Meena smiled in double satisfaction when an older man pushed back the curtain and stepped into the room. “You are exactly who I was looking for.” She smiled.
Chapter 32
“But what shall I say if they ask about Solano?” Meena said, clutching Jules’s arm tightly. “I can’t say he’s been seized for being aMajis.” She whispered the last word as quietly as she could, pretending to be ashamed of it. “That would be so embarrassing.”
Meena could practically hear Ezra roll her eyes. The woman was walking a full arm’s length away even though Jules had offered her his other elbow. She was, however, wearing the yellow dress Meena had insisted on.
Meena delighted in the fact that she had literally come between the adoring couple. She knew it was petty, but if she couldn’t be spending this evening with Sol, they did not deserve to spend the evening together either. Especially since Meena was sure they had something to do with Sol’s arrest.
“Perhaps you could just say he had fallen ill and needed to rest tonight,” Jules responded to her earlier question. “Are you sure you should be coming tonight?”
Meena could hear both concern and suspicion in his voice. She planned to be extra careful around her keepers tonight so they would suspect nothing.
“I’m not sure what I would cry for more for if I stayed home,” Meena replied. “Missing out on the fun of the festivities or missing Sol.” She squeezed Jules’s arm as she said the last word, letting her voice break the tiniest bit.
Jules patted her hand.
Ezra sped up her pace, moving slightly in front of Meena and Jules as though she wanted to remove herself from their company.
Meena did not blame her. She would be annoyed with herself as well if she wasn’t having so much fun annoying them.
She reminded herself that the night was not about having fun.
Her stomach fell, and she clutched Jules’s arm for real.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “Perhaps we should turn around.”
Meena shook her head. “I will not go back,” she said, easily lining her voice with the conviction she felt.
Jules gave her an odd look, but she smiled up at him obliviously and then turned her chin forward.
Perhaps it was better to focus on the fun. If it helped her to focus and move through the evening, it was surely the better choice.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of the sea as they crested the bailey into the main area of the fort.
She inhaled instinctively at the beautiful sight. The breath calmed her stomach and reminded her of Sol.
She couldn’t use the magic in the same way as he did, but she could rely on its harmony to get her through the night.
She would do this for Sol.
The bailey was decorated with flowing fabric and glowing lanterns. She could smell the delectable flavors of roasting meat and sweet sauces.
The outdoor space was already overflowing with townsfolk. They were dressed for a feast, in bright colors and flowing fabrics. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
With a smile of encouragement to herself, she followed Jules into the midst of the chaos.
“I did not expect to seeyouhere this evening, Princess,” Councilor Younn said, stepping forward and blocking Meena’s path with a bow.
“I did not expect to seeyouhere, Councilor!” Meena replied. “I thought you had important business in Chendas?” Meena narrowed her eyes, hoping her loud voice did not betray her. “Yet here you are, at a feast.” Surely Younn would not stray far from his prisoner, which meant that Sol was somewhere near. Maybe she could discover where.
The councilor looked around, his face turning red. “Quiet, girl,” he snapped. “Being at this feastismy business.”
“That’s not what you said this morning, though, Councilor, when you were speaking to my husband?” Realizing that she held the upper hand as long as she could pressure him, Meena kept her voice loud.
“Perhaps we should find you some food or drink, Princess?” Jules cut in, still escorting her with his arm.
“I did tell your husband I was returning to Chendas, my dear,” the councilor replied, ignoring Jules and raising his voice to be heard as well as hers. “But I said I was leavingtomorrow, on the ship which just arrivedtoday. Where is your husband, Princess, surely he remembers the conversation?” Younn twisted his head around, as though he would see Sol somewhere in the crowd.
