Free Shadow's Fall by Dianne Sylvan Page B

drawn.”
    “There,” Miranda said with a smile. “There’s the difference, Cora. You have faith in God, and that faith leads you to ask these questions about right and wrong. Most of us just bypass them and then deal with the consequences.”
    “So your way is … efficient.”
    “Yes. But it’s not a moral high ground by any means. I … I admire you, Cora, more than you probably realize. I never had faith in God. I’ve only learned to have faith in my own strength. Where that comes from … I have no idea.”
    “But something saved you that night, when you lay upon the ground …” Cora’s eyes grew cloudy, and Miranda knew she was Seeing something as her slender fingers rested lightly on Miranda’s arm. “And when you were beneath the dark water, drowning … you found that God within you, that … Dark Warrior Queen, who came to you … a serpent.”
    Miranda stared. “How do you know about that?”
    Cora let go of her arm with a sigh. “I touch people and I see things. Past, present, glimpses of the future. Lord Jonathan has visions. You feel emotions and know the hidden truth of the heart.”
    Miranda remembered how rattled Kat had been when Miranda read her; well, now she knew how that felt, and it was creepy. “So, I guess I had faith in something then. But right now, I’m doing the best I can without a higher power. So I envy you your surety.”
    Cora looked down the hallway at the ballroom door. “Do not envy me now, my Lady Queen.”
    Miranda stood up and took both of her hands. “Cora, look at me. The one thing you absolutely cannot do is letHart make you run and hide. You are no one’s harem girl, no one’s slave. So whatever you do, do it as Queen.”
    She pulled Cora up from the bench, still hand in hand. “Walk with me,” Miranda said. “You and I will walk into that room together and let him see us both. He can hate us both until the sky falls, but he can’t take away who we are.”
    Cora took a deep, slightly shaky breath and nodded. This time there were sparks returning to her eyes, and she squared off her shoulders and ran her hands down over her dress to smooth it out. “Yes,” Cora said. “Let us walk, my Lady.”
    Miranda held open the door; the two Queens smiled at each other, and without hesitation, Cora walked back inside.
    Faith alerted the guards to keep their eyes on Hart for the rest of the night; she had no intention of letting him out of her sight, but she couldn’t be everywhere at once, as evidenced by the fact that somehow the bastard had cornered Cora before either Faith or Miranda could head him off. Thank goodness for Mameha and her dagger.
    Aside from that incident, it seemed the evening was going smoothly. Faith took a moment to admire the splendor. So much power and influence in one room … and so many hidden agendas, fangs waiting to come out after a cordial smile and a few diplomatic platitudes. The ball was a chance for everyone to show off and make nice before the real power plays began.
    Tomorrow night the gloves would come off.
    A circulating waiter offered her champagne, and she took it without really intending to drink it; she was used to having a weapon at hand, and being here made her feel vulnerable and antsy. As beautiful as everyone was, she knew what really lay beneath, and in truth she would have vastly preferred to be in uniform along the walls with the other Elite.
    At least she knew she could run and fight in her heels.
    As she took a tiny sip of her champagne, something drew her gaze across the room, and she found herself meeting a pair of cool hazel eyes.
    He obviously recognized her, and she was fairly sure she’d seen him before, too—the lack of a Signet around his neck suggested he was probably someone’s Second, though with him being in a tux she couldn’t tell whose. He, too, was drinking champagne and lifted his glass to her in silent salute, which she returned without smiling.
    Something red caught Faith’s eye, and she