“Damen bridged the nine chilly inches at the first opportunity. 'What are you doing? You were the one who warned me about Nicaise.' He spoke in a low voice.Laurent went very still; then he deliberately shifted in his seat and leaned in, bringing his lips right to Damen's ear. 'I think I'm out of stabbing range, he's got short arms. Or perhaps he'll try to throw a sugar plum? That is difficult. If I duck he'll hit Torveld.'Damen gritted his teeth. 'You know what I meant. He heard you. He's going to act. Can't you do something about it?''I'm occupied.''Then let me do something.''Bleed on him?' said Laurent.”

“I'm twenty years old,' said Laurent, 'and I've been the recipient of offers almost as long as I can remember.' 'Is that an answer?' said Damen. 'I'm not a virgin,' said Laurent. 'I wondered,' Damen said, carefully, 'if you reserved your love for women.' 'No, I--' Laurent sounded surprised. Then he seemed to realise that his surprise gave something fundamental away, and he looked away with a muttered breath; when he looked back at Damen there was a wry smile on his lips, but he said, steadily, 'No.' 'Have I said something to offend you? I didn't mean--' 'No. A plausible, benign and uncomplicated theory. Trust you to come up with it.' 'It's not my fault that no one in your country can think in a straight line,' said Damen, frowning a touch defensively.”

“Nicaise had picked up a gilt three-pronged fork, but had paused before sampling the dish in order to speak. The fear he'd shown of Damen at the ring seemed to still be there. His knuckles, clenched around the fork, were white.'It's all right,' said Damen. He spoke to the boy as gently as he could. 'I'm not going to hurt you.'Nicaise stared back at him. His huge blue eyes were fringed like a whore's, or like a doe's. Around them, the table was a coloured wall of voices and laughter, courtiers caught up in their own amusements, paying them no attention.'Good,' said Nicaise, and stabbed the fork viciously into Damen's thigh under the table.Even through a layer of cloth, it was enough to make Damen start, and instinctively grab the fork, as three drops of blood welled up.'Excuse me a moment,' Laurent said smoothly, turning from Torveld to face Nicaise.'I made your pet jump,' said Nicaise, smugly.Not sounding at all displeased: 'Yes, you did.''Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work.''I think it will, though. Bet you your earring.''If I win, you wear it,' said Nicaise.Laurent immediately lifted his cup and inclined it toward Nicaise in a little gesture sealing the bet. Damen tried to shake the bizarre impression that they were enjoying themselves.Nicaise waved an attendant over and asked for a new fork.”

“Damen to Jord about Laurent: 'He needs me,' said Damen. 'I don't care if you tell the world.”

“What are you doing?" Damen's breathwas shaky."What am I doing? You are not veryobservant.""You're not yourself," said Damen. "Andeven if you were, you don't do anythingwithout a dozen motives."Laurent went very still, the soft wordshalf bitter. "Don't I? I must wantsomething.”

“I'm sorry," said Damen.Laurent gave him a strange look. "Whywould you apologise to me?"He couldn't answer. Not with the truth.He said, "I didn't understand what beingKing meant to you.""What's that?""An end to fighting."Laurent's expression changed, the subtlesignifiers of shock imperfectlyrepressed, and Damen felt it in his ownbody, a new pull in his chest at the lookin Laurent's dark eyes.”