And caring as much as he did about her safety, what was her poor father thinking now? Even her usually level headed mother must be sick with anxiety. And Eamon…well, Jocelyn suspected that if her twin wasn’t currently riding for the mountains to look for her, it was only because he was still at Raldon, in the forest, and hadn’t yet heard of her disappearance.
The sound of smashing glass brought Jocelyn out of her thoughts. Someone in the corner had clearly taken offense at a neighbor’s comment, and a tussle was breaking out. Kincaid looked around quickly, his eyes skating over the room and pausing for a moment on Jocelyn, their expression tense.
And Jocelyn could see why. Even the growing altercation had drawn very little attention away from her. Brawls were presumably a familiar occurrence, because no one seemed to think it worth their notice when compared to the presence of an unknown young woman. At least half the men were staring now, and while some of the drunken ones were leering at her, more concerning were the ones who were looking her up and down in a calculating manner, shrewdly taking in the signs of wealth on her person.
“Let’s go,” said Kincaid tersely.
Jocelyn looked around, startled. “Did you get the—?” But she cut herself off as she saw him putting a large bundle into his rucksack.
Without another word, the two of them made quickly for the door. The many pairs of eyes following them gave Jocelyn the unpleasant sensation of being pursued, even though no one moved from their seats.
The cool night air was a welcome relief after the stench of the close room, but they didn’t pause, pushing on without stopping until they were clear of the town. Kincaid set a fast pace, and Jocelyn had to hurry to keep up, her stomach protesting as it demanded the food that it somehow knew to be close by.
Kincaid was leading them south, back the way Jocelyn and Elddreki had come. The lights of the village quickly faded, but with a clear sky and a bright moon, Jocelyn had no difficulty seeing where they were going. After a short while Kincaid veered right, toward the river, coming to a stop behind a rocky outcrop which hid the village from view.
“Let’s stop here,” he said, and Jocelyn nodded.
Kincaid pulled the parcel out of his pack immediately, unwrapping it to reveal a few loaves of bread, a skin of wine, some cheese, some apples, and some dried meat. No food had ever looked so good to Jocelyn.
“Here,” said Kincaid, handing her an apple.
“Thank you,” said Jocelyn, trying not to look too eager as she took it. She hesitated before taking a bite, however, noting that Kincaid was once again standing, looking around like a sentry.
She cleared her throat, and Kincaid looked down at her inquiringly. When Jocelyn gestured toward the food, Kincaid shook his head.
“No, it’s all right, you go ahead, and I’ll keep a lookout. I can eat later.”
“No,” said Jocelyn, putting the apple down with decision. “You said you were starving. And you said if I let you buy the food, we’d share it.” Her stomach rebelled furiously, but she ignored it.
Kincaid looked from her to the apple and sighed. He seemed to understand her silent message, that she wouldn’t eat unless he did.
With a final look around into the dark night, he threw himself down on the grass and reached for one of the loaves of bread. After satisfying herself that he was really going to eat it, Jocelyn retrieved her apple. It took all her court training to eat slowly and gracefully, instead of shoveling the food into her mouth.
“So you let me buy the food, did you?”
Jocelyn looked up quickly to find Kincaid’s eyes on her. He was once again giving her that irresistible grin.
“Of course,” she said with dignity. “I could see that you were dying to display your chivalry, so I graciously humored you.” She might speak regally, but she couldn’t keep the twinkle from her eyes, and Kincaid’s eyes sparkled responsively.
“That was generous.”
“But I really am grateful,” said Jocelyn softly, feeling emboldened by the relative darkness. “And not just for the food.”
Kincaid’s face instantly became serious. “And I really am sorry that I didn’t get there sooner,” he said. “I would have pushed myself harder if I’d had any inkling you were going to wander into a town alone, and at night.”
Jocelyn frowned, but before she could speak, Kincaid pushed on, apparently determined to get his apologies out of the way.
“And I’m sorry I called you a defenseless traveler when I was talking to that lowlife. That was my mistake, evidently.”
Jocelyn laughed. “I’m not offended.”
Kincaid smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re not annoyed with me,” he said lightly. “I was trying to help, but when I saw your blade, I wondered if maybe you had the situation under control, and might resent my interference.”
Jocelyn shook her head. “Of course I don’t resent your help. I was certainly going to try my best to escape, but I think ‘under control’ is generous.”
Kincaid didn’t respond, and Jocelyn studied him curiously for a moment.
“Did you seriously just apologize for rescuing me?” she asked at last. “Why would you think I would be angry?”
To her surprise, he chuckled. “I was just thinking how mad my little sister would be at the suggestion that she needed me or anyone else to rescue her. She’s fourteen, and…” he smiled indulgently, “precocious.”
Jocelyn smiled as well. She could easily imagine her fourteen-year-old self holding such an opinion. How many times had she insisted that she was as capable as Eamon? But that was before her power had grown so much stronger. She had become practiced at standing in the background now.
“Well, your sister might not need anyone’s help, but perhaps she’s never been grabbed by a foul-smelling stranger and dragged down a dark alleyway.”
She had spoken jestingly, but Kincaid’s brow immediately darkened again.
“No, I’m happy to say she hasn’t,” he said, looking at Jocelyn with distress in his face. “And I’m more sorry than I can say that you had such an experience.”
“You and your apologies,” said Jocelyn lightly, uncomfortable with the intensity of Kincaid’s scrutiny. Her eyes narrowed. “If you should be apologizing for anything, it’s for following me all the way from Montego, which I’m starting to suspect you must have done.”
“Yes, I did,” said Kincaid unashamedly, “and that I’m not sorry for. I just wish I’d been following more closely. But it took me ages to find a safe place to swim across the river. I didn’t have the benefit of the…uh…shortcut you used.”
Jocelyn looked at him sharply. So he had seen her with Elddreki. She noted for the first time that his hair and clothes did indeed look damp, as though they had gotten saturated much earlier in the day and hadn’t fully dried. Her heart raced as she thought of the various conversations she’d had with the dragon. How much had Kincaid heard?
“I must say,” he continued, in a casual tone belied by his keen glance, “I wouldn’t have picked you as a quester. Where is your…companion, anyway?” He looked up at the sky, as if expecting that the mention of the dragon would cause the beast himself to descend upon them.
“I don’t know,” said Jocelyn shortly. “He had to go somewhere, but he didn’t tell me where. And I’m not a quester. Why did you follow me?”
Kincaid shrugged. “Plain curiosity. You would have done the same probably, if you’d seen what I saw. I couldn’t sleep that night, and I was sitting by the communal fire after everyone else was in bed, when out you walk, all alone and dressed for travel.” He gave her a curious look. “Did you see me there, watching you?”
Jocelyn shook her head.
“No, I didn’t think so,” Kincaid continued. “You seemed unaware of your surroundings, almost like you were in a trance or something. I’d never seen anything like it. You walked straight out of town, clearly in no hurry, and clearly perfectly sure of where you were going. Well,” he shrugged again, “what else could I do bu
t grab my things and follow you? I wanted to find out where you were going, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t get yourself into trouble.”
“But that was two days ago,” protested Jocelyn. “You could’ve revealed yourself long before now.”
“I could have, I suppose,” said Kincaid, giving her a look. “But in case you’ve forgotten, you were traveling with a dragon. I wasn’t entirely sure whether it would eat me if I made myself known.”
“He,” said Jocelyn absently. “Not it. His name is Elddreki.”
“Well, he sounds lovely,” said Kincaid conversationally. “I’m sure he’s a friendly fellow, very nice to travel with if you just try not to look too closely at the foot long talons, or the razor sharp teeth. But for those of us not on speaking terms with him, he looks like death on wings.”
Jocelyn couldn’t help but chuckle. “So did you follow us to try to get on the inside with the first dragon anyone’s seen in two decades, or to rescue me from being eaten by him?”
“Honestly?” Kincaid flashed his dangerously attractive grin. “I’m still making up my mind.”
“But seriously,” Jocelyn persisted, trying not to show her anxiety. “If you’ve been following us for two days, you must have seen and heard enough to know that I’m not in danger from Elddreki.”
Kincaid’s smile suddenly seemed faintly indulgent, as though he could tell what information Jocelyn was trying to dig for. But she couldn’t see how he would be able to—as always, she had chosen her words carefully.
“Well, I could see that he wasn’t aggressive toward you, but I was never close enough to hear any conversation.”
So he hadn’t heard about her secret. Jocelyn let out a tiny exhale, but she surprised herself with the realization that there was a small measure of disappointment amidst the relief. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had felt freed by the idea that it might be too late to keep it from him, that there might be no point in being careful. Already she had been allowing herself to speak too freely.
But, she argued with herself, it didn’t seem to be doing any harm. She felt strangely at ease in Kincaid’s presence, and she was hardly feeling any power leave her. She had figured out long ago that some people were much more affected by her words than others. Perhaps Kincaid was simply difficult to manipulate, and wouldn’t be greatly impacted. The more honest part of her mind knew she was justifying her irresponsible desire to keep talking with him, but she ignored this voice of reproach.
“And,” Kincaid was continuing, oblivious to her inner wrestle, “while he may not harm you directly, he seems to have no idea of how to keep you safe. Not if he’s sending you off to wander around the North Wilds alone at night.”
“Keeping me safe isn’t really a priority to Elddreki,” acknowledged Jocelyn ruefully. “I don’t think he sees my well-being as his responsibility, and he has a very incomplete grasp of how vitally important the whole life and death issue is to humans.”
Kincaid once again looked alarmed. “Good thing you’re not as helpless as you look, then,” he said. “I mean,” he corrected himself hastily, “that sounded very rude. I don’t mean that there’s anything wrong with how you look, just that…you don’t seem like…oh dear.” He grinned sheepishly, the expression still somehow unreasonably attractive. “I’m making a mess of it, but I’m trying to compliment you on being more prepared than I would have guessed. I have to admit, I didn’t expect a princess either to be wearing a dagger or to have any idea how to use one.”
“Yes, well.” Jocelyn’s tone was dry. “I’m not exactly an ordinary princess.”
“Evidently not,” said Kincaid, sounding impressed.
“It’s because of my mother actually,” Jocelyn began, but she cut herself off abruptly as the full meaning of Kincaid’s words belatedly hit her. “Hang on!” She glared at him in the moonlight. “You little sneak!”
Chapter Ten
“What?”
Kincaid looked startled at the form of address, and for a moment Jocelyn was embarrassed. She had spoken to him like she would speak to Eamon if she caught him tricking her, but of course it was a liberty with someone she knew so little.
Still, it didn’t stop her from continuing to glare at him.
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“Oh, that,” said Kincaid in sudden understanding. “Yes, I do.”
“Have you known it the whole time?” Jocelyn demanded.
“Well, yes.” Kincaid’s tone was apologetic. “I’d been in Montego for weeks, remember? I know they didn’t make a big show of your arrival, but surely you realized that a visit from their kingdom’s one and only princess was going to create a fair bit of interest. The matter was the main focus of the town for at least a week before you got there. Even as an outsider, I could hardly help hearing about it. And if I didn’t already know, I would’ve figured it out from the whole dragon thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” said Kincaid reasonably, “who else would be wandering around the mountains with a dragon except the daughter of King Calinnae Dragonfriend?”
Jocelyn lifted an eyebrow at the title. She knew that it was what many of the Kyonan common people called their king, but she hadn’t realized that the epithet was used beyond their borders.
“So why did you pretend you didn’t know who I was?” she asked, nonplussed.
Kincaid shrugged. “Well, I didn’t set out to pretend, as such. I just came over to introduce myself, but it seemed like you didn’t want your identity to be known. I didn’t see any benefit in bringing it up, to be honest.” He looked at her curiously. “Why didn’t you want me to know who you were?”
Jocelyn sighed. “I don’t know,” she said wearily. “I didn’t plan to pretend, either. But I liked the mountain people’s understated ways, and I liked not being bombarded with my title all the time. I liked blending in, I suppose.” She smiled crookedly. “And I figured if you knew who I was, you’d become formal with me, and to tell you the truth, unrelenting formality is exhausting.”
Kincaid grinned. “Well, I’m happy to continue to be impertinently casual if it helps, Jocelyn.”
Jocelyn returned the smile uncertainly. In all honestly, if he really had known from the start that she was royalty, she was surprised by Kincaid’s readiness to dispense with her title and the respectful deference she was used to. It wasn’t that she disliked the informality. She just wasn’t sure what it said about how seriously Kincaid took life.
But he had been serious enough about keeping her safe, even though he had no reason to care what became of her. The thought warmed her.
“Have you eaten enough?” Kincaid asked. “I know you must be tired, but I think we should keep moving. Unless I’m very much mistaken, half the people in the tavern were intending to follow us and take everything of value the moment we’re asleep. Some of them will be too drunk to follow through, but I think if we stay so close to town, we’ll be guaranteed at least a few unwelcome visitors.”
Jocelyn nodded in agreement, hurrying to return the remaining food to Kincaid’s pack. Hopefully the movement would hide the sudden flush that had risen to her cheeks at the way Kincaid spoke, as though they were traveling together. Which she supposed they were now.
But before they could move away from their hiding place, a sudden rush of wind made them both look up.
Elddreki approached so quickly that he seemed to appear by magic. One moment the sky was empty, the next he was landing next to them, his mighty wings folded back into his sides before Jocelyn could blink.
“Ah,” he said brightly, looking between them. “The Valorian has caught up to us, I see.” He lowered his enormous head to peer interestedly at Kincaid, who seemed to be frozen. “Greetings, Valorian.”
“G-greetings,” said Kincaid, and Jocelyn hid a smile at the confident young man’s sudden drop in self-possession. Then she realized what Elddreki had said.
“Wait a minute.” She frowned up at the dragon. “You kn
ew he was following us?”
Elddreki nodded serenely. “Didn’t you?”
Jocelyn shook her head, feeling disgruntled. “You could have said something.”
Elddreki looked surprised. “Yes, I could have. Did you want me to?” He paused, frowning. “But that doesn’t make sense. If you didn’t know he was following us, how can you have wanted me to say something about it?”
Jocelyn rubbed a hand across her eyes in a long-suffering gesture. She was too weary for the mental effort required to comprehend the dragon’s strange thought processes.
“You’re right, Elddreki, I didn’t specifically want you to say anything earlier. But now that I know he’s been following us, and that you were aware of it and I wasn’t, I wish you had told me earlier, so that we could both have been aware.”
“Fair enough,” said Elddreki after a moment’s thoughtful silence. “That makes sense. I’m a little surprised that you didn’t know. He followed you to our meeting place the night you left Montego, and he hasn’t been too far behind ever since, at least until we crossed the river. He wasn’t exactly stealthy.”
Kincaid had been watching this casual exchange with a dazed expression, but it turned rueful at Elddreki’s slight on his tracking skills.
“Maybe not to you,” said Jocelyn, softening the dragon’s insult. “But he was stealthy enough that I had no idea. I suppose humans have weak hearing as well as weak eyesight.”
“Indeed,” agreed Elddreki amicably, apparently not catching the dry note in Jocelyn’s voice. “But this is interesting information, Jocelyn, that you would like me to tell you anything that I know and you don’t. I must confess that it is a daunting request, because there are a great many things that I know and you don’t.”
“I’m sure there are,” said Jocelyn quickly. “And I certainly don’t want you to attempt to tell me all of them. Just—just the ones that are relevant to our quest, perhaps.”
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