“The gold you get me has to be new, completely separate from anything the king owns or touches. Turn the damned spoons gold, I don’t care. Just get me enough.”
The idea of smuggling gold to her fills my stomach with unease. “Enough for what? What will you do with it?”
“Buy out my employment.”
She answers so quickly and succinctly, it’s clear that she’s been thinking of this for a while. “But...the royal saddle contract is incredibly high. You’d need—”
“A lotof gold to buy it,” she finishes for me with a nod. “I’m aware. That’s where you come in.”
I shake my head vehemently. “There’s no way you could have that much gold without raising suspicion. The king would find out.”
“He won’t if I do it right, which I will. Believe me, I have no intention of getting caught and having my head on a golden spike.”
“This is ludicrous, Rissa.”
“It’s not completely unheard of for saddles to be given extra coin if they’ve pleased the rider enough,” she says. “And I’ve been tipped before.”
“But—”
She waves me off. “It’s simple. Whatever golden bits you give me, I’ll trade for coin. I’ll buy out my contract when I have enough. If the king makes inquiries, I’ll explain that I’ve been saving every extra bit of coin I’ve earned over the last seven years. I’ll even say that Captain Fane himself was so pleased with my performance that he gave me a hefty sum,” she smirks. “The king will believe it. I’m his best saddle.”
I can’t argue with her confidence, because it’s true. She’s been with Midas for years, and she’s the best, most poised, most seductive saddle I’ve ever seen.
“I’ll finally be my own master,” she whispers, stopping at the back of the tent. Her voice rings with the clarity of deep-seated want. I can tell right then that there’s no hope of trying to talk her out of this.
Rissa’s eyes glitter. “Freedom, Auren. I’ll finally have freedom, and you’re going to help me get it.” She takes a deep breath in through her mouth, like she can already taste it. “You help me buy myself out of the royal contract and ensure I have enough coin left over to start fresh somewhere new, and I’ll keep your secret. Forever.”
“That’s a hefty price.”
“It’s a fair price,” Rissa counters.
“Some would say that you should keep my secret out of loyalty.”
“I’m only loyal to myself.” Her tone holds no guilt, no shame. But can I really blame her? In this world, giving loyalty to anyone other than yourself is dangerous.
“I don’t want to have to tell your secret, Auren. But I will do whatever it takes to gain my own freedom.”
With the look of unrelenting determination on her face, I have no doubt in my mind that she means it. She will do whatever it takes, and despite the fact that it puts me in a horrible position, I find that I’m not angry at her. Iwantto help her.
I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite me.
“Fine,” I finally relent, and Rissa’s sharp inhale reveals just how much she was hanging on my answer. “Don’t breathe a word of this, toanyone, and I’ll get you your gold. One payment. Enough to buy your freedom and start fresh. Nothing more.”
“When?” she asks, eyes alight with impatience.
My mind whirls, trying to think of what I can do, how to do it.No onecan know. Especially not Midas.
“I can’t turn anything gold now. When we’re back with King Midas, I can do it then.”
“Why? You need to touch him to recharge?” she asks with a coy tilt of her head, fishing for more information.
I give her a flat look. “When we get to Fifth Kingdom, Rissa. That’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”
Two beats pass between us, and then she nods. “Deal.”
We walk back to the front of the tent in silence, passing the guards one last time.
“Time’s up,” Lu tells me.
