“With Lucas,” I pushed.
“Oh, right. I saw him talking to the creepy guy.”
“Which one?”
“Both of them at first, I think. I saw the second guy walking away from Lucas and the other one. After I went to the second fabric merchant, I took the long way around the other side of the market, which I never do, but I was in a good mood, and I wanted to shop some more. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have seen them.”
“Did he see you?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t think so. He was deep in conversation.”
“Okay, so you saw Lucas talking to the creepy men. Why did you think they were shady?” There had to be more evidence of Lucas being nefarious than that.
“For one thing, they kept looking over their shoulders, like they were afraid of getting caught. They were watching everybody who walked by. And one of them kept putting his hand on his sword, as if he was preparing to use it. They were also dirty, like they hadn’t showered in a long time, and they just looked mean.”
“Do you think they were insurgents? And that he was conspiring with them?” If Mr. Two-Time Youngest Arnis Champion of the Four Kingdoms meant to take me out, I doubted he would risk his own life or reputation. He’d do anything for his kingdom, though. Like hire an assassin to kill the king in his palace? And if that was the case, then perhaps he was hiring them to do another job. To take out another royal rival. Me.
Elias’s investigation had generated no real leads so far, and he was more than frustrated about it. Although he did say that once I was crowned and imbued with all the power of Biringan, there would be nothing more to worry about. Once I was queen, I could kill people with a word. The prospect was a little daunting, to say the least.
But for now, if no one was going to actually protect me, I would do it myself. “What do you say we go look for them? Those men Lucas was talking to? And find out what this is all about?” I asked her. I started getting up from my seat.
Nix put down her drink and blinked at me. “That sounds extremely reckless and dangerous.” A huge smile broke out on her face. “I’m in.”
15
Nix and Idecided we would borrow some of Jinky’s clothes and head to the market to see if we could find these shady characters. Jinky wasn’t due back to check on me until dinnertime. The main precaution we had to take was avoiding her on our way out of the palace so that the guards wouldn’t be sent to shadow me. Luckily, that wasn’t a problem. I was getting pretty good at sneaking around the hallways.
“We’ll have to hurry,” I told Nix as we descended the servant staircase that would lead us down to the main floor. “They’re always keeping tabs on where I am.”
Nix was an ideal co-conspirator. She went along with everything I said, no questions asked and without hesitation. She led us with confidence through doors and sharp turns, almost like she knew the palace better than I did.
She grabbed a basket and hooked it in the crook of her arm. “Can’t shop without a basket,” she whispered.
After a few minutes of lurking through the back halls, we burst out the rear doors and scurried off through the gardens. A few times, we had to flatten ourselves against the hedges and wait for guards to pass, then we ran, giggling, until we needed to hide again.
Finally, we escaped from the palace grounds to the main road. We kept our hoods up and our faces down, walking slower, worried about drawing too much attention. “If anyone asks, we’re just two kitchen girls going to buy herbs,” Nix said.
I nodded. “But what are we going to do if we can’t find those guys?”
Nix shrugged. “Then we’ll buy some cake and go home. I call that a win-win.”
Everywhere I looked, there were calesas and carts, their wheels shaking against the stone roads, alongside clacking hooves and drivers shouting at one another for getting in the way or not going fast enough. The royal armorer sat outside her workshop, polishing formal chest plates that the guards would wear for the coronation festivities. There were ribbons hung over every window, hoping to entice the crowds that would descend on the town square during the celebration to step inside their shops. Villagers crowded the walkways, stopping to admire pottery and scarves or ducking in and out of shops, the bells on their doors constantly tinkling.
The scent of bread and roasted vegetables wafted from a tavern nearby. We’d left all our food uneaten at the palace. “Let’s eat,” I told Nix and grabbed on to the sleeve of her cloak, pulling her playfully toward the enticing aroma.
“They have thebestempanadas,” Nix said, pointing to one of the taverns up ahead.
My stomach growled. “All right, let’s go there, then,” I said, steering to the right. We crossed the street, dodging horses, and pushed open the door. It tinkled, then slammed shut behind us, making me jump a little. The inside was much quieter than the streets outdoors but had its own ambience—silver mugs slammingdown on thick wooden tables, utensils scraping against pottery, the constant din of voices deep in conversation, occasionally shouting over one another. I couldn’t hear most of what they were saying, except I did catch some of one particularly loud man’s strong opinions—about me. “You better hope she’s up to it. Or you can kiss your backside goodbye” and “Do I need to remind you there is no king right now? And never mind now, we’re lookin’ at the foreseeable future!”
Luckily, nobody paid any attention to us. I kept my hood up just in case.
Nix grabbed a seat at a table in front of the window. “We can watch foryou-know-who,” she whispered.
“Right, good idea.” We sat down and waited for someone to come over. I scanned the streets outside, looking for anyone who fit the description of the men Lucas was talking to, but I didn’t see any. Nix was right, though; even if we didn’t find them, the outing was worth it.
A dwende appeared at the table. “Good afternoon. And what will you be drinking?” he asked.
“Tsokolate, please,” I said.
