about preventing a journey to Montevial, Iâm sure. He would never set me any such restriction.â
âYou? Of course not. But he would not have the young Lord . . . put in such a risky position. The boy must not leave here until the Prince returns.â
A chill prickled my skin. The young Lord. Thatâs what they had called Gerick in ZhevâNa.
âI would never put my son at undue risk, Radele. Our position at Verdillon may not be secure, even now, so Gerick cannot remain here. He needs to be with me. Besides, he needs to get out in the world. Heâs not a prisoner.â
âBut the Prince saidââ He stopped abruptly.
â What did he say?â My fragile patience snapped. âIâve been waiting for someone to speak of it. Tell me what he said that might preclude our going.â
The young man flushed and clamped his lips firmly.
âThen weâll go. If my husband wishes to find us, he can use the guidestone I wear around my neck, rather than popping in here unexpectedly. If you want to wait for him here, then do so. But if your duty is to protect Gerick, you had best pack your kit.â Enough of secrets and hiding.
âMy duty, my lady, is to defend my world and this one of yours against the Lords of ZhevâNa. I never forget it.â Sparks flashed from beneath his deference, as if my words had struck steel. This was a young man who had fought his first battle at fourteen.
âIâm sorry, Radele. I didnât mean to imply otherwise.â
He bowed stiffly. âIâm sure that if any extraordinary dangers manifest themselves along the way, your prudence will call an end to the venture.â
âYou can be certain of it.â
Radele made no further argument. He also said nothing more about Karonâs orders, though his sidestepping had done nothing to soothe my disquiet.
Two days later, when we set out in the sultry heat of the early morning, the young DarâNethi joined in our playacting with his more accustomed good humor, waxing his blond beard and mustache into stiff curls, claiming that his own fencing master had prized his facial glory in that way. But if anything, the young man had increased his vigilance. I donât think he ever took his eyes from Gerick.
CHAPTER 5
Paulo left Verdillon a day ahead of us. He had proposed shyly that if Tennice were to stake him to a few silver pieces, he could come up with a fair-sized string of horses from Valloreans desperate to sell their stock before it was confiscated by the Leiran army. Taking the horses to Montevial would not only be a benefit to our neighbors and an excellent ruse, but could make us a tidy profit as well. Though we lived modestly, Tenniceâs resources were not unlimited.
Gerick and I rode in Verdillonâs old pony trap, a mode of travel slower than riding our own mounts, but more suited to our roles. I wore a widowâs headcloth and an old-fashioned velvet gown that Iâd dragged out of Tenniceâs attic. We found Gerick a rakish green cap to hide the color of his hair and outfitted him in threadbare finery suitable for an impoverished youth of gentle family looking to impress someone in the capital. Gerick and I laughed at ourselves when we donned our disguises, and enjoyed our first day on the road as if it were a holiday.
The town of Prydina, where we were to meet Paulo, had grown up at the meeting of the main north-south route through Valleor and the road that crossed the Cerran Brae, the range of low peaks and sharp ridges that defined the Vallorean border with Leire. Prydina boasted a sizable marketplace, an even larger illicit trade in untaxed Leiran goods, and a full complement of pickpockets, thieves, and beggars.
We took a room on the outskirts of town at a modest inn called the Fire Goat, a suitably respectable accommodation for an impoverished gentlewoman, her son, and his fencing master. Once the cart was unhitched and unloaded, Gerick
âYou? Of course not. But he would not have the young Lord . . . put in such a risky position. The boy must not leave here until the Prince returns.â
A chill prickled my skin. The young Lord. Thatâs what they had called Gerick in ZhevâNa.
âI would never put my son at undue risk, Radele. Our position at Verdillon may not be secure, even now, so Gerick cannot remain here. He needs to be with me. Besides, he needs to get out in the world. Heâs not a prisoner.â
âBut the Prince saidââ He stopped abruptly.
â What did he say?â My fragile patience snapped. âIâve been waiting for someone to speak of it. Tell me what he said that might preclude our going.â
The young man flushed and clamped his lips firmly.
âThen weâll go. If my husband wishes to find us, he can use the guidestone I wear around my neck, rather than popping in here unexpectedly. If you want to wait for him here, then do so. But if your duty is to protect Gerick, you had best pack your kit.â Enough of secrets and hiding.
âMy duty, my lady, is to defend my world and this one of yours against the Lords of ZhevâNa. I never forget it.â Sparks flashed from beneath his deference, as if my words had struck steel. This was a young man who had fought his first battle at fourteen.
âIâm sorry, Radele. I didnât mean to imply otherwise.â
He bowed stiffly. âIâm sure that if any extraordinary dangers manifest themselves along the way, your prudence will call an end to the venture.â
âYou can be certain of it.â
Radele made no further argument. He also said nothing more about Karonâs orders, though his sidestepping had done nothing to soothe my disquiet.
Two days later, when we set out in the sultry heat of the early morning, the young DarâNethi joined in our playacting with his more accustomed good humor, waxing his blond beard and mustache into stiff curls, claiming that his own fencing master had prized his facial glory in that way. But if anything, the young man had increased his vigilance. I donât think he ever took his eyes from Gerick.
CHAPTER 5
Paulo left Verdillon a day ahead of us. He had proposed shyly that if Tennice were to stake him to a few silver pieces, he could come up with a fair-sized string of horses from Valloreans desperate to sell their stock before it was confiscated by the Leiran army. Taking the horses to Montevial would not only be a benefit to our neighbors and an excellent ruse, but could make us a tidy profit as well. Though we lived modestly, Tenniceâs resources were not unlimited.
Gerick and I rode in Verdillonâs old pony trap, a mode of travel slower than riding our own mounts, but more suited to our roles. I wore a widowâs headcloth and an old-fashioned velvet gown that Iâd dragged out of Tenniceâs attic. We found Gerick a rakish green cap to hide the color of his hair and outfitted him in threadbare finery suitable for an impoverished youth of gentle family looking to impress someone in the capital. Gerick and I laughed at ourselves when we donned our disguises, and enjoyed our first day on the road as if it were a holiday.
The town of Prydina, where we were to meet Paulo, had grown up at the meeting of the main north-south route through Valleor and the road that crossed the Cerran Brae, the range of low peaks and sharp ridges that defined the Vallorean border with Leire. Prydina boasted a sizable marketplace, an even larger illicit trade in untaxed Leiran goods, and a full complement of pickpockets, thieves, and beggars.
We took a room on the outskirts of town at a modest inn called the Fire Goat, a suitably respectable accommodation for an impoverished gentlewoman, her son, and his fencing master. Once the cart was unhitched and unloaded, Gerick
Similar Books
