Free A Simple Darkness (The Young Ancients: Tiera) by P. S. Power

would have been a good way for her brother to hide from the assassins, but after a second she realized who it was.
    "Princess Veronica, so nice to see you again." They'd met once, a few days before. That meant the good looking man next to her was Count Peterson, who she greeted by name once she realized who he was. He had a rugged look that she liked, but she didn't make eyes at him, since she had a date and that would be rude.
    They didn't speak for long, since they had to eat in turn, showing that the food wasn't poisoned. Nothing showed when she checked her food, but she had to wonder how much spit the food could contain if a person wasn't ill? How much had she already eaten at school before that, just not realizing it for what it was, since it didn't show as a poison? For that matter, what else had they been putting in her food? She could think of a lot of things that wouldn't show up or harm her, but that she didn't want to put in her body.
    It left her picking at her food, uncertain about what to do, even though it was no doubt wonderful. She examined each bite as if it held the grossest things imaginable. It didn't go unnoticed either, since Count Peterson leaned in toward her and simply asked about it.
    "Do you suspect treachery?" His voice was very deep and nearly a growl, but still sounded charming, as if he was humoring her.
    "No, not really. I... Had a close call earlier today. The poison detector caught it, I'm just leery now."
    "Ah. That can happen. Well, better to be a little extra cautious and alive. So, I see by your hair style that you're a rather serious combatant. What area do you specialize in?"
    She nearly explained the whole thing to him, but then realized she didn't want to. It was too embarrassing and the man didn't really want to know. He was being polite and making certain she didn't have a problem, that was all. Possibly he was interested in her? She was at least as nice looking as the Princess after all. Maybe slightly better looking even. So it might have been another kind of interest too, but he didn't seem to be hinting at that.
    "Flying. Shield and modern combat weaponry." It was kind of true after all. She had the gear and knew how to use it.
    "One of my people then! I run the flight combat center for the military. What weapons do you use?"
    It turned out she was outfitted exactly like his people were, except with a better shield and a Fast Craft. He actually seemed impressed.
    But not surprised overly.
    "All of your people are good fighters aren't they? Why, not three days ago I witnessed an adult warrior take his own head off with an explosive weapon rather than close with your younger brother. That was to prevent capture, I'm certain, rather than mere fear of pain. I'm not suggesting the man was less than brave. The opposite, to tell the truth." He looked pained for a second, and then glanced at his right, where his wife sat smiling at him. It looked loving, but her left hand was under the table and angled toward him. It got him to stop talking, eyes going wide.
    Then the Princess nodded to her.
    "I fly too. We should get together sometime soon and take a day trip. We'll have to have some of my Royal Guard friends go as well. Perhaps some of your friends from school could come? I hear everyone at Lairdgren can fly practically. Do you know Sam Builder?" It was an innocent attempt at changing the subject, but not a great one for her. No one was close enough to bail her out either.
    "Uh, yes. I was talking to him just this morning, Farlo Ross, Guide and Mark as well. They're all in the Lairdgren Group." It was true, if not exactly what it sounded like.
    Veronica seemed pleased by that and nudged her husband.
    "We should have them all to dinner soon. It can't hurt to have them over. Timon too."
    It was apparently the kind of thing that noble women did for their husbands, arranging things for them to make new contacts like that, so the man smiled as if it were simply brilliant and they weren't