“We’re almost there,” Dasras said as they left the mountains behind them. “I can see the fields of the Blathma below us, and just beyond and to my left are the meadows of the Aghy. I wonder if Roan has any pretty new mares.”

Lara chuckled. “You are as lusty as a Shadow Prince,” she told him.

Dasras chortled. “Well, I was born and raised among them,” he said drolly. Then he asked, “Is the princess still sleeping?”

“Aye,” Lara responded. “She’ll be delighted to see Dillon again-and he her. I hope Anoush has gotten over her jealousy by now. She doesn’t even understand that I am her mother and her invidiousness toward Zagiri is hurtful.”

“She is too young to have developed that attitude without help,” Dasras remarked.

“Who can have planted the seed of envy in Anoush? Certainly not your good Noss. She has always been a fine foster mother to your children.”

“Vartan’s mother,” Lara said sadly and with certainty. “She grows madder with each passing day. I have asked Noss to limit my children’s visits to Bera but she is their grandmother. Of course there is Cam, as well. Adon’s son is Anoush’s cousin. And Bera is raising him. I have never found him to be a pleasant child.”

“You should investigate the situation and see that it is corrected,” Dasras advised. “It does not matter that your children are blood kin to Bera and Cam. If they pose a danger to Dillon and Anoush, you must do what you must to keep Vartan’s younglings safe. Bera’s feelings cannot matter to you, and Cam has no sensibilities at all to consider that I can see. The safety of your children must come first and foremost.”