A shiver rolls through me. We’ve been working together for days, but we haven’t talked about anything like . . . ?likethis.
And I’m struck by the fact that it reminds me of the way I used to talk to Weston Lark about King Harristan and Prince Corrick, before I knew who Wes really was. I’m reminded of myconversation with Erik, about how our minds can change as we gain new information. Everyone here seems to love Rian, and I know he’s working to rebuild Ostriary. His people told stories on the ship of how he risked himself to save them. Their loyalty was genuine.
Everyone seems to hate Oren, and maybe he really is vicious.
But Rian took his daughter—and now she’s dead. Corrick and Lochlan and Kilbourne are dead, too.
Oren will tear him apart.
“Do you think Rian deserves it?” I say, and my voice sounds hollow.
As soon as I say the words, I remember a conversation with Wes, not long before I learned the truth about him.
Do you think they deserve it?I said. I was talking about the prisoners sentenced to die.
I think that very few people truly deserve what they get, he said.For good or for bad.
You only deserve good things, I told him—before I knew he was the prince I hated.
Before I knew he was only doing those things because he had a kingdom to protect.
I swallow.
Olive straightens her back and cracks the reins. “I can never decide.”
Then we crest another hill, and we face another line of people who need our help.
The sun is beginning to set again when the crowd finally begins to dwindle. My dress clings to me, and tendrils of hair have escapedto stick to my face. After the first day, I cut the sleeves off my dresses, and my hours in the sun have brought up an even deeper tan to my skin than what I had on the ship, and I’ve discovered some blond streaks in my hair. In Kandala, Karri used to talk about how much she missed the warmth of Sunkeep, but I’m missing the cooler temperatures of the Royal Sector and the Wilds. A sheen of sweat gleams on my arms. I’m grateful when a middle-aged woman brings us both a bottle of some sugared tea. I’ve hardly had a chance to eat all day.
“Was it like this in Kandala?” Olive asks me. “Did you see so many people?”
“No,” I say, thinking of my days working for Mistress Solomon. But then I reconsider, remembering my secret rounds with Wes. “Well, yes, but it was different. Not all at once. I had to treat them in secret.”
“Secret!” she says in surprise.
I flush. “It’s hard to explain.”
Hoofbeats pound in the distance, and we snap our heads up. So do many of the people who still remain. There’s an air of alarm, and I see hands grip tight to tools, a few mothers shooing their children back into houses. Even Olive takes a sharp breath and a quick look for Ellmo before remembering he’s safe at the house with Erik.
Yes, the scars of war are still here, hidden behind the healing and rebuilding efforts.
A dozen horses crest the hill, and I’m shocked to discover that it’s Rian and his people. The remaining crowd settles.
My pounding heart does not.
I recognize Gwyn and Sablo, but the other men with Rian seem to be guards. Rian’s eyes find me at once, but he still has a hundredfeet of ground to cover, and his entrance has generated a lot of attention. As they draw closer, people don’t hesitate to approach him, offering greetings, patting his gleaming horse, smiling up at him. Someone laughs and hands him a giggling child, and Rian sets the little boy on the animal’s withers in front of him.
“There now,” I hear him say as they walk. “You hold the reins. Be gentle.”
The people of Kandala would never be like this with the king. The guards would never allow it anyway. I try to imagine King Harristan walking among the people, and I can’t even picture it.
But here, it’s obvious that they really do love Rian—and the worst part is that it’s obvious that he loves them back. He’s just as genial in response, just as kind, listening to their stories and greetings and genuinely returning their affection.
I hate that he makes it so hard to . . . ?to simplyhatehim. I have to turn away and busy myself with putting away my things.
At my side, I realize Olive is doing the same thing.
We both look at each other in surprise.
