Alex frowned, eyes narrowed on the figure. "Can you sense anything?"
I shook my head. "I've tried, but there's too much." I waved my hand at the air, gesturing to the room.
Vera glanced askance at the booth with the figure. "Want me to go over there?"
"No," I said. "I don't want to draw any more attention."
The waitress returned with a basket of steaming hot rolls and a tray with our beverages. The smell of freshly baked bread made my stomach rumble—loudly. The waitress glanced sideways at me. "Hungry, deary?"
I gave her my best friendly smile as she passed the drinks around. Alex and Vera each got a large tankard while I got my goblet of water.
"Food'll be ready in about ten minutes, and when you're done eatin', you just holler and I'll take you upstairs to your rooms." She winked at Alex.
To my surprise, Alex gave her a very charming smile. The waitress blushed, and when she walked away this time, there was extra sway to her hips. I kicked Alex beneath the table, and he looked innocently at me.
"Don’t encourage her," I hissed.
He took a slow sip from his tankard, all the while staring at me over the rim. There was a spark of challenge in his eyes, and he pulled the tankard away and licked the residue from his lips. "This was your idea. I'm just playing my part."
We stared at each other for a moment in a silent challenge until Vera cleared her throat. Alex grinned as he picked up his tankard and took another sip.
"Don't drink it all in one gulp," I said. "What if it's drugged?"
"It's not drugged," he said.
"It could be. You don't know."
He rolled his eyes and set his tankard on the table. "It's not."
"Can I have a sip, then?" I asked.
"No." He wrapped his hand around it and moved it away from me.
I reached for it but he grabbed my wrist with his other hand. Tightly. "Oh, come on," I said. "I just want to taste it."
He shook his head, still squeezing my wrist. "No, it might be drugged."
I made a really attractive snorting sound. "You're ridiculous."
"No, I'm actually very reasonable. Eat a roll or something."
"I might if you let go of my wrist," I said.
Slowly, he released my wrist and held his tankard protectively. I grumbled and he chuckled softly as I grabbed a roll, breaking it in half with both hands.
"For the love of Gaia; why don't you two just go upstairs and be done with it?" Vera huffed, rolling her eyes.
Alex choked a little on his next sip while a chunk of my roll dropped into my goblet of water with a soft plop.
"Here." Vera slammed her tankard on the table before me. She looked very irritated. "Taste away."
Feeling my cheeks flush, I reached out and grabbed Vera's tankard. I stole a quick glance at Alex, who had the slightest grin on his lips, but he was looking past me, watching the room again. I took a slow sip of the cider. It had a perfect blend of bitters and sweet, and it coated my mouth like honey. I was handing Vera back her tankard when I heard the words "King Darius" spoken from someone in the booth behind us. My ears piqued, though I was careful not to turn and look as I listened.
"Aye, but you know how it is," said another with a raspy voice. "Them royals think they 'ave rights to everything."
"Well, he ain't got rights to my lands," continued the gruff voice that'd caught my attention in the first place, "and if he thinks to come here and take 'em, he's got another thing coming. I'll take his decree and shove it up his royal arse."
There was laughter from the booth behind us, and Alex grabbed my knee beneath the table and squeezed it gently.
"I think you've got the wrong arse, Bast," said another seated at the booth. "It's one of his offspring that would've taken our lands."
The man made "offspring" sound like a curse word.
"Ain't no difference," replied the first man. "All royals are the same, thinkin' they done the world a favor by existin'." A mug slammed on the table. "Like they know better. Like we need 'em to tell us how to take a piss. They can all burn—every last one of 'em. Just like this decree." I heard the crisp sound of paper being unfolded, there was a moment of silence, and the men at the booth behind us cheered. "To our king!" the man said in mockery. "May his reign burn just as swiftly." The others cheered again and tankards clashed.
Was this what all of Pendel thought of King Darius and the regency? I stared straight at Alex, and Alex flashed me a warning look. He didn't look nearly as surprised as I felt, but before I could listen to another word of the conversation behind us, our waitress returned.
"'Scuse me, miss." The waitress was talking to me, though her eyes couldn't help themselves from drifting to Alex.
"Yes?" I asked, feeling unsettled by the conversation I'd just overheard.
"There's some men over there would like a word." She gestured to a table next to where the cloaked figure had been sitting, except the cloaked figure was no longer there. There were two men seated at the table beside the empty booth. They looked rough and travel worn, just like everyone else in this place, but there was something about them that made me uncomfortable. And one of them was looking over at us.
"Did they say what it was about?" I asked, looking back at the waitress. Alex had gone perfectly still beside me, and I noticed Vera slip her hands beneath the table.
The waitress shook her head, and her blonde curls bounced about her cherub-like face.
"Well, tell them I'm sorry, but I've had a long day and I'm not feeling up to talking," I said.
The waitress glanced nervously back at their table. "I'd go if I was you. That's Rakken."
I looked at her as if to say, And?
The waitress leaned a little closer. "Him and his crew are the ones that run this town, miss, if you know what I mean. Best do what they ask if you don't want any trouble."
Alex's right hand moved slowly to his waist, and I reached under the table and placed my hand on his, careful to keep my eyes on the waitress. "Thank you for the warning. I'll go."
"I'm coming, too," Vera said, placing her hands on the table as though she were about to push herself to a stand.
"No," I said, giving her a pointed look. "I'll go. They just want a word, and they're right there where you can see me. I'll be right back."
Vera relaxed a little as the waitress nodded at me in approval and hurried off. Alex had pulled his hand from beneath mine and gripped my leg beneath the table, his eyes saying no in every language.
I leaned a little closer to him. "I'm only going to see what they want," I whispered. "You saw how nervous the waitress was, and I don't want to cause a scene." Especially now that I knew how some of these people felt about me.
"What if it's a trap?" he whispered through tight lips.
"Then we improvise," I said.
Alex squeezed my leg harder. "I won't improvise with your life."
"Then if it's a trap, you and Vera will have to help me," I said. "I'll go through that front door, and then you two can meet me in the stables out back."
He held tight to my leg, refusing to let me go.
"Alex," I said through clenched teeth, peering back at the men. The one that had been eyeing us earlier was starting to look impatient. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. I need to go."
Reluctantly, he let go and slid out of the booth so that I could climb out. I crossed the dining hall to the men at the table, and this time, the other man glanced up at me as I approached. Neither of their faces looked familiar, so I couldn't figure why they'd pinpointed me. Unless they were the ones who had been following us. Unease pricked over my skin.
I stopped at their table. "The waitress said you wanted to speak with me?"
"Aye," said the largest of the two in a deep voice like gravel. He was the one who had been looking at us earlier, and I thought he was probably Rakken. "My men here and I were thinkin' you looked familiar."
Men? I only saw the one, unless he had others in the room in
disguise. I frowned. "I'm a tradeswoman. Perhaps I've seen you in passing."
The man I thought was Rakken had a scar that stretched from his right eye and down his cheek to where it touched the corner of his mouth. "Name's Rakken," he said. "And I know all the traders in Pendel. I ain't never done business with you."
I worked hard to keep a trader face. "Maybe we can fix that."
Rakken's smile was predatory, and when he tilted his head to the side, some of his hair fell away from his neck and I saw the very edge of a tattoo. The symbol of Mortis. My unease tingled up into my scalp and made my hair stand on end. "Just what I was thinkin'," he said. "Let's step outside. It's so loud in here, and I'd rather not have everyone else knowin' our business."
He knew who I was.
I thought it worth my while to find out who else in this room belonged to Rakken so that I could better gauge how to tread forward. "I don't see a problem with that," I asked. "Though it'll have to wait until after I eat—"
"How 'bout right now." It wasn't a question. Silver flashed beneath the table and the tip of his knife was just inches from my leg. In my periphery, I saw three other men who had been keeping to the shadows suddenly adjust their stances. There were five men, total. Something black glistened from one of the three that had kept to the shadows. Just inside the folds of his cloak was some kind of small crossbow, set with a shadowguard arrow pointed directly at me.
It didn't seem to me that Rakken had accurately deduced the identity of Alex and Vera, because all of his men were focused only on me. Either they didn't see Alex and Vera as a much of a threat, or they figured threatening them with my life would be reason enough to hold them in their seats. And I could feel them watching me right now; Alex was still as death.
My mind raced. I could fight Rakken now. I would risk being hit with a shadowguard arrow, but it wouldn't take long for Alex and Vera to step in and help. But then there was the problem of everyone else. I couldn't imagine them helping us once they found out who I was, considering the conversation I'd just overheard. I'd be a pretty bargaining piece for any of these people—if they even let me live. And if we fought here, before all of these witnesses, I would be doing exactly what I was trying to avoid: alerting all of Pendel that the princess of Gaia was here with her two Aegises. No, we couldn't fight here.
"Of course," I said. "Mind if I tell my friends that I'll be right back?"
"That won't be necessary," Rakken said, his chair squeaking behind him as he stood. "Marr, escort the lady outside, will ya?" he said to the other man at the table, and the man called Marr stood up from his chair. In contrast to Rakken, Marr looked cadaverous, all skin and bones. His eyes were huge and sunken and his cheeks were hollow, but this man's power didn't come from any kind of physical strength. There was a darkness in him that tasted sour and bitter like vinegar, and I made the mental note to take him out first. As soon as I got the chance.
Marr nodded for me to walk ahead, and he kept closely on my heels. Interestingly enough, everyone in the room completely ignored us, as if they pretended we weren't there maybe Rakken would leave them alone. Alex, however, stared straight at me, his gaze burning. I unclenched my hand, though keeping it low and mostly out of sight as I splayed all five fingers; he noticed. He leaned a little in the booth so that he could slide out of his seat. I gave the slightest shake of my head, and then he caught sight of the man in the shadows with the arrow aimed straight at me. Alex's hand clenched on the table.
I could feel Marr's presence behind me like a hot furnace, singeing my back even as we stepped through the threshold and out into the chilly, wet night. Marr held both of my arms tightly at my sides while Rakken joined us, followed swiftly by the other three.
Before I could act, a cloth bag was thrown over my head and cinched around my neck. A fist collided with my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. I would have staggered forward, except a hand had gripped the bag over my head and jerked it back, straining my neck at an uncomfortable angle while I choked and struggled to breathe. "Don't try anything funny, princess, or your friends will pay for it," Rakken growled in my ear.
"Princess?" I choked. "You've got the wrong—"
Rakken pulled my head back farther and I struggled to keep my footing on the slick stones. "I know exactly who you are, and the price on your head is enough to set me up for the rest of my life." He sounded like he really enjoyed the image of his future.
"You'll get nothing if I'm dead," I grunted, trying to free my arms, but they wouldn't budge from Marr's grip.
"Who said anything about killing you?" Rakken said, and Marr starting pushing me forward.
I could feel the presence of the other three behind us. I wouldn't have much time. I'd have to move fast and pray Alex and Vera were in the stables with horses readied. Tripping over my feet, I tried reaching inside of myself to find the magic that had recently broken free. Without it, this would never work. I just needed to buy a little more time to make sure I had a good grip on the power. "The only way you'll be taking me is dead," I spat, feeling the edges of heat deep inside my gut. It jolted awake at the slightest touch.
This idea seemed to amuse Rakken. "How's that? Without weapons and magic, you can't fight back. Actually"—he jerked my head closer so that I could feel his hot breath even through the fabric on my cheek—"they did tell me you were pretty, and they weren't lying in the least. Don't mind if we have a little fun with you first."
The heat swelled in my torso. I leaned my head forward enough so that I could slam my skull back into Marr's nose. His grip on my arms loosened, and I twisted around enough to kick him where I thought his crotch would be. My foot landed true, based on the shock of pain coursing through Marr's body, but before I could rip the cloth from my head, two of the other men seized my arms and held them in place.
"You'll pay for that, you little wench!" Rakken growled.
Warmth bubbled in my chest, hotter and hotter as power coalesced there, until my lungs felt like they might burst. Ignoring the strain in my arms, I gave the warmth the gentlest push, pressing the hot energy down my limbs and toward my fingers. The air felt hot and one of the men shrieked and let go of my arm. The other man shrieked soon after, and he let go of my arm too. Freed, I ripped the cloth from my head; both men had caught fire, cloaks burning. They dropped to the ground, rolling on the wet cobblestones to put the fire out, while Rakken looked up at me with a mixture of surprise and fury, mirrored by the third man, who now looked a little afraid to approach me. "But you're not…he said…" Rakken started, eyes wild.
But I didn't waste another moment. I bolted and was swiftly lifted from the ground by Alex, who was on horseback. He pulled me up and I climbed into the saddle behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist as he ran our horse at full gallop. Vera was on another horse, right behind him as we galloped down the main street, away from the men.
"After them!" yelled Rakken, and I looked back just in time to see him and his men sprinting for the stables.
"Perfect timing!" I yelled, holding him tightly.
"We aren't free of them yet!" Alex yelled back.
We galloped down the cobblestone streets, deeper into the heart of the village. I had no idea where we were running, and people dodged out of the way as our horses thundered down the mostly empty streets. But the town hadn't been that large. I figured there was probably this one main drag; the only problem was that I didn't know where it ended. And then the road forked in two.
Alex veered our horse right and I held on tightly, noticing the portcullis up ahead.
"Close the gate!" Rakken's voice boomed in the night. I looked back; Rakken and his men appeared farther down the road, galloping after us.
Gears and metal cranked ahead, and the portcullis started lowering.
"Come on…" Alex pleaded, digging his heels in our horse.
The portcullis slid down lower and lower and right as the iron prongs were almost level with our heads, we exploded through.
"Open the gate!" scre
amed Rakken, and when I looked back, he and four other riders were pacing impatiently behind the portcullis. But the guards were already raising the gate.
Our road wound back up the cracks between hills.
Alex jerked our horse off the road so hard that I thought our horse's legs were going to slide out from under him. Alex and I leaned into the turn, and I held on to Alex so tightly I worried I was hurting him. Our horse finally righted himself on the open terrain and I loosened my grip and glanced back to make sure we hadn't lost Vera. To my relief, we hadn't, but we hadn't lost the other riders, either. They were speeding up the road, and one had already veered off in our direction.
The moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the hillside in a soft, pale light. It was empty except for high grasses, but from here I could see nothing that would provide cover or escape. Our horses thundered on, and I had no idea how we were going to lose them.
Heat pulsed through me from Alex. A streak of light arched from him and headed straight for the riders. Just before impact, a soft, diffuse glow appeared between Alex's beam and targeted rider, like the rider had raised a small shield made of light. The light hit the shield and bounded off into the sky, where it was lost. Alex tried again, firing at a different rider, but the same thing happened.
"They're using dark magic to make the shield," Alex said, his voice tight. "I can't penetrate that."
I'd been lucky. They hadn't been expecting me to use magic, which was why I'd succeeded earlier. Now they knew better.
Little flickers of light sprang up and soon all five of them were holding these dark magic light shields. They weren't taking any chances, and they also weren't wasting any time. I felt the thrum of air behind me, and Alex jerked our horse to the left just as something sank in the ground ahead of us with a sharp snick.
"We need the princess alive!" Rakken yelled.
Vera cursed behind me. "Where the blazes are we supposed to hide on this bare hill?"
Alex ran our horse in a kind of zigzag, trying to avoid the archers' arrows. Still, an arrow whizzed through the air and landed in our horse's rear. Our horse screamed in pain, foundering as we ran and barely regaining his footing.
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