keritanima sat back down. She'd give her father something very interesting to chase. Something interesting indeed.

"I'm still not sure about this," Kalina said uncertainly as their carriage wound its way to the Dancing Swan. Keritanima had chosen it because it was large, it was expensive, it was opulent, and it was well known for being a good place to conduct business. The staff was famous for their silence, their tact, and their loyalty to that silence, allowing any number of people of high station to discuss business not meant to be bandied about court or in the parlors of noble homes. Kalina was dressed up as Keritanima, complete with bandages under her plain brown dress. Keritanima wore the plain, elegant gown, subtle make-up, and severe hairstyle that would make people identify her immediately as Lizelle Sailmender. Miranda, Azakar, and Binter were also along, seated with them in the carriage. All of them had strict instructions to keep quiet. Miranda wasn't supposed to know what Keritanima was up to, to keep her somewhat safe, and her bodyguards wouldn't speak anyway.

Getting out had been no problem. When her father commanded her to court, he had also lifted the restriction against staying in her room. He was letting her out to let her go about her scheming, and she had no doubt that he had a veritable pack of spies and observers ready to follow her every move.

"Don't worry at it, Keritanima," Keritanima said pointedly. "You remember what to say?" Kalina nodded. "Then there's nothing to worry about."

"How are we going to explain how we picked you up?"

"We're not," Keritanima said calmly. "It'll give them something to stew over."

"Oh. Alright." Kalina gloomed a moment. "If I'd have only known," she sighed.

"You'd never have pulled it off," Keritanima grinned. "You do good with me, but you'd never fool my employees. Even if you did, the first time you demanded money, they'd know you were an imposter."

"I could have tried."

"And been executed for grand thievery," Keritanima winked.

"It would have been worth the risk."

"Don't worry. After all is said and done, you're going to be a very, very rich little girl, Kerri."

Kalina absolutely beamed.

The interior of the Dancing Swan was made for nobles in mind. Gold gilded frames held within breathtaking works of art. Ancient tapestries vied for wall space with those paintings, and the floors were covered with Eastern and Arakite carpets. The inn was arranged with a long, narrow common room with elegantly built booths lining each wall. The booths were large, voluminous, and they had ivy-covered walls to separate them from one another. That ivy also helped muffle sound, protecting the privacy of each party. Well-dressed servants glided from table to table, serving sumptuous meals or rare and expensive wines and liquors to the patrons. Keritanima simply waited for Kalina to demand a booth, and a thin, graceful little deer Wikuni woman curtsied deeply to her and showed them to a booth about halfway down on the right side of the wall.

Kalina sat down first, and Binter immediately sat down beside her, to block her off from the outside. Azakar sat beside Keritanima, to protect her should someone attack her and allow Binter to reinforce the image that Kalina was actually Keritanima. Miranda sat down beside Azakar and made a show of looking bored, when she was actually watching out for eavesdroppers.

Just not too hard. Keritanima wanted them to be overheard.

"It is not often I am called to an audience with Royalty," Keritanima began in that stiff-necked voice that Lizelle owned. "However, whatever immature flights of fancy you possess are of little concern to me. I am a busy woman, your Highness. State your business."

"How would you like to see the commoner's tax repealed?" Kalina asked in a mild voice.

Keritanima raised a brow. "You have my attention," she said calmly.

"I've always been very curious about you, Lizelle," Kalina said in her excellent imitation of Keritanima's voice. "And not because we're both foxes. You've managed to come a very long way without a title, and I can respect you for it. But I feel that you could go alot further if the commoner's tax was removed. It would make things an even game between you and the businesses of the noble houses."

"I've made no secret of my outrage over those taxes, your Highness," Keritanima stated. "They are nothing but a chain locked to my leg, to keep me in my perceived place. But as much as I would like to see the repeal of those taxes, it makes me wonder what I would have to do to gain it."

"Nothing dangerous," Kalina assured. "I only need a message delivered to someone on Sennadar. A message I would prefer not be intercepted. I can't trust any noble-backed house or ship to do that."

"That is all?"

"That's all."

"I will not risk my position or my business over something I don't know," Keritanima announced. "I will know the content of this message. If I find it safe to deliver, then we have an agreement. If not, we'll leave here with my promise that the message will go no further."

"I find your terms one-sided."

"You deal from a weak position. Since I have something you want, you must be prepared to pay for it."

"They said you were a wolverine," Kalina grunted. "I should have listened to them."

"I am a businesswoman, Highness," Keritanima said calmly. "No more, no less."

Kalina frowned. "Alright. The message is for a man named Darvon. He's the Lord General of the Knights of Karas. You'll find him in Suld. I want to know if he can spare a hundred Knights to journey to Wikuna."

"A strange request."

"Just tell him I found what Tarrin is looking for," she said calmly. "I need the Knights to retrieve it and take it back to Suld, so they can get it to Sharadar. That's the only place it can be kept safely, and the Knights are the only ones trustworthy enough to carry it."

"Will he understand the message?" Keritanima asked.

"When he hears it, I guarantee you he'll lose ten years off his age and do backflips," Kalina replied with a toothy grin. "But I want the message delivered by you personally," Kalina demanded. "I'll give you a letter of introduction that will assure him you're there on my behalf."

Keritanima leaned back and thought about it. "I find your proposal… intriguing," she said finally. "I will accept."

"Good, but you have to leave today," Kalina insisted. "And you have to be careful. You may not want company following you."

"I will not risk my ship or my men for a simple message," Keritanima said stiffly.

"I'm not asking you to," Kalina said smoothly. "The message has no real importance for anyone in Wikuna, Mistress Lizelle. It's a matter between me and my brother. I'm doing this for him."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Keritanima said.

"Not by blood, but he's as close as a brother to me," Kalina said calmly.

"Why would this message need me to be careful?"

"Because right now, the seas are a dangerous place," Kalina told her. "There are Zakkite triads everywhere. Travelling alone would give you a better chance of getting through unmolested."