I shake my head, knowing that if I see names, I’ll want to take them all and send them to Imelenora. The girls, in particular, would be most welcome among the Fey. That’s a thought to consider later.

  “If you can tell us how many boys and girls are in each age range, I think that will meet our needs better,” I reply.

  Nodding, Freydis signals for us to follow her and leads us into an office area. She searches through the desk and pulls out a flyer urging people to adopt, listing exactly the information I asked for. Smiling, I take the flyer and head to our next stop, the other orphanage.

  This building is much smaller and looks like a country estate. It’s near the edge of town, but unfortunately, it’s next to a large graveyard. I can only imagine how upsetting this must be for the newly arriving children, losing one or both parents, only to come here, next to a graveyard.

  I turn to Ina. “It seems a bit callous to send an orphaned child here, next to that.”

  Ina shrugs. “It’s either here or the repurposed jail. Of the two, this looks more pleasant.”

  Sighing, I nod in agreement. The first thing I notice as we step inside is that all the children are engaged in prayer.

  There is no laughter, no sounds of play, just the resonant chanting of hymns. I already detest this place. It reeks of fear and bitterness. Madness breeds here. This is a place full of dark, terrible soil for the seeds of insanity and havoc to take root and grow into twisted things that never see the light.

  I give Ina a sideways glance, and she shrugs. “It looked nicer from the outside.” I’m already mentally drafting a letter to Ellisar to have someone come and adopt or steal all the girls, along with any of their brothers.

  An austere man in the most uncomfortable-looking robes I think I’ve ever seen comes out to greet us. He appears to be wearing a hair shirt underneath the scratchiest-looking linen I’ve ever seen, despite the relatively cool weather. Most would be wrapped in wool.

  “I am Father Athelburt. How may I be of service?”

  Gods above! Some flagellant cult is raising children???

  I'm hoping that it's just this man and not the entire cult. “Which temple established this orphanage?”

  Father Athelburt grins at me from his shaved head filled with discolored teeth. “We serve the god, Instus the Bringer of Order.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ina cringe. This makes me think the entire cult is made up of flagellants, those who punish themselves in the name of their god. I can't imagine a worse group to run an orphanage, unless it’s one of the darker gods like war, torture, or sacrifice. Even a war god might be better if this man is any example of how the members of this cult treat themselves and each other. Father Athelburt watches me cautiously as I lift my head and breathe in deeply, taking in his scent.

  The coppery metallic tang of fresh blood is on him. My Fey nose picks out other scents hiding under the blood, darker notes. If his scent means what I think, this man makes my skin crawl. I wouldn’t let him have the care of a sewer rat, much less a child.

  I cock my head and look at him carefully. “Are you injured? You reek of fresh blood.”

  He chuckles, still wary. “I cut myself recently with an axe. It’s not healing well, and one of the sisters lanced it for me.”

  I nod. “Perhaps we could send you a healer?”

  Father Athelburt shakes his head. “It isn’t necessary. Instus will provide for us. He always does. But this is surely not why you have come here?”

  I wave my hand around, indicating the facility. “We wanted to see if the children needed anything. Winter clothing, perhaps?”

  Father Athelburt shakes his head. “No, there is no need. They wear the robes of Instus. We prepare them to enter the service of Instus once they are old enough to leave here.”

  I nod again. “Toys? Bedding?”

  Father Athelburt laughs. “Our children do not need toys. Toys are a distraction from their worship and duties. Their bedding is sufficient.”

  I shrug and nod before turning to leave. Ina sticks to me like glue as we head back to the carriage. Ina looks at me, wide-eyed as we pull away. “What a horrible man.”

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  I grimace. “Unless my nose misleads me, far, far worse than you think, Your Grace.”

  Ina shakes her head. “I’ll have a chat with Hedde about it and see what can be done.”

  I grimace again. “If Duke Jellema can’t or won’t act, let me know and I’ll try something else, Your Grace. This place is producing copies of that man and using the orphanage to expand their cult. Best to put an end to that before their numbers grow too large and they decide that everyone needs to atone for their sins.”

  I don't doubt that this is one of the cults that burns magic users. I also don't doubt that such a group would be quite destabilizing if it gained enough political power.

  Ina considers my request for a moment before nodding. “That does sound sensible. Still, it’s not something we can solve today. Let’s go shopping, shall we?”

  I think for a moment. “Let’s get some of the more mundane things they asked for out of the way first. Beds and bedding. Did you see those blankets? They’ve been laundered so many times that there’s almost nothing left of them.”

  Ina gives the driver directions, and soon we find ourselves in a shop that makes beds. I explain to them why we’re there and where we want the items delivered. The shophe shop girl grimaces and asks what we’d like to do with the bedding if they refuse it. She informs me that once it’s made up, it can’t be refunded. I shrug. “Deliver it to the other orphanage instead.”

  With that settled, we move on to more enjoyable things, like toys and clothes. When we’re done shopping for the children, Ina directs the driver to a small café where we sit and have tea and lunch.

  Ina gives me a conspiratorial look. “Have you found a dressmaker yet for your wedding dress?”

  I smile at her and nod. “I have. I have to go for an initial fitting tomorrow, as a matter of fact. I’ve chosen Jagger Embla. His design was... inspired.”

  Ina sips her tea and nods in approval. “He runs one of the newer dressmakers here in Dobile, but is quickly becoming quite fashionable. I’m rather surprised Elka Ragney didn’t want to do it. Your wedding is likely to be the social event of the season.”

  I shrug and snack on another tiny sandwich. “They said they were too busy with the winter balls and sent us to Jagger. Without my mother or my cousins here, I’m not really sure what I should be planning. I know that Oskar seemed to think that, since it was a state occasion, the steward should be planning it, Your Grace. I feel that I can at least trust you and have been wanting to ask your opinion.”

  Ina snorts in derision.”No woman in her right mind lets a man plan her wedding, and you’re likely not familiar with any of our wedding traditions. I’ll ask Hedde if he can fill in for your father, since he’s not here either.”

  I consider this for a moment.”I know that Kenric already asked Lord Eldert, but I doubt Lord Eldert will be available. I know that Lord Eldert means a great deal to Kenric, but I doubt his health will permit him to participate. If that is indeed the case, I’d greatly appreciate Duke Jellema stepping in, Your Grace.”

  Ina frowns at me. “What’s wrong with Eldert?”

  I sigh and carefully set my teacup down, then fiddle with it for a moment as I think about how to phrase what I need to say. “I feel like I’m telling tales out of school. Eldert isn’t well, Your Grace. I’m not sure he’ll even live until the wedding. If I had to bet, I’d say he wouldn’t.”

  Ina nods solemnly. “I won’t discuss that with anyone but Hedde, but given the circumstances, I have to tell him.”

  She waits for my nod before continuing. “Since your mother isn’t here, I’ll take over and help you. I can handle all the court politics and infighting. Arvo, the steward, probably won’t be happy about that, but I think he’s earned a little trouble. Do you know he moved his whole family into the palace? That’s why there weren’t enough rooms. His aunts, uncles, cousins... literally everyone. All are trying to pass themselves off as slightly down-on-their-luck nobles. Hedde made Arvo make them all leave. Did you know one of Duke De Boer’s nieces was having a pretty scandalous affair with one of Arvo’s cousins? The poor girl didn’t realize a commoner had tricked her. A commoner! Can you imagine?”

  Ina rolls her eyes before continuing. “Now she can’t step outside their rooms without one of Keimpe’s men with her, since her ladies let her get away with that foolishness. Enough gossip; we have your wedding plan. Rienst Barrda, the king’s personal secretary, and Goarreit Nidjam, the exchequer, are the ones you want to assist you and give you advice. They’ll tell you what the king will and won’t approve of in terms of expenses. You’ve got a delicate balance to maintain between fulfilling your responsibilities and not overshadowing the king’s own wedding.

  Sighing, I smile at Ina.”You’re too kind. Yes, I’m happy to accept your help, Your Grace. I’m sure I need it. Our Fey customs are different, so I definitely need help navigating them. Kenric won’t be much help with that. Frankly, he wouldn’t care if I showed up in a potato sack, rolled in horse dung, as long as he got to be the one to take me home.”

  Ina laughs, almost spitting out her tea. “Kenric is quite taken with you, that’s true. Clothes are our armor, though. A potato sack would mark you as utterly defenseless. You’d attract more than just the king’s attention, then. They’d be swarming around you like sharks when the fishmongers start cleaning their catch at the end of the wharf.”

  I grimace at this idea. “They’d perceive me as lower status and thus, as prey, Your Grace.”

  Ina gives me a look over her teacup. “A bit more bluntly than I would have phrased it, but yes. That is exactly the point. Most of the men here see women as either objects to be used or traded, weapons to be wielded, or conquests to be won. Even one as highly ranked as I am or even the Queen.”

  I think this over for a moment. “What is Grethe to Oskar?”

  Ina smirks at me. “Queen Grethe is either a weapon or a trade good to Oskar. Despite having borne him six children, she is still not a person to Oskar or his family.”

  Considering this for a moment, I cock my head and look at Ina. “She’s the Queen and would be the Queen Mother or eventually, the Dowager Queen. Yet, Oskar makes her…”

  I notice Ina’s mouth set in a firm line, and she nods abruptly, cutting off my question. I swallow hard. Gods above! That man is hard-hearted. My heart aches a little more for Grethe. What a horrible husband, and he’s not even that good at being king.

  Sighing, I look at Ina and ask, “Tell me what happens to me if something happens to Kenric.”