Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 205594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1028(@200wpm)___ 822(@250wpm)___ 685(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 205594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1028(@200wpm)___ 822(@250wpm)___ 685(@300wpm)
The two relax, but the one with the long beard continues to stroke it, eyeing me thoughtfully. “Thought she died.”
“You heard wrong. I hugged her goodbye even as she stepped into the tower.” I sell the lie with a determined expression. “I think I would know if my sister was dead.”
I hope they don’t ask more questions. I hope no one points out that the weather is awful—even now it’s raining again—and that I’ve been gone from court for years. But the one that offered me water grunts, gesturing over at the table. “She’s right about the medicine. I tried to drink one. Wasn’t sure if it was food or not. Tastes like shit.”
“It’s injected,” I say helpfully. “My kit is in my bag. The medicine keeps me alive.”
“There are two left,” he says. “That should last you a time, yes?”
Two left? That’s it? There were five yesterday. They must have destroyed more than they’re letting on, and one of the men looks so guilty I wonder if that’s the case. “I see.”
“If you’re the princess, you should go with us to the capital,” one says suddenly. “We’ll be rewarded for bringing you home safely.”
The other two perk up. “Rewarded?”
“She’s a princess, isn’t she? Rewarded,” he claims, nodding to himself.
Now they all watch me with speculative looks, no doubt seeing gold coins and feasts dancing in front of their eyes. Part of me wants to cry out that I can’t leave without Nemeth, but the survival instinct in me is strong…and I need more potion. “Yes. I need to return to the castle. Please take me.”
“It’s settled, then. We leave in the morning.” The braided-beard smiles. “To think we’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon a princess.”
“It’s your lucky day,” I agree. And my unlucky one.
Chapter
Sixty-Four
I’m allowed a few moments alone to quickly dress, and then one of the men sits with me at all times. They go through our bags, rifling through the small amount of possessions we took with us from the tower. The magical globe in its case is tossed aside, the case emptied and one of the men throws his filthy satchel inside it. My knife is snatched and claimed by Braid-Beard, tucked into his pocket. I don’t say anything, because if I tell them that they’re magical instruments, I’ll be looked at with suspicion. They tear through everything we have left, looking for food or things to barter, and when the bag doesn’t provide much, they hunt through the house and then the rest of the village again.
There’s no sign of Nemeth at all, and my heart grows heavier by the hour.
I learn a bit about the men—the two brothers are Jarvo and Corlath. Braid-Beard is their unofficial leader, and his name is Saemon. Even though they’re wearing filthy guard uniforms, they’re not from the army. They claim to have found the uniforms “nearby” and borrowed them, as their clothes were rotting. Outside, they have two skinny ponies that eat weeds and moss and whatever they can find. It seems we’ll be riding back to Castle Lios.
Lucky me.
Saemon watches me closely as I give myself my potion. Out of the three, he unnerves me the most. He’s constantly calculating, gazing at me as if trying to assess how he can profit from my presence. I wish I’d dyed my hair before abandoning the tower. The dark locks give me away every time, because they’re proof of my Vestalin heritage…and the Fellian blood, it seems.
I contemplate giving myself a half-dose of potion to make the two vials last longer, but in the end, I go with the full dose. I’ll need my strength if we’re going to be traveling via horseback, and if we’re truly heading for Castle Lios, then I can get more of my potion there. So I give myself the full amount and fold my arm as I’ve been taught, so the potion will flood through my veins faster. My head swims with the onset of it, and I feel dizzy without anything in my stomach.
“Is it true that you’re cursed?”
I glance over at Saemon. “If you mean do I have the Vestalin blood sickness, yes. But it’s not catching.”
“Heard you’re barren.”
My ears prickle at that, and I glance at him from under my lashes. I don’t answer, wondering where this is going.
“Heard that you won’t get pregnant no matter how many men you take between your thighs,” he continues slowly. “That true?”
Ah, so that’s where this is going. I’m a woman alone, so I must need some fool with a dick and balls to take care of me, and naturally that means I’m ripe for the raping. “My, you sure seem to have a lot of information for someone who claims to have never been to the palace. Are you sure you’re not a deserter?” I smile sweetly at him. “I’ve heard there are ever so many of them roaming the countryside.”