Page 107 of Crown of Storm and Silence
"They're just... expressing themselves."
"They're having a tantrum," Nesilhan corrects, but she's still smiling. "Just like their master."
"I don't have tantrums. I have strategic emotional responses that occasionally involve property damage."
"You're having one right now."
"This is a perfectly reasonable response to discovering that some perfect golden boy spent years pining after my wife."
"See?" Banu says cheerfully to Emir. "I told you this would be hilarious."
I glance between them, realization finally dawning. "You did this on purpose. You planned this. Both of you."
"Maybe a little," Banu admits without a trace of shame. "You should see your face right now. It's like someone told you they were going to replace all your torture devices with flower arrangements."
"I'm going to kill him," I mutter, darkness still writhing around my feet.
"Who? Matthias?" Nesilhan asks with amusement.
"Yes. No. Maybe." I run my hands through my hair. "Did he really name his daughter after you?"
"Probably not. Banu might have made that up."
"I definitely made that up," Banu confirms cheerfully.
I stare at her as the full scope of her manipulation hits me. "You made it up?"
My shadows strike for her just as Banu shoots toward the ceiling, wings beating frantically as she dissolves into laughter.
"The daughter thing, yes. The rest of it? Oh, that was all true. He was absolutely besotted with her. Used to practice what he'd say if he ever got up the courage to court her properly."
"And you encouraged this torture because...?"
"Because watching you get jealous over a man who's been happily married for years and probably hasn't thought about Nesilhan in decades is the most entertainment I've had since..."She pauses, suddenly looking mischievous. "Well, since I successfully seduced a certain general."
Emir chokes on his wine. "Banu."
"What? It's true." She grins wickedly. "Though I have to say, the legendary general was surprisingly easy to seduce. One strategic weapons rack encounter and he was completely?—"
"We are not discussing this," Emir interrupts firmly, his face reddening.
"Oh, but we should!" Banu continues with obvious delight. "Nesilhan, you should have seen him. All that military discipline just... gone. Completely undone by a fairy half his size."
I stare at my general in disbelief. "My legendary general, terror of battlefields, the man who once stared down a demon lord without blinking—got seduced by a fairy in an armory?"
"It wasn't seduction," Emir protests. "It was... tactical maneuvering."
"Against a weapons rack," Banu adds helpfully.
"You WHAT?!" Nesilhan nearly chokes on her water, staring between them with wide eyes. "You slept with Emir?!"
"Repeatedly," Banu confirms cheerfully. "Though our first time was indeed against that weapons rack. Very romantic, actually. All that steel and leather, the scent of oil and metal polish?—"
"I'm going to check on security arrangements," Emir announces, standing abruptly with the dignity of a man trying to salvage what's left of his reputation.
"Running away won't change the fact that you're completely gone for her," I observe, enjoying his discomfort after the torture he just watched me endure.
"At least I don't throw things when someone mentions my past," Emir retorts. "Remember last month when the council rejected your proposal? You put three holes in the wall and sulked for a week."
