"I saw it, and still don't believe it."

"That knight... he must have been really bad." Pinja did not know how to feel about Lek challenging anyone to a fight.

"He was, though I dare say he might have been drunk. I mean, I actually managed to knock him on his derriere when I slugged him."

"You hit him?" Pinja asked, surprised.

"I did," Millie said with a small smile. Truth was, she was proud of that moment.

"Good, he probably deserved it." Pinja wished she had hit Jack hard enough to knock him down, wished that she had not been so afraid. "But won't he want revenge?"

"I think once word reaches Lord Thornblade about his actions, he'll probably be taken down a peg or two. And I won't allow him near me again."

Pinja did not look convinced. It was obvious she was thinking about Jack.

Millie was quiet for a moment. "I'm going back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Are you sure you're safe here?" Pinja asked worriedly.

Millie nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Will the door hold if he comes after you?" Pinja asked anxiously. "What about the window?"

"Yes, the door will hold and I have the shutters locked. I'm safe.

Pinja could not stop worrying. She did not want what happened to her to happen to Millie. "But if he breaks in?"

"I have my shears near and a knife under my makeshift pillow."

"But his friends?"

Tria nervously fumbled with a needle and thread. She seemed especially stiff and awkward today.

Millie looked up from the dress she was making for Sileas and turned her attention to her assistant. "Is everything all right, Tria? Do you need any help with anything?"

"Everything is... all right." Tria said in her usual halting way. "I... don't need... help." She accidentally poked herself with the needle she was threading but barely reacted to it.

"As long as you are certain," Millie replied, going back to her own  work. She herself had been keeping things to herself that bothered her, so she couldn't fault Tria for doing the same.

"How is... your brother?" Tria asked, as if it was something she was obligated to ask. For a moment her hand hovered over the silver torque around her neck, as if to touch it, then she rubbed her throat just above the torque.

"Lek? He's doing well, working hard at his training," Millie replied.

Tria nodded, a bit of nonverbal communication she had picked up.

There, Millie thought, taking the last stitch. This should be the last dress Sileas will need for now, and I've already finished her laying in clothing. Millie folded the dress neatly and leaned back and stretched.

Despite her nervousness, Tria finally managed to thread the needle. She began sewing, only making a few stitches before she poked herself with the needle again, this time drawing blood which soaked into the fabric she had been sewing. Tria stiffened, horrified at her screw up. Bloodstains don't come out easily, this fabric was likely destroyed. Millie was going to be angry.