The swift current took hold and pulled them down the river. Kali fought the powerful rush of water, her body surging to reach the looming bank. Cassia finally released her tangled fingers to assist Kali by swimming alongside her.
She had never been so glad for her riding gear, and lack of skirts to tangle her legs. Kali's hooves hit solid ground and she slid onto her back. The mare turned parallel to the river bank, splashing a short distance until they reached a large outcropping of flat granite slabs before emerging from the river.
Kali scrambled up the rocks until they had left the water far behind them. Only then, did Kali strike out across the soft dirt. Unfettered by the slippery rocks, she flattened out and picked up her speed to streak through the woods. The wind roared again in Cassia's ears, Kali putting as much distance between them and the dogs as she could.
Judging it to be a safe, Cassia sat up and Kali slowed at her request. Now that her hearing wasn't drowned out by the roaring wind and pounding hooves, she sat quietly and listened. The sounds of the forest animals and birds made it a little difficult to fully focus, but she didn't hear any baying dogs. Satisfied they'd lost their pursuers for now, she let Kali pick the pace and they headed into a lighter forest of smaller trees.
After an hour of hard riding, winding through the forest, they came to a clearing. Kali stopped for a snack of grass and Cassia looked around trying to get her bearings. They'd been heading the wrong way part of the time, but it was easy to get lost in the woods especially when riding so quickly through them.
Adjusting their route, they moved back into the forest to locate a suitable camping spot before the sun set. A ring of trees and bushes was the best they found before nightfall. Cassia slid to the ground and slipped Kali's bridle off. Almost as soon as she laid her blanket on the ground, darkness swept through the forest. Kali became a dark shape barely distinguishable from the trees surrounding them. Cassia dropped her bag on the blanket and sat next to her bag. Kali kneeled beside Cassia to share her body heat.
Cassia hadn't been thinking clearly when she'd packed and had forgotten how cool the mountains and forests became during the night. She had no extra clothes or anything to make a fire. Of course, she didn't know how to make a fire even if she had remembered to pack flints.
With another shiver, she untied her wet cloak and got up to hang it on a nearby branch. The night would get colder. Her clothes weren't sopping wet anymore, but there was a distinct dampness to them and the cool air raised goose bumps even under her clothes.
After snuggling up into the curve of Kali's neck, she opened her bag to pull out the last of her meager rations. A few pieces of cheese, hardened from not being properly wrapped, and a biscuit just as hard awaited her. Not looking forward to it, but knowing she needed to eat, Cassia started to gnaw on the biscuit. Kali rumbled next to her.
"I apologize, girl." She untangled the silky strands of the mare's mane with her fingertips. "It seems like every time we stopped for food the dogs caught up. We'll need to find some supplies tomorrow and fill your belly." She offered the hard biscuit to Kali and pulled the hard cheese out for herself. "We passed a town on the border when we came out. The river we crossed was near the border so the town must be around here somewhere. If only we could stay on the road it wouldn't be so difficult."
It'll be fine.
"I know. I should have paid more attention in my geography and maps classes."
I can find the town.
"How will you do that?" Cassia asked half asleep. She jerked up and stared at Kali as she realized she was having an actual conversation. "You're talking!"
Kali snorted in amusement.
"You're talking to me," Cassia said. "When did you learn to talk?"
I've always been able to speak. You weren't ready to hear.
"But, but..." she stuttered in confusion. "I've always understood horses, but you don't talk back to me. Yet you're talking now. I can hear your words. That's not how it works."
Who says?
"Well, no one, but I've never heard words before."
As I said, you weren't ready to hear them, but if we're going to get you home safely you're going to have to.
Kali's dark liquid eyes glinted in the meager moonlight. Maybe she was dreaming.
You should get your rest. We have a long day ahead of us.
She slowly leaned back against the mare, but it was a long time before she closed her eyes against the darkness and even longer before her mind stopped running in circles.
****
Kali paused at a break in the trees and Cassia looked out at the village below. It wasn't very large, but an unusually large amount of wagons and people on foot where going through it for its size. The road stayed busy for the hour they watched from the edge of the trees.
Is this the village?
"I think so," Cassia said with a frown. "It looks familiar. It's definitely Vesperan and it's the closest village to the border."
She looked down the road toward Karah. No convenient sign or line marked where the border was and she wasn't a good judge of distances. The Royal Caravan had reached this village within an hour of passing over the border on their way to Castle Vespera.
The people in the village and along the road went about their day without any obvious alarm or discomfort. Of course, she wasn't sure what would cause them alarm. No sign of Vesperan soldier activity in the village either. It didn't mean there weren't any soldiers in the village, but they weren't actively patrolling.
She chewed on her lip with indecision. Food was becoming an issue, her stomach reminded her with a loud rumble. She also had no idea what was going on in the realm. The sound of the dogs yesterday was the only reason she knew they were still being pursued by trackers. Information could be just as important to her as food at this point. What if the advisors weren't even in Karah? It was possible they were traveling to Vespera after her disappearance.
There are many people entering and leaving the village.
"There are. The question is why."
It isn't normal?
"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders in frustration. "It's on a crossroads, the closest village to two adjoining kingdoms. That could keep it busy, or the wedding, or my disappearance, or something else."
Waiting up here won't accomplish anything.
"What am I going to do about you? If something goes wrong I'll need you close by and horses don't wander loose in villages."
I'll wait in the stable.
She rubbed the soft leather of the reins between her fingers. She held the reins, but hadn't used them since the night before. The fine leather would be noticed by the stable hands if the Karahan crest on the headstall escaped their attention. The question was whether they would question why a lone girl was riding a Karahan horse.
You're assuming anyone in the village is looking for you.
"It would be a safe assumption."
Why? They are simple village people.
"There could be soldiers down there." This brought back the lack of information. She would have to take the risk. Her riding clothes were dirty enough to hide the fine fabric they had been cut from so she should be safe there.
Kali moved forward and headed down the slight hill away from the town so they could approach from the road and hopefully draw less attention. An idea struck Cassia and she slid off at a little brook alongside the road at a lull in the steady row of travelers and farmers entering and exiting the village. Pretending to let Kali drink, she carefully smeared mud along the crest and up the reins. Satisfied the gunk was doing its job, she swung back on and tensely entered the village.
A few people glanced her way, but no one lingered in their appraisal. Everyone was busy attending to their own business. Cassia relaxed when it became obvious no one was going to point and shout her name.
Stable?
She nearly answered and bit her lip. She would have to be careful about that. Talking to her horse wouldn't be a good idea, and she took up the slac
k in the reins. Even if it didn't draw unwanted attention on its own she didn't know how many people were aware of Princess Cassia's ability with horses.
Steering Kali toward the large barn and corral, she watched village folk and those passing by carefully. It was possible Karahans were in the village. Her mother had mentioned some of their people had traveled to Vespera for the wedding.
An older man with a scowl etched onto his face stepped from the shadowy doorway of the barn. "What you need?"
She froze for a moment forgetting what she had been rehearsing. Kali shook her head, breaking Cassia's immobility. "Do you have room for another horse?"
He frowned at her and looked Kali over. He jerked his chin toward the corral. "The stalls are full. Only the pen left."
"That's fine." She slid off of Kali's back.
His frown didn't change as he held out his hands for Kali's reins. "Four coins a day payable before you pick up."
Cassia forced a smile as she handed the reins over and was surprised by the small sharp pain that shot through her heart at being separated from Kali.
I will be fine.
She patted Kali on the neck and walked away like the mare was any horse. Again the slight pain crossed her heart and she glanced over her shoulder as the man walked Kali over to the corral. The mare cocked her head and stared back at Cassia.
She half expected to hear Kali's voice in her head, but all was silent and Cassia was on her own for the first time since she'd left the castle. She paused at a sidewalk and tried to decide what would be the best course of action.
No soldiers in sight, at the moment, but she couldn't count on that continuing throughout the rest of the day. She judged the position of the sun. She had about an hour before night would fall.
Food first, information second, if she could get both at the same time that would be best. Being an unattended girl limited her options. Cassia jiggled her pouch at her side. She didn't have enough coin on her. Trading jewels in this small a village could be problematic. She looked at her choices, a general store, blacksmith and the stable she just left. A pub, an inn and several other buildings lined the street. She needed to avoid the constable and she doubted any of the other buildings that didn't have signs would welcome her.
But the inn, she cocked her head as she considered. The inn would be used to trading for lodging and food from travelers. She walked slowly toward the white washed two-story building with the bright blue sign – The Inn.
A carriage rolled up and parked at the steps of the inn's long porch. Its passengers climbed out of the small door, their wealth shown by the fine cloth of their traveling cloaks. She hung back to make sure they weren't someone she would recognize. Relieved she didn't know them, but still careful, she followed the travelers into the inn.
A cheerful blaze burned bright from the large fireplace centered in the middle of the great room. Several chairs and tables were set off to her left and a bar lined the wall behind them. A teenage girl brought steaming plates out from the door beside the bar and set them in front of a couple at one of the tables. She chatted for a moment and then moved onto the next table.
Pulling herself away from the alluring sight of the food, she walked to the other side of the room. The travelers who had entered before her stood at a desk talking with an older woman whose grey-streaked red hair was swept into a twist. She took their money and gave them each a room key. As she pointed toward the stairs, Cassia moved closer to listen to what she said.
"The carriage will leave first thing in the morning," the proprietress said. "One of our maids will make sure you're up in time. We'll be serving breakfast if you wish."
"Our bags?" the regal lady asked.
"One of the boys will bring them in shortly," she said. "If you need anything else please ask for Daeshawna."
"Thank you, Daeshawna," the lady said as she and her companions moved to the stairs.
Cassia waited as the group went up the stairs and tried to decide what she should do. Most of the tables were occupied and it would be difficult to eavesdrop if she was stuck at a table. Several large chairs surrounded the fireplace, but no one sat there at the moment. It was probably the after-dinner gathering spot. Her stomach growled as the serving girl came out again carrying two heaping and steaming plates.
"Can I help you, my dear?" Daeshawna asked, walking up to her.
She resisted the urge to bolt and tried to think of something appropriate to say. "I was just looking."
Wonderful job, she told herself sarcastically. That didn't sound defensive at all.
"I noticed," Daeshawna said. "Would you like a room or a meal?"
"I was actually wondering," Cassia said as the young waitress took some coins from a customer, "whether you trade. I've run out of coin, but I have several trinkets of value."
"Of course," Daeshawna said with a smile. "Come with me." Daeshawna led Cassia over to the large desk. "Let's see what you have my dear and I'll issue you a receipt for your meal."
Relief swept through her. She should have known she didn't need to be nervous. Her tutors had told her several times it was customary for traveling establishments to take items in trade. Cassia untied her pouch from her belt and peered inside. The trick would be to trade something which wasn't extremely valuable. She chewed on her lip in indecision before pulling out a hair pin with shining pink stones in the shape of roses and handing it to Daeshawna.
She immediately wondered if she'd made a mistake when the innkeeper looked at it speculatively.
"I would keep your pouch close to you, my dear, if this is the sort of trinket it holds," Daeshawna said. "This will pay for dinner, breakfast, a room, and a bath if you like."
Cassia thought longingly of a bath. Oh, to be clean, and from soap and water rather than an unexpected dunk in the river. It had been too long since she'd had a bath. Would staying the night be foolish? Would she temp discovery to stay that long in one place? Kali was certain they'd lost their pursuers and they hadn't heard the dogs once since they'd taken the leap into the river. So maybe a good night's rest for her and Kali and full bellies for both of them was what they needed to continue on their journey.
"Yes, that would be good," Cassia said. She could always leave during the night if she changed her mind. She'd speak with Kali about it since she had much better ears and senses than Cassia.
Daeshawna smiled. "Very good." She pulled out a large book and started making some notations. She then reached into her own pouch and counted out a few smaller coins and handed them over to Cassia. "Your change." She turned the book to face Cassia. "If you could sign here?"
She picked up the pen and began to sign her name, but stopped realizing what an idiot she was. She changed the beginning of the C to an L. Being a Lady would be the best way to explain her trinkets. Lower-level royalty would be the safest way to disguise who her true identity. She signed Lady Kaia with a flourish – hoping the signature wouldn't be legible. She'd combined Kali's and her name in the only way she could think of without pausing in her signature to make it obvious she was thinking about it.
"Lady Kaia, thank you for staying with us. If you need anything please feel free to ask me, Daeshawna." The innkeeper hesitated, but then gave another one of her smiles as she passed two slips of paper to Cassia. "Each of these will entitle you to a meal. One for now and one for morning before you continue on your journey. Breakfast starts at dawn.
"Melany will be happy to get what you like." Daeshawna walked around the desk. "Or perhaps you'd like to rest before you eat?"
"No, thank you."
She hoped Daeshawna couldn't hear her stomach rumbling at the delicious smells coming out of the swinging door. Cassia walked toward the dining area and tried to decide where the best place to sit would be. Information was as important as eating at this point.
"It seems all of our tables are full," Daeshawna said. "If you'd like to wait we can come and get you when one opens."
"The bar will be fine." She tried not to soun
d too desperate and perched on one of the stools.
Daeshawna signaled Melany over as she handed a handwritten menu to Cassia. With relief, she saw it was written in Vesperan and Karahan. This had to be the border town they'd stopped in on their journey out to Vespera.
Her stomach rumbled again as she tried to decide what she wanted. She finally selected the special which had a little bit of everything, soup, bread, meat and vegetables. Whatever she didn't eat she would wrap in a napkin for tomorrow's lunch. Melany smiled and darted into the kitchen to bring out what Cassia requested. It was a relief to sit and anticipate the coming food.
Daeshawna sat next to Cassia. "I hope you don't mind if I take my meal with you. It's getting to be that time."
"I'd enjoy the company." This would be the perfect time to find out what was going on. As innkeeper, Daeshawna probably knew more about what was happening in the realm than anybody. "Is it typically this busy?"
Daeshawna glanced around the full dining room and shrugged. "Generally, no, depends on the time of year. Most of this travel is due to the recent events. First the wedding with people going to Castle Vespera and now the kidnapping of Princess Cassia has people leaving and coming from the castle." She looked closely at Cassia. "How long have you been on the road, Lady Kaia?"
"About a week." Cassia hoped it was a safe number. That would put her on the road before she, Princess Cassia, officially went missing. "I live on the coast near the trading route to the Spice Islands." She'd visited the port many times so figured it would be the safest place within Karah to say she was from. She couldn't very well hide her Karahan accent. That skill wasn't something she'd learned from her tutors. "What of the princess?"
"It's very sad." Daeshawna nodded to Melany as she brought out Cassia's meal and her own. "She went missing about three nights ago before she was to wed our Prince Torr. Had you heard the wedding news?"
She nodded it would be easier to say she had. "But I didn't know she was missing. What happened?"
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