“Why else would a constable go to Truthhold?”
Marc placed the coin on the table. “Keep it up. We want everything to reach a fever pitch when the princess gets here at the end of the week.”
Felix and I watched Marc walk out of the tavern. By unspoken accord, we both ended the enchantment on the mirror, cutting off the sounds of busy Leort streets and seeing the reflection of the ceiling once more.
After a moment, Felix cleared his throat. “I thought you said your father wouldn’t spread rumors about you.”
“He wouldn’t have said anything if Marc hadn’t put him up to it. But for gold? There is little my father won’t do for the promise of easy money.”
“If the rumors about us are as bad as he said, you need to return to Leort.”
Was he concerned about my reputation or his own? It didn’t really matter. I picked up the mirror and stood. “They aren’t that bad. Father lied.”
“You could truth-read through the enchantment?”
My stomach growled, and I realized we never had eaten supper. I shook my head, walking out of the room toward the stairs. “I didn’t have to truth-read him. He’d have said whatever was necessary to make sure Marc keeps paying him. We already know that Frederic came because Berklay sent him with a letter for you.”
“No, Berklay used his brother to deliver the letter because he was going to come, no matter what.”
“But Frederic wanting to check up on me doesn’t mean the rumors are that bad. In fact, I can almost guarantee they aren’t. Hewouldn’t have waited that long. He probably came the instant he heard whispers I was in Truthhold. If he has only heard that much, then the rumors are nowhere near bad enough to catch the princess’s attention.”
“But Marc is actively trying to ruin your reputation.”
I almost scoffed. Rumors about my presence in Rose Castle wouldn’t ruin my reputation. They’d worry Frederic and my other friends among the constables. They’d confuse Sofia. But for most of the citizens of the town, such rumors would make them wonder why I was the woman the duke set his sights on. Because I wasn’t the focus of the rumors. Felix was.
“Not my reputation,” I reminded Felix as we settled into our spots at the dining room table. “Yours. The fact that the gossip will make me out to be either a whore or a victim is incidental.”
“The fact that you aren’t the target doesn’t make it better!” Felix called in food with angry swipes of his paw, not paying attention to the fact that there were only two of us here to eat it. “I still want to stop Marc from spreading the rumors.”
As did I. I might not care about my reputation in town, but I didn’t like being used as a weapon against Felix. So, even though I didn’t want to leave, I would. If Marc’s plan hinged on my presence at Rose Castle, then returning to Leort was the best thing I could do to help Felix.
I sighed. “If you can convince the node to let me go home, I’ll do my best to foil his plans.”
Thirty-Two
Felix
???
Though I couldn’tuse node magic for everything, I packed the satchel for Isa’s return to Leort myself. There were items I wanted to include that she might object to if she saw them going into the bag. Of course, she’d notice that there was more than the standard report confirming which contracts I had passed through the node. But if she didn’t notice all the surprises I had slipped into the satchel, that was good enough for me.
In fact, I wanted her to notice one. It ought to be enough to distract her from looking too closely at the rest.
She entered my office, a cloak draped over her arm. It was still raining this morning, making me feel terrible. Her journey home would be miserable. Insisting that she summon something to keep her dry and ride my horse into town had already led to arguments. When she picked up the satchel, I suspected her refusal to accept any more help would boil over.
She started to say something, then shook her head. Squaring her shoulders, she walked up to my desk. “Do you have the messages for Berklay ready?”
I placed a paw on the satchel. “In here.”
Isa grabbed the strap, pulling the bag from the table. As it swung from her fingers, she yelped. Her hand spasmed, and the bag fell to the floor with a thud.
I took a step forward, but what could I do? “Are you all right? What happened?”
She glared at the satchel, then at me. “The node. It objected to me holding the bag. What did you put in there?”
“Damn it.” I leapt off the desk and fumbled the bag open. I searched for the paper I wanted and carefully pulled it out. “Can you hold it now?”
Isa hesitated, then reached down and grabbed the satchel once more. This time, when she lifted it, nothing happened. After a moment, she set it on the nearest chair and pointed at the paper under my paws. “What is that?”
