Law of the Broken Earth by Rachel Neumeier

Never. Promise me you will remember.”
    “Of course I’ll remember,” Mienthe assured him, an easy promise to make as she knew very well nothing of the kind would come about. “I’ll be careful—truly, Erich. But you’ll be the one in danger, which is why you’ll get to do all the brave exploits. All I’ll get to do here is attend the queen and the little princesses and wait for you to send me news.”
    The prince’s mouth crooked. “Attending those little girls
is
a brave exploit.” He stood up and stood for a moment gazing down at her. His eyes held a question, but Mienthe did not know what question she saw there.
    But the arrival of the little princesses in person,brought in quickly to make their farewells to their father, interrupted Erich before he could speak, if he meant to.
    The older of the princesses was called Karianes Nataviad Merimne Safiad. She was nearly five years old, plump, pretty, cheerful, and kindhearted; everyone said she was very like Niethe’s mother. The littler princess was Anlin Nataviad Merimne Safiad, a child who already, at three, showed her father’s strong will and determined temper. Both little girls ran to say good-bye to Erich after speaking to their father. He had been at the Feierabianden court all their lives and, not having a clear idea about just what a hostage was, they thought he was their brother. Erich called them his little sisters once removed and let them tease him into the most impossible mischief.
    Erich threw Anlin up into the air and then caught her again, repeating the procedure at once with her older sister. “Oof!” he said, pretending he might not be able to lift the five-year-old. “Have you grown more just over these few days?”
    Karianes laughed, but then pouted. “Do you
have
to go?”
    “I have to, yes, but Mie will be here.”
    The little girls gazed at Mienthe with doubtful expressions. A year was a long time to such small children, and they were clearly uncertain whether they should like to trade Erich for Mienthe. Then Anlin said, “You gave me a kitten.”
    Mienthe smiled, surprised the child had remembered; the last time the princesses had visited the Delta, Anlin had been only just talking. Even surrounded by her nurses and her mother’s ladies, she had seemed somehow alone to Mienthe. And one of the stable cats had had kittens theright age. “Yes,” she agreed. “A black one with white feet and a white nose.”
    “He wanted to come,” declared Anlin. “But Mama wouldn’t let him.”
    Mienthe had very little idea how to talk to children. “Traveling is hard on cats,” she said sympathetically. “I’m sure he’ll be waiting for you at home.”
    “He wanted to come,” Anlin repeated, scowling. “He told me he did.”
    “Maybe she has an affinity to cats, like Tef?” Mienthe said to Erich. She was pleased by the idea, almost like finding such a gift in the child would be a tribute to Tef’s memory. But then maybe the child simply had a vivid imagination. She
was
very young for any gift to come out.
    Erich shrugged, but looked a little envious. Affinities for particular animals, common as dirt in Feierabiand, were fairly rare in Casmantium—just as the people of Feierabiand usually were smaller and fair, where those of Casmantium were broad and dark. Erich thought the ability to speak to an animal was a very exotic sort of gift, much more interesting than the making and building that were common gifts in his own country. Mienthe thought she wouldn’t complain if she had even the most common gift in the world, but both Erich and she were well past the age when gifts usually came out.
    The princesses’ nurses swept down then to carry them back to their beds, and there was a general movement of the king’s party toward departure. Erich pressed Mienthe’s hands quickly in his and said, “Remember your promise!” She nodded, and he strode quickly away without looking back.
    Bertaud strode over to take Mienthe’s shoulders