Page 73 of Lady Knight and the Thief

“Pixie wine, eh?” Havanj said, giving Torren a thorough examination, eyebrow raised.

“It has a good flavor,” Cypress said by way of explanation with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Aye, it does taste good,” Havanj said, smiling. “Come on then, let's see where you hail from.”

Havanj carried the tea and teapot to the table on a tray, then sat in the middle seat, gesturing for Torren to take the right seat and for Cypress to take the left.

She remained silent while Torren and Cypress sat, placing teacups before their seats and spooning cubed sugar into both.

“Only two for me, please,” Cypress started, only to receive a mild smile in return.

“Oh, I know, dear.”

Cypress opened her mouth to ask how, when Torren caught her eye and raised his brow at her.

Right.Trust.

“Can you tell me what you know about yourself?” Havanj asked, then took a delicate sip of her tea with her aged hands circling the delicate cup.

Cypress shrugged and took a sip of her tea as well. “I’m an orphan. Found within the Keep twenty-seven summers ago.”

Havanj hummed and leaned back in the chair, with her elbow propped on the armrest. “Nothing else?”

Unsure what the woman was looking for, Cypress said, “Whenever we–I mean the orphans– were tested for abilities, I never had any power reveal itself to me. I’ve always been just Cypress.”

“I highly doubt being the only woman knighted in Grethnah counts as beingjustanybody, Lass,” Torren drawled. He leaned over the table, dark hair covering his brow.

“I got there by sheer determination, Torren. Not because of any power or ability that showed itself to me,” Cypress retorted, glaring at him.

Becoming a Knight of the realm was Cypress’s proudest accomplishment. Fair Folk blood running in her veins or no– she wouldn’t letanyonetake that sense of pride from her.

“She bathes in Fire Vine flowers,” Torren remarked, staring straight through Cypress.

Havanj hummed in response. The woman’s brown eyes seemingly pierced Cypress’ skull when she asked, “What did you do in the human lands?”

Cypress had to restrain the urge to retort Shouldn’tyou already know?Instead, she took a long sip of her tea before answering.

“I am Captain of the Prince Guard.”

Again, the woman hummed and took another sip of her tea. Then, she said, “Finish your tea, Lass, then hand the cup here. You too, Torren.”

Cypress did as she requested and drained the remnants of her drink. She glimpsed a fine layer of ground-up tea leaves on the bottom of the porcelain cup before she slid it across the table to Havanj.

Torren did the same just as the cat jumped on the table, then sat, long tail curled around its feet.

And, just as she had thought, a pair of iridescent gossamer wings sprouted from the animal’s back, its eyes the same remarkable milky green color. The animal's fur was a warm shade of sable, with bands of lighter and darker hues rippling over its coat.

The cat barely moved at all. Only the tip of its tail gently flicked back and forth where it was curled around its body.

With Torren’s cup in hand, Havanj flipped it upside down, then tapped it thrice on its saucer, murmuring something in the language of Faerie.

“The cups do not say anything different for you, Torren,” Havanj said mildly, then slid the cup back to him over the table.

Then, she repeated the process with Cypress’s cup.

Cypress was about to ask what she meant about Torren’s cup when Havanj spoke again.

“You, Lass, are a different story,” she said without looking up from the tea cup Cypress had drunk from.