Watching the darkness outside the window for any sign of movement, Christina spared an occasional glance to the events inside the room. She felt bad for the court mage, after the way she had treated her and now her new humiliation. She had no personal reason to hate the woman, but the tension of the night had forced her old anger to the surface, and the mage was the first person who had offered an opportunity to relieve that. It wasn't fair, and she decided she would apologize to her once this mess was done with.

For now, she kept her distance, keeping one ear out for any signs of danger and the other open to the conversation in the room. The old man apparently had 'stories' to tell, and Christina was interested in spite of herself. She hadn't missed seeing his gaze linger on her and the other women, but that sort of thing didn't bother her. What interested her was that this man was obviously skilled, and listening to him might be important.