Zev rubbed his face. “The witch may have cast a spell on Dyna.”
He stilled. “What spell?”
“Didn’t say. One moment she was there, then she vanished.”
“I told you nothing good would come of it!” Cassiel took her arms, looking her over for any injuries or changes. “Did it hurt?”
“No,” she said, her eyes widening.
“Did she utter any incantations? Did she say anything at all?”
Dyna looked away. “No.”
“Perhaps it was only an act to frighten you. Witches speak their curses. But why did you stop to talk to a witch?”
“I wondered if perhaps she sold Stardust …”
Cassiel stared at her. She had tried to find Stardust for him? Why? He didn’t ask her to do that.
“We should go before we have no lodging for the night,” Zev told them.
They continued deeper in Corron and came upon the first tavern. The taproom was rowdy with patrons, their titter, and chatter filling Cassiel’s ears. The heavy scent of grease and sweat mingled in the air. They shouldn’t bother with this place. All the rooms were surely let.
“I’ll inquire about room and board,” Zev said before Cassiel could say so, and he wrestled his way through the swarm.
“Prince Cassiel.” Dyna’s soft voice was almost lost in the clamor. She kept her gaze trained on the floor. “I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you. Your coin would have been better suited to replace your tunic.”
He frowned. “I’m not upset about that.”
“But Ihaveupset you.”
He didn’t know how to answer her without it being a lie. He was not angry withher, but with himself.
Dyna lifted her head. The lanterns above lit her hair in a soft crimson glow. “You were placed in a burdensome position to have healed me.”
A flush surged up his neck to his face. “It’s not a matter of concern,” he said too sharply.
“All right …”
A nervous flutter wormed between them. He was not sure if it came from him or her, or both.
After a long silence, Cassiel cleared his throat and handed her the burlap sack he carried. “Here, this is for you.”
“For me?” Dyna peered inside. It contained a set of knee-high leather boots. The soft leather was a rich sienna color with brass flourishes. “You bought me shoes?”
Cassiel shrugged like he hadn’t searched for the best peddler in the city. “Your slippers won’t last much longer on our journey.”
He reached in his coat and handed her another paper package. A small smile pulled on the edges of her mouth when she opened it and pulled out a silvery caplet made of crushed velvet. The bond hummed with her happiness, but also sadness.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“There is no need. It does not compare to your old cloak. Hopefully, it will do.” He’d tried to find something similar but, no one in Corron sold anything near its quality. “How did you get a hold of an enchanted cloak?”
“It once belonged to my father and his father before him.”
Cassiel looked away at his twinge of shame for having thrown it in the dirt. He made her abandon it in Lykos.
Dyna took his hand. “It’s all right.”
