“We should help him.” She craned her neck, trying to see past the growing crowd.
“We don’t get involved in the king’s business. It’s not safe,” I whispered, trying to calm my racing heart. I couldn’t lose myself to panic. Not while danger lurked so close.
“Your husband has been charged with treason. Stay back, unless you want to join him in his sentence,” the soldier commanded, his voice dripping with disdain, then they dragged the man away, bright-red blood dripping onto the cobblestones. I shut my eyes tight, breathing deeply through my nose as flashbacks loomed.
Not now.
Once I locked myself down, I opened my eyes to find someone helping the sobbing woman from the ground. Murmurs had broken out in the dispersing crowd on the soldier’s departure.
“We should see if she’s all right.” Eleanor jumped up, dragging me with her. I tugged her back toward me, halting her well-meaning intentions.
“What are you doing back here?” the potato merchant demanded before I could reprimand my sister.
I grasped Eleanor’s hand tightly to stop her escaping, then placed a few potatoes into the basket I abandoned. “Sorry! Just grabbing some of these.” I nodded in the direction the soldier’s had disappeared. “What was all that?”
“Soldiers arrived yesterday. Overheard ol’ Morris speaking out about the king at the Oak.” Timeless Oak, the nicer tavern on the other side of the village. Not surprising the soldiers opted to drink there—Port’s was for the rougher travelers. Criminals hiding from soldiers, spies from across the border, and ladies of night. The kind of people upper society frowned upon. A perfect place to hide. The merchant scoffed. “Got what was coming for ’em if you ask me. Speaking out about the king.”
“Will he be okay?” Eleanor questioned, yanking her hand free of my grip. I didn’t want to admit to her that he would likely be beheaded for it. At least with Morris’s wife gone, Eleanor wouldn’t go searching for her.
“You have a lot to learn, girlie.” The merchant eyed Eleanor coolly as I passed her the coins I owed.
“Why are they here?” I asked, drawing her attention to me again.
The king’s soldiers didn’t travel this far into the Northern Territories. It was one of the main reasons I chose Toreshire to settle after our parents died.
The older woman leaned in and whispered, “They say King Terym is on his way. Searchin’ for a bride now mournin’ is up. Been a few years since Queen Jade died.”
My eyes widened, and I thanked the merchant before I dragged Eleanor away. We had everything on the list, and I needed to get her far away from the soldiers roaming the streets.
The merchant’s words circled in my mind. It was no secret the late queen failed to provide the king with an heir. Some even rumored it caused her death. The king coming here to look for another bride—the thought was ludicrous. What could the poor meager people of Toreshire offer a king.
It had to be rumors. The soldiers were likely passing through to the border. The war with Mortremon had been steadily growing more intense over the last few years, the border now closed to all travelers except those with a special trade license. Still, the possibility the king could be on his way was enough of a risk that it was probably time to move on. I had hoped Eleanor could finish her schooling here, she only had a few months left, but that wouldn’t matter if the king found us.
After dropping Eleanor at the schoolhouse, I hurried home, cutting through the village center to take the most direct route. I generally avoided it since the whole fiasco with Ergo. The shortbut failed relationship still had the gossipmongers whispering behind their hands when they caught sight of me.
Sunlight glinted off the sparkling water of the wishing fountain. If I had a spare coin, I would flick it in, but I needed every piece I had to make the trip to Hutteran.
Only when she’s ready, Adelia, not before.
My mother’s words echoed in my head—though she had never spoken them aloud. She wasn’t ready, but I couldn’t risk her being found.
I walked deeper into the poor side of town, an area I would have steered clear of if my parents still lived. My footsteps were hurried, almost running, when Port’s Tavern appeared in front of me. I entered the building around back, flying past a coughing Ivan, who called out a quick greeting when I placed the basket of goods onto his table, then rushed through the empty bar and down into the small basement room I shared with Eleanor.
Lifting my slim mattress, I grabbed the leather sack of coins I kept there. Forget new dresses, we needed enough to make the journey to flee and cover lodgings for a short time. I couldn’t know how long it would take to find work again. I counted each silver piece slowly, though I already knew the answer—not enough.
A few more weeks, though. I would pull double shifts. Extra work. I could speak with Madame Dee; she always let me clean the brothel when I needed the coin. Hopefully, she had some work for me. If we kept our heads down for the next few weeks, we would be able to leave.
It had only been a few days since the commotion with Morris in the merchant district when Mr. Port hurried through the tavern door disheveled, his usually oil-slicked hair a complete mess and plastered against his red face. His chest heaved as wide eyes searched the dim room.
“Adelia!” he barked when he caught sight of me behind the bar. “Clean yourself up. We’re going to the village square. Now!”
He marched across the room, disappearing behind the kitchen doors.What in Gods… He looked as if he had been running—from who knew where.
I removed the dirty apron I wore to protect my pants, but there wasn’t much else I could do. After the long hours these past few days, I was down to my last clean set.
I wandered into the kitchen, frowning when I found Mr. Port ordering Ivan to man the bar. He never let Ivan alone in the bar; the man couldn’t pour ale to save his life. After one too-many complaints, he had been banned to the kitchen, where he could make a decent stew, for Port’s Tavern at least.
“What’s going on?” Mr. Port ignored my question and gave me a once-over, grimacing at the stain on my shirt.
