The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede

passing by, and I thought I’d stop and see how your day went.”
    “As well as I expected,” Eleret replied, staring in undisguised fascination. Jonystra’s dark hair was piled on top of her head in a series of elaborate and precarious-looking waves. Her eyes were heavily outlined in kohl, and two brass medallions dangled from her ears. She wore a loose, floor-length tunic made of a dark blue cotton embroidered in brightly colored silk, and her belt was a chain of medallions that matched her earrings. She looked like some sort of doll.
    “Have you finished your business in Ciaron?” Jonystra asked, her smile widening.
    “No,” Eleret lied. “I’ll have to go back tomorrow. Something about procedures, they said.”
    “Ciaron is like that,” Jonystra said. “Perhaps I could be of some assistance? I’ve dealt with the authorities here before.”
    “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Eleret said firmly. “And it might confuse them if I brought an extra person along.”
    “True.” Jonystra shrugged, then lowered her head. Light slithered across her waves of hair. “Would you join me for dinner instead? There’s a place near here that’s very entertaining; I was just on my way there. I’m sure I could loan you something to wear, and with your looks you’d create quite a sensation.”
    Eleret had a momentary picture of herself dressed as Jonystra was, and nearly laughed aloud. “Thank you, but I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve already made arrangements for dinner.”
    “The innkeeper will understand,” Jonystra persisted. “And if you’re only going to be in Ciaron for a week, you ought to see as much as you can.”
    “I’m meeting someone,” Eleret said. One inadvertent meal with Jonystra had been enough, to her way of thinking; she was not sitting down to another if she had to invent legions of relatives, friends, and admirers unexpectedly encountered in the town.
    Jonystra’s smile slipped. “I thought you didn’t know anyone in Ciaron.”
    “I thought so, too,” Eleret said. “But as it turns out, I do. Another night, perhaps. Tomorrow, or the day after?” If Jonystra thought she had arranged to meet Eleret, she wouldn’t suspect that Eleret was planning to leave Ciaron before then. She might even stop pestering Eleret, though that was probably too much to hope for.
    “Tomorrow, then.” Jonystra did not appear altogether happy, but as long as she left, Eleret didn’t care much about the woman’s mood. “In the meantime, perhaps—”
    “Excuse me,” said a familiar voice from the door at the end of the hall. “But could you tell us—Oh, there you are, Eleret! I was going to ask the innkeeper where to find you, only he wasn’t around, and his wife said you were just down the hall.”
    “Hello, Prill,” Eleret said, opening her door a little wider and blessing Prill’s timing. As long as Prill didn’t say the wrong thing, Jonystra would assume that she was Eleret’s intended dinner companion. “I was waiting for you. Come in while I finish getting ready.”
    Prill glanced over her shoulder. A tall figure moved out of the shadows and resolved into Lord Daner Vallaniri. Prill shook her head at him and said uncertainly, “I don’t know if—”
    “So long as the wait is not a long one, I will be content to stay here,” Daner said. “I am sure the results will be well worth it, and the company is charming.” He gave Jonystra an admiring glance and swept her a bow.
    “All right, then,” Prill said. “But don’t go complaining about it later.”
    Eleret stepped back and swung the door open. “Excuse us,” she said to Jonystra as Prill walked past her and slid into the room. As she closed the door, she heard Daner say coaxingly, “You will keep me company, won’t you?”
    “Why did you bring him ?” Eleret asked Prill, who was looking around the room with interest.
    “Lord Daner? Oh, he’s going to be your guide, if you’ll have him,” Prill said.
    “ What