Anya had a difficult time finding Missus White to pass on her message. Every time she went to where the tyrant had last been seen, she had already moved on to terrorize another group of hapless servants.

When Anya finally tracked her down, she rounded on Anya as if she had done something terribly wrong.

Anya could not help but feel it was deserved, so she let the overwhelmed woman vent her spleen on Anya patiently while not really even listening. What did Anya care what the crotchety old harangue thought about her?

In a life of problems, Missus White was barely a speck.

When Missus White finally stopped for a breath, Anya took her chance. "I was sent to inform you by Missus Allendale that Lord and Lady Wildwood received a set of expensive goblets from his and her majesty. They will need to be put in safekeeping later in the evening."

Missus White looked slightly mollified by Anya's explanation for the briefest moment before becoming flustered that she had reprimanded Anya for nothing. Her long nose pointed downwards and her cheeks flushed slightly as she gave Anya a look that surely would have been meant to kill her if it were possible.

Perhaps Thorne should have blackmailed Missus White instead.

Anya did not say anything else, but merely left the irritated housekeeper to stew in her own bile. Missus White would likely sniff out another hapless victim soon enough. Anya had done what she had said that she would do.

Anya made her way back to the kitchen, and found herself helping to carry the prepared dishes to where they waited to be served. She was glad to have something to do so that she would not have to think of what she had done.

Time fled swiftly with the flurry of activity and soon Anya was helping Ildri get ready for the celebration that would mark the end of the day. She put Ildri's hair into a flowing style that accentuated the girl's slim face, and then took her leave to find Hanna, who would surely know what she should be doing. She doubted that anyone had noticed her absence, but she did not want to bring suspicion upon herself by acting as if she were avoiding people. She made her way to the great hall.

Anya walked through the serving room and tried to sneak into the hall unnoticed. She was basically successful and she took a position beside Hanna quietly. They stood directly behind the high table where Lord and Lady Wildwood sat together. There were three other servants on the other side of Hanna.

Hanna smiled briefly. "Will you remain here while I go and find a bite to eat?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," agreed Anya, and the other woman slipped away. It was a mark of her growing trust that she would ask such a request of Anya the interloper. Anya felt the stab of shameful pain at how easily she had fooled the inhabitants of Wildwood estate.

Anya looked around the room, trying to pretend that she was interested in the proceedings, but her gaze continually slipped back to Lord Wildwood. She had not yet seen him drink from the goblet that she had poisoned, rather he was drinking from the one that had been filled earlier in the evening. Anya could not help but feel a bit of relief mixed with her fears that her plot might not work.

Certainly Thorne would not let her off so easily, but at least it would give the two some time to be happy together before she was forced to wrench them apart. Anya's stomach felt like rock.

Platters of food were brought out by numerous servants, and Hanna returned quickly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome, although it really was nothing."

Hanna smiled again. It seemed that the glitter of the evening was helping her forget all the pressures upon her. Anya was glad that someone could enjoy herself in all the excitement. As Anya watched Hanna's budding enthusiasm she felt ages older than the other maid.

The supper progressed smoothly, and Anya found herself relaxing. She had not seen Lord Wildwood drink out of his goblet even once. In the morning she could send a message to Thorne detailing her first failure. It would surely buy her some precious time.

Perhaps more time would allow Lady Theresa to grow disenchanted with her marriage, although Anya knew that she was merely dreaming. It was distressingly obvious that the two were as enthralled with each other as her parents had been.

She hoped that when she did succeed Lady Theresa would not suffer a decline such as her father had.

"You're looking unhappy," Hanna commented.

Anya shook her head. "No, I'm just overwhelmed by the crowd."

"Wildwood has never been this busy in all my time here," Hanna said agreeably. "But shouldn't you be used to it? I thought that you were a rather experienced lady's maid."

"I've never grown used to it, I'm afraid," Anya said, and then added. "I suppose that I am still a simple country girl at heart."

"We have so much in common."

Anya nodded. It was truer than Hanna would ever know. Anya's situation was like the nightmare version of Hanna's troubles.

Anya and Hanna watched as the finished dishes were removed and desert was brought forth. The noise in the hall had reached a dull roar and Anya had to resist the urge to cover her ears with her hands. Only the thought that it would make her appear to be an unrefined peasant kept her from doing so. It was not the impression that she was aiming for. It would be obvious to anyone who saw her.

Yet the noise was overwhelming.

Anya felt relieved when all the dishes were finally cleared and people began to speak. The servants retreated to a small room to wait in case they were needed. The speeches were boring and irrelevant, but at least everything was quieter with only one person speaking at a time. Anya's feet were sore and she was thankful to have a bench to sit upon.

She also thankful to have a clear view of Lord Wildwood and he had not yet touched the goblet. It seemed too good to be true and yet too terrible to be real. She could not help but feel glad that he had not yet fallen into her trap, but as soon as the relief came she remembered the horrible web that Thorne had snared her in. Up had become down and black was white, and a cold fire burned in the deepest part of who Thorne had forced her to become.

She longed for the simplicity that she had previously possessed in her life, even if it had been a counterfeit peace maintained by ignoring the things that hurt her the most.

Lord Wildwood was speaking and Anya could hear him more clearly than any of the other speakers. He was thanking everyone for being there and he made a toast to his new wife.

Anya watched with a sick feeling as Lord Wildwood raised the goblet to his mouth and drank deeply. The crowd followed suit. Wildwood sat down and said something to Lady Theresa, and she laughed and smiled at him.

Anya felt sick and wished she could run and hide. Only her fear of being discovered kept her in place. She had really done it, she had poisoned someone. She, Anya the peasant witch, had poisoned a marquis.

She would probably be killed for her treachery and she surely deserved it for what she had done.

Yet she could not allow that to happen. She had to make sure that Damani and Kallie were safe and cared for somehow, she told herself for the thousandth time.

As Anya had never used angel's trumpet before, she did not know how long it would take for it to affect Lord Wildwood. She continued to glance at him, searching for any effect. He seemed perfectly well. Perhaps she had misjudged the amount.

As the dancing began, Anya began to wonder if there was not some sort of enchantment placed on Lord Wildwood to protect him from such malice or perhaps on the entire castle. If it was possible, Anya would not doubt that Lord Wildwood would be the one to be able to do it.

She knew the magical reserves he had and she knew that he would be capable of any number of spells.  She did not know, because she truly did not know everything that a wizard was capable of.

The servants filed out of the small room and Anya followed them with a fake smile on her face which she hoped would be seen as pleasure or excitement rather than trepidation.

She found a chair off to the side and watched as Lord Wildwood swung Lady Theresa around the room in time to the music. They both looked incredibly happy. Anya felt ill, both worried that her plot had succeeded and worried that it had not.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jim asked and Anya jumped. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not heard him arrive.

"Yes," she agreed belatedly.

Jim smiled and Anya wished that she had met him before Thorne had turned her into a deceitful wretch. Of course, had he met her as a witch he probably would have regarded her with the same obvious mistrust that the villagers had always displayed.

Regardless of her subterfuge, she realized that having him sitting beside her made her feel less alone.

It was mere illusion.

If he discovered what she had done, he would despise her and she would feel just as alone as she truly was.

Jim spoke again. "You look tired."

"Thanks, I suppose I do." She instantly regretted the snappish response.

He looked surprised. "I did not mean that. I meant from all the spells you are maintaining. You look lovely."

Anya thought her face might flush at his comment, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Oh. Thank you. There are quite a few spells I'm maintaining. That lady in red over there, for one," Anya said, indicating a woman sitting at the nearest table. She looked like she had already had one too many drinks, but her hair still looked perfect.

"It seems you have vast quantities of untapped magic," he agreed. "But it will still be hard for you if you are not used to it."

"I've done this before, but maybe not so many at the same time," she lied. "It won't kill me."

"Of course not.  You would lose hold of your spells long before that. But, when did you last eat?" he asked.

Anya thought about it and realized she did not know. Perhaps in the servant's dining hall? "I don't really know," she said slowly.

He shook his head. "Your father must have taught you that a wizardress needs to take care of herself first to maintain her work."

Anya smiled a bit at his worry for her. It made her feel good until her guilt overwhelmed her.

She glanced towards Jim and those warm concerned eyes that were observing her. He was really thoughtful. She wondered why he thought she deserved such kindness. "I suppose so. But it was a busy day."

"I'll fetch you something to eat. Wait here," he said.

Anya nodded. She did not deserve such treatment, but she let him anyway. It was a glittering night in which perhaps she could imagine she was just be a servant woman named Anya rather than a secret witch and reluctant assassin.

Of course she could not, since her plots were already in motion.

While she waited, she watched Lord Wildwood and Lady Theresa walk back to their table. He pulled out her seat for her and they sat together. Lord Wildwood kissed his wife and Anya felt herself blush right along with Lady Theresa.

As promised, Jim returned with two plates. He handed one to Anya and she began to eat. He gestured to his own. "I was too full of nerves to eat earlier today," he explained.

"Nervous?" she repeated between bites.

"Lord Wildwood has been my friend for a long time now, but these formal occasions may be too much for me."

"I think you did perfectly fine," Anya said honestly. While she had been rather fixated on her victim, had she not known otherwise there would have been no indication that Jim was not a lord in his own right.

Jim shrugged. "I was out of my depth."

Anya shook her head. "No, you have a certain quiet strength that has nothing to do with your class," she said. Anya blushed, not believing that she had complimented him so boldly. She looked down at her plate and resumed eating.

Jim shrugged, "I hope you are right. I wouldn't want to be an embarrassment to Lord Wildwood. He's done enough for me."

Anya peeked at Jim from beneath her eyelashes. He really did have a sort of inborn nobility. He seemed to be the sort of man who would stand up for what mattered if the need arose. He was strong, but not in a showy way like Lord Wildwood who nearly radiated power. If she had not known that he was a wizard, she would not have been able to guess that he possessed any great magical talent.

"Do you hide your magic?" she asked suddenly, before pausing to consider.

He looked a bit surprised. "How did you know?"

"I only guessed. I know you are a wizard, but I can feel almost no magic in you."

"It's an old habit," he said with a wry smile.

Anya watched him closely and wondered why he would feel the need to hide his power. Unlike witches and warlocks, wizards' abilities were more often prized by peasant and king alike. "Why do you hide it?" she asked.

"In the academy, it was better not to stand out."

"Most of the students at the academy were sons of the nobility, aren't they?"

He smiled and she thought that he knew she understood. "And some daughters."

"Was it awful?" she asked.

"I was the only scholarship student of my year, but it got better as we grew older."

"And you made friends." She remembered the conversation that she had with him in the library. She did not like being reminded that he too would grieve when she succeeded at her task. Would she ever escape this sick feeling inside her?

"There were a number of unpleasant incidents, but everything improved greatly once I became friends with Lord Wildwood." Jim looked across the room. "I am pleased that they are so happy. I did not imagine this would be the result when I sent the lady to him for help."

Anya felt her stomach sink. She tried to smile as if she felt nothing more than agreement to what he had said. She could not wait to be somewhere away from this castle. Somewhere where she might forget the entire convoluted situation.

If only she could run so far and so fast that she could even leave her feelings behind her.