“And what is our main objective!”
“To preserve and protect the rights of the people of Verania!”
“And how do we do that?”
“By identifying threats against the Crown and its citizens, cataloguing their weaknesses, and then eliminating them.”
“And why do we do it?”
“Because we contribute to the safety of Verania.”
“In whose name?”
“In the name of the King of Verania, the Prince of Verania, of Morgan of Shadows, of Randall, and of Sam of Wilds!”
My eyes bulged.
“And when will we stop?”
“Never!” they bawled.
“At rest!”
They stood, feet apart, elbows bent, hands clasped behind them. Tina stood in front of each of them, one at a time, like she was inspecting them. She would fix a collar or straighten a scabbard, muttering words I couldn’t quite make out. The ladies didn’t react, eyes straight forward, barely even blinking.
Once she’d finished with the last one, Lady Tina DeSilva turned to me. She had a determined expression on her face. The crowd behind her had gathered in the hundreds, and it seemed as if all of them were holding their breaths, waiting to see what was going to happen next.
I almost felt bad that I was going to explode her in front of everyone.
“Sam of Wilds,” Lady Tina said, voice even. “How lovely it is to see you again.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said, just as smooth. “I wish I could say the same. So I will. How lovely it must be for you to see me again.”
The skin under her left eye twitched. “We have been awaiting your return with something akin to antici… pation.”
“Really,” I said. “I had understood that those that experience anticipation are capable of such things because they have a soul. Tell me, Lady Tina. How is it that you can anticipate anything when you are nothing but an empty husk of a human shell?”
“Ooh,” the crowd said.
“I’ve been waiting all year for this moment!” someone cried rather hysterically. “So far I’m not disappointed!”
Now the skin under her right eye was twitching too. “You’ve been gone a long time, Sam of Wilds. Things have changed.”
“Right, I noticed. Especially here at what used to be called the Port. What has it been renamed to? Katya! Oh dearest Katya. What did you say this place was called?”
“Camp HaveHeart,” she supplied helpfully. I liked her.
“That’s right,” I crowed. “Camp HaveHeart. Lady Tina, what was your opinion on HaveHeart again? I seem to have forgotten.”
She was grinding her teeth together. “It is a stable and loving relationship that should be looked upon with reverence.”
“Aha! See? She is nothing but wicked and—wait. What.”
“I love HaveHeart,” she said, and suddenly she stopped twitching altogether and began to smile. It was a terrible thing, filled with a candy-sweet malice that I was sure no one could see but me. “In fact, one could say I’m the biggest HaveHeart fan there is.”
I sputtered a little.
Her smile widened.