EMBER’S POV
“How’s my money?” he says, by way of hello, and I can hear the smile in it.
“It’s having a wonderful time. It’s making so many new friends.” I watch , across the shop, gravely considering two different enormous ugly vases. “Don’t go in the dining room when you get home.”
A pause. “Why would I not go to the dining room?”
“No reason. The gnomes are having a meeting, and it would be rude to interrupt.”
“…The what.”
“Love you, checking in, everything’s fine, bye.”
I hang up on the sound of him starting to ask a question, and cackles, and one of the guards — Reyes, I’ve finally sorted them, Reyes is the one whose left eyebrow does a thing when he’s suffering — makes a small pained sound behind us.
“Problem?” asks him sweetly.
“His Majesty,” Reyes says, with the careful d
