Simone nodded. “I’ll start for Haven Province in the morning.”
Another scraping sound brought Simone’s attention to the darkened corner. A small bag of coin rolled toward her. Simone stared at it before slowly picking it up. “I’ll find her.”
Simone waited for a reply, but the room was quiet. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and tucked the small coin bag into her pack.
Chapter 10
Taspa flicked his tail, slapping Rose in the face.
“Would you stop?” Rose ran the brush down his back again. “How am I supposed to brush you if you keep—” Taspa’s tail smacked her again, “hitting me in the face?”
Taspa snorted and dipped his head into the bucket of oats. I swear you do it on purpose, she thought, seeing a gleam in the animal’s eye as he watched her from his feed. She finished her mission. Nico’s message was delivered. She still felt the guilt over his death, but she’d done her best at repaying that mistake. Rose wanted to leave, the captain had too many questions and there were too many people, but she had no coin. No supplies. Money would make it easier, but if things became too uncomfortable it wasn’t required. A horse would be nice though, she thought as she brushed Taspa.
“Miss Trewin.”
Rose paused her brushing and looked over her shoulder to see the captain starting at her over the gate. “Yes?”
“I’ve some questions for you.”
Rose gave Taspa one last pat on his rump and let herself out of the stall. “About?”
“I need to ask you about your magic. I need you to answer.”
Rose took a step back. “I delivered the message. What more do you want with me? I owe you nothing else.” She moved to turn away from Captain Sayla.
“Stop.” The captain didn’t grab her this time but she spoke with the authority of her title; the voice that demanded attention. “You may be of assistance. The king needs this information.”
“Then the king should ask.”
“I am his servant, girl. I ask in his stead. You may not be a member of my company but you are still a subject of the king.”
Rose stared at the captain and pressed her lips tighter and tighter against her anger. My secrets are what have kept me alive. You have no rights to those.
“You have nothing to fear from us, Rose. You’ve been here long enough to see that many of us have some gift with magic. Nico had magic. You will find no prejudice from us.”
“Then what is yours?” Rose spoke quietly, as if that way she could hide her anger. “What is your ‘gift,’ as you call it, which steals any privacy a person could have?”
“It sounds like you have it figured out.” Mariah’s face showed nothing.
“Why not just take it, then? Take your answers?”
Captain Sayla clenched her jaw before clucking her tongue. “My magic doesn’t work like that. I can’t pull every thought from your mind.”
Rose folded her arms. “But Nico could pull memories.”
The captain nodded and folded her hands. “He could see memories, yes, share his own. His magic was,” she looked away. “His magic was useful for surreptitious missions.”
“He made a good spy?”
Captain Sayla turned her eyes back to Rose and held her gaze. “Why do you think he was in Amora Province? He just happened upon information of a plot to kill the king while traveling the countryside?”
Rose shifted on her feet.
Captain Sayla sighed, the frown between her eyes relaxing. “You’re aware there have been other attempts?”
Rose nodded.
“Those plots were stopped well before anything could happen. The attempts were . . . weak. Easy. Almost like they were testing our response rather than trying to have a successful attempt. We were able to develop information that suggested,” Captain Sayla paused and looked away before continuing, “suggested Amora’s Lord Governor Damian was behind it.”
“You sound doubtful.”
“It was thin information. Thin connections. Nothing strong enough for the king to act on and stand up to any political backlash. Nico was sent to find more definitive information.”
Rose leaned against Taspa’s stall. “Why did he leave before he had that, then?”
“Why would you?”
Rose cut her eyes to the captain. Her face revealed nothing. “If I were in his place,” Rose spoke slowly, “I would leave early if I thought I was discovered. Or . . . if I had found what I needed.”
Captain Sayla shrugged again. “We’ll never know what happened and the memory he did share with you did not have enough information. My officers have been bringing reports of increased soldier traffic in Amora. We had hoped he would find evidence of Lord Damian amassing an army, of the size, something.”
“What does that have to do with me? I did as Nico asked me. I fulfilled my debt to him.”
“You were able to see Sam in a different room. I don’t know how but that’s enough for me to think you have more skills in your magic.”
“Skills you could use.” Rose looked away and held back a sigh. They wanted to use her magic. Use her. Nico was wrong. This place wasn’t different. They were only nicer about it.
Captain Sayla nodded. “I was—”
“If the king wants to hire me, then he can ask me,” Rose snapped and stormed from the stables.
Knocking made Rose look up from her small pack and her one spare shirt she was stuffing into it. The pounding grew louder, and Rose stood with a groan.
“Coming.”
Rose pulled open her door and saw Captain Sayla, eyebrow raised, and hands planted on hips.
“He’s in the gardens.”
“The king?”
The captain quirked her lips. “You did say he should ask.” She turned away and called over she shoulder as she walked down the hall. “Don’t dawdle.”
Rose sighed through her nose and headed toward the gardens. It took her a while to make her way from the secluded wing her room was in down to the gardens on the opposite end of the castle grounds. When she reached the gardens, Rose had to pause and stare. The gardens were more like several small patches connected by paths covering a huge space in the side courtyard. She wandered through various gardens and wandered down paths looking for the king’s guards. As she neared a small rose garden buried deep in the back, Rose saw guards lining the narrow path.
Rose tentatively came up to the guards who stood stoically and silently at the opening to the little grove.
“The king sent for me. Is he . . . ?” Rose trailed off.
One gave the barest of nods. Rose hesitated a moment more. That a “yes, he’s here” or “yes, I can go in,” or . . . ? Rose gave up hoping for more help from the statue and entered the roses. She followed the stone path through the maze-like garden, losing herself in the colors and smells. She turned a corner that opened to a small grotto. King Micah sat on a stone bench with an open book and stick of charcoal in his hand.
“You sent for me?” Rose spoke timidly, and the king started as he turned to look at her. “I apologize for intruding.”
King Micah smiled, closed the book, and stood. “No need to apologize; you didn’t interrupt. Let’s walk.” Micah turned down another path and Rose hurried to catch up to him.
They walked silently for a time, and Rose let herself get distracted by the smells and flowers they passed.
“What do you think of the garden?” The king asked into the silence.
Rose murmured. “It’s very beautiful.”
“My grandmother had this garden built just after she married the king. She was so fond of it. People used to say if anyone had a death wish all they needed to do was fuss with the queen’s roses.”
The king steered them into a new nook with a large pond and
Rose wandered over to watch the giant, long-finned fish. She watched them swim lazily around. “Did they?”
The king chuckled, and Rose turned to him. “Once. Never again. That woman had a wrath greater than all the hells. She would always tend her roses for a time during the day. She said it calmed her.” He paused a little and gave Rose an odd look before speaking again. “You are more than welcome in the garden, Miss Trewin.”
“Thank you.” Was it a bribe? Rose resisted the urge to shake her head and went back to watching the fish.
“Miss Trewin, why did you risk your life to bring Nico’s message? You could have so easily turned away.”
Rose shrugged. “I owed him.”
Micah’s head tilted to one side as he studied her.
He watched the roses sway in the gentle breeze for a while before speaking again. “I recall you doing odd things with shadows, when we first spoke in the mending wing.”
Rose turned to face him. He stood calmly in front of her while her heart raced in her chest.
“How does you magic work?”
Rose crossed her arms and forced herself not to look away.
All her experience was telling her to leave. She’d accomplished her goal; her message was delivered. She should continue moving on. These people asked too many questions, yet she still hesitated. She had been offered many jobs over the years. She had been forced to do many more. This job wasn’t so different. Maybe she could use this last opportunity. If she wanted to leave, money would make it easier. It could allow her to truly start over. “Tell me what you need done and I’ll tell you if I can do it.”
The king watched her with a small frown between his eyes, no doubt irritated she wouldn’t simply answer his questions. Rose snorted to herself. She never simply did anything.
“We need a spy, you see, Miss Trewin.” The king finally spoke after giving her a long stare. “If your skills work at all like I think they might, you could help us a great deal. We dare not take the time necessary to place a spy anywhere it could be useful to us. I wished to enlist your help.”
“Continue.” She tucked her hands into her short coat pocket.
The king raised an eyebrow at her tone. “Continue?”
Rose frowned and took a deep breath. “You wish to hire me?” she prompted him.
“Hire?” The king paused and seemed to think. “As your king, I shouldn’t have to hire you. I merely need to command you.”
Rose humphed. “I’ve already risked much for this. My debt to Nico is paid. I’ve no debt to you. You want my help? I’ll need the coin for my trouble, or I’m leaving.”
King Micah watched her, a frown between his brows. “What would you do with such coin?”
Rose squared her shoulders and lifted her chin.
“You are a very defiant young woman.” The king paused and turned away from her. “Fine,” he spoke as he turned back to her. “If you’ve no loyalty for anything else, then. I’ll send for you in the next few days to go over the mission.”
Rose nodded her head. “Yes, Sire.”
King Micah watched her with an odd look on his face. She expected him to be angry at being defied but that wasn’t what she thought she saw on his face.
He turned and started walking away, but paused and spoke over his shoulder. “You are still welcome in my gardens.”
She watched the king walk away feeling more perplexed than ever. She did her best to shake the odd feeling and set off to find Captain Sayla. She had one more message to deliver before she was free of her promise to Nico.
Walking down the hall, she stopped in front of the closed door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked three quick times.
“Come,” was the soft reply from inside.
Rose cautiously entered the office. She found the sparsely decorated room and cluttered desk from her first day at the castle. Now she had the time and energy to observe the small room. Void of any decorations or art on the walls, most of the space was taken up by a worn desk and a rickety wooden chair.
The captain paused in the middle of sipping her tea and peered at Rose over the rim of her cup.
“May I speak with you?”
Captain Sayla set her cup down and nodded to the battered chair stuffed in the corner of the small room.
Rose sat stiffly and uncomfortably in the battered chair. “I have one last message to deliver from Nico.”
Captain Sayla folded her hands on top her desk and waited.
“I need to find Mariah.”
The captain frowned. “I’m Mariah.”
Rose blinked and shifted in the hard chair. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Nico told me to find Mariah.”
“What did he say?” she whispered.
“He wanted me to tell you he was sorry he didn’t make it back.”
Mariah pinched her lips together and covered her eyes. When she dropped her hand her eyes were red, but no tears fell. “Thank you, Rose.” She pressed the back of her hand against her mouth, then dropped it onto the desk. “Thank you for telling me that.”
“You are most welcome.”
Captain Sayla cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Did you meet with the king?”
Rose nodded slowly. “Yes. He has hired me.”
Captain Sayla frowned at her. “Hired?”
Rose stayed silent.
The captain huffed and leaned back in her chair. “Fine, keep your secrets. Was there anything else?”
Rose shook her head and, after a wave of the captain’s hand, left the small office.
Chapter 11
Pretty.” Erik said as he dumped himself onto the couch. “Who gave you the flower?”
Rose looked up from the small rose bud she was holding. “No one. I picked it.”
Erik put his foot up on the low, rickety table. “Picked it where?”
“The garden.”
“The . . . rose garden?”
Rose frowned at him. “Yes, I picked the rose from the rose garden.”
Erik’s foot thumped to the floor. “The only rose garden on the grounds is the Queen’s Garden. Only the royal family is allowed in there.”
Rose blinked. “The . . . what?”
“The Queen’s Garden,” he repeated. “King Micah’s grandmother first built it.”
Rose nodded. “Yes, he told me.”
“The king was very close with his grandmother. She practically raised him, her and the captain.”
Rose curled her legs under her. “But his parents?”
Erik shrugged. “They were never really parents. Too busy being king and queen, I suppose. It was rumored that his mother never really wanted a child but . . . you know . . . had to, being the queen and all.”
“His father was king while his grandmother was still alive? I thought the throne was passed through the family after death.”
“Once the prince married and they had Micah as an heir, the queen stepped down. She bequeathed the crown to Micah’s father.”
Rose’s mouth dropped a little. “She stepped down from the throne? On her own?”
Erik kicked his feet back up on the table and crossed his ankles. “She never wanted to rule, especially after her husband died. She always said she hated the bloodthirsty aristocrats.”
Now that he said it, Rose vaguely remembered hearing the news when she was young; too young to care.
Rose dropped her chin into her hand. All her life she had imagined the kings and queens who lived in the castle to be cold and aloof creatures. She thought they were people who ruled from afar and with little regard for those who lived beneath them. It intrigued her to hear about their lives.
“When his grandmother passed, King Micah announced her garden was off limits officially to anyone outside the famil
y.”
“Officially?”
Erik tucked his hands behind his head. “No one really dared to go in her garden before, but it wasn’t enforced, even when the queen was alive. King Micah wanted to keep it private, I think, as a place only he could go. I’m shocked the guards didn’t stop you.”
“The king told me I was welcome in the garden.”
Erik’s feet clunked to the floor yet again as he sat up straight. “He . . . really?”
“Is that so strange?”
Erik stared at her in wonder. “Yes. It is. He must like you.”
“I suppose.”
“Well it can’t hurt to be on the king’s good side.”
If that’s what it is, she thought skeptically. “How do you know so much?”
Erik picked up a mug on the table and sniffed the contents before taking a swig. “I joined the Light Horse almost seven years ago, but I was born on the grounds. My parents were stable hands. I helped the groundskeeper when I was young.” Erik paused and grimaced at the mug. “That was not what I thought it was.”
“Ha. Maybe you should stop taking other people’s drinks.”
Erik gave her a sultry grin. “There’s a lot of things I should stop doing, but where’s the fun in that?”
“Well,” Rose said, “since you know this place well, what do you do for fun around here?”
“That depends on how well you can hold your drink.”
Rose grinned. “Very well.”
Erik laughed, “Oh, we shall see, lady. We shall see.”
Rose banged her empty mug on the table and swayed in her seat. “Ha! Empty and I’m still standing . . . er . . . sitting, sort of.”
“Gods . . . you weren’t joking. You hold your drink like a pirate,” Erik slurred from the tabletop. He lifted his head off the table enough to see that her mug was indeed empty and then dropped his head back to the table.
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