As they sat and ate their stew, Tariel listened to the buzz of conversation around them, hoping to pick up on any relevant news or information. Her heightened hearing allowed her to pick out conversations easily, and though most of what she heard was boring, she overheard quite a few people speculating about the queen’s illhealth.
“I’ve heard that the king has already begun looking for a new wife,” one man said. “Rumor has it he’s shown an interest in several titled young ladies atcourt.”
Another man snorted. “He’s always shown interest in the other ladies. If I were king, you can bet I’d be sticking my cock up every available twat, and there are very few women who’d say no to theking.”
“Even so,” a third man interjected, “if I were the king, I would be searching for a new wife, preferably one who I could actually beget heirs on. Prince Raglar is not the king’s son, after all. A man like King Hamin would prefer the fruit of his own loins to sit on thethrone.”
“Do you think Raglar will stand for that?” the first man asked. “He is an honorable man by all accounts, but even he can’t be happy about the idea of some brat stealing histhrone.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to assassinate the king. Before we know it, we’ll have a half-breed sitting on thethrone.”
“A half-breed?” Tariel asked Calrain and Riann. She relayed the conversation she had just overheard. “The prince is only half-Fjordlander?”
“You didn’t know that?” Riann sounded genuinely surprised. “Prince Raglar’s mother was aMaroyan.”
“She died giving birth to him,” Calrain added, “and Queen Relissa never bore any sons. That’s why he is theheir.”
Tariel scowled. “I may not know my parents, but it is obvious to anyone who looks at me that I have both Fjordland and Maroyan blood,” she said. “It seems quite unfair that Prince Raglar should have the chance to rule the kingdom, while I ampersecuted.”
Riann sighed. “If Raglar were a woman I’m sure he would suffer the same fate as you,” he said. “But he is a man, and royal blood flows through hisveins.”
And what of the blood in my veins?Tariel thought indignantly. Was it somehow lesser, simply because she was not descended from kings and queens? But before she could open her mouth to protest, another conversation caught herear.
“I saw the witch hunter and his men stalking through the streets yesterday,” a thin man with a reedy voice was saying. “Sir Jerrold seemed in a right mood, barking at anyone who didn’t get out of his way quickenough.”
“Oh aye, I know all about that,” the man sitting next to him said. “He came into my shop and made a terrible mess, tossing things about. He and his men have been searching the city for some dark-hairedwitch.”
“I don’t mind Sir Jerrold doing his job, so long as he doesn’t damage our livelihoods in the process,” the first man agreed. “He could show us a little more respect, considering it’s our taxes that fundhim.”
“I hope he finds that witch soon and gets out of our hair,” a man Tariel guessed was the innkeeper said as he came by with drinks for the men. “He’s been visiting all the inns every night, and subjecting every newcomer to a thorough search, which has been terrible for business.” He shook his head. “The royal guard has even gotten involved, though I’m not surprised since the captain is Sir Jerrold’s younger brother. They’ve been bringing around some newfangled device that can supposedly detectmagic.”
“A device?” the first man said, sounding very interested. “Do you have any idea what kind ofdevice?”
“If you mean to ask me how to get or make one of your own, I’ve no idea,” the innkeeper said. “But from what I’ve heard, it lights up in the presence ofmagic.”
“That doesn’t sound good at all,” Riann muttered. His features were pinched with worry as he looked at Tariel and Calrain. “A device that can detect magic? How is that evenpossible?”
"Perhaps it is some sort of artifact blessed by Roisen,” Calrain said, his brow furrowed. “I wonder if the device truly works, or if it is meresuperstition.”
“Either way, I would prefer not to run into Sir Jerrold’s men and find out,” Tariel said. She pushed the remnants of her stew away, her appetite gone. “We cannot stay here if newcomers are searched every evening. If that device works, Sir Jerrold will find us forcertain.”
“But where shall we go?” Calrain asked. He looked out the window at the sky, where steely gray clouds were beginning to form. “If we are caught out in the rain too long we might catchcold.”
“We won’t catch cold,” Riann said, sounding amused. “We are impervious to disease now,remember?”
Calrain scowled. “Even so, I’d rather not spend the rest of the day with my clothes sticking to me,thanks.”
“Relax,” Tariel said, raising a hand to break up the argument. “We’ll think of something. Why don’t we walk around for a bit and get the lay of the land first? I really do think we should not linger here, especially since this seems to be the most likely place Sir Jerrold will look forus.”
Agreed, the three of them left the inn. As they wandered the streets in the chilly afternoon, Tariel used her magic to hide their packs from view so that they would look less like travelers. It was ironic that the capital had become such a dangerous place for them—they had originally decided to come here preciselybecausethey thought this was the last place Sir Jerrold would come to look for them. The witch hunter must have suspected that the trader and the two sons he had met on the road were really Tariel and her friends in disguise. Now that he knew for certain that Tariel had magic, he had to assume she was capable ofanything.
As they traveled closer to the coastline, the simple stone houses and buildings gave way to rows of large, elegant villas—multi-storied buildings with small gardens and terraces, and even a turret or two in some cases. Of course, that was the moment when the sky rumbled, and Tariel and her men soon found themselves drenched in a persistentdrizzle.
“I wish we could go and hide in one of these houses,” Calrain grumbled as they hurried up the street, looking for some place to seek shelter while they waited out therain.
“Come,” Calrain said, dragging them beneath a tree. It was perched on one of the properties, but the trunk was large enough that no one would see them from the street. “We can wait here, at least for amoment.”
Tariel sighed in relief as they ducked under the branches. The foliage was thick enough to shield them from the rain, and as they huddled together, their combined warmth protected Tariel some from the cold wind. Even so, she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, hoping the rain would let upsoon.
