She was the daughter of Alyssa, who’d killedmen who’d tried to kill her.The grand-daughter of Sahar, who’dbeen the first woman to ever ride in and win the great races.Who’dalso been abducted by an enemy of her parents and escaped with thehelp of Aleksandr, the bastard son of King Maksimillian, and they’dsurvived the wilds together.
Because of her grandparents’ time in themountains, they’d made sure their children knew how to not onlysurvive but thrive in many different wildernesses.Lessons Alina’sparents had passed down to their children.
She knew how to make a fire and build alean-to.How to hunt and fish with snares and sharpened sticks, andhow to skin and cook what she caught from squirrel and rabbit todeer and elk.The women in her line had survived so much horror,and Alina knew she could too.She knew how to take care of herselfin the wilds and the language here.
Her pearl necklace would pay for her passagehome on a ship.She would have to ask Roark for it back the firstchance she got and then make her escape.She may have promised tostay and wait for her father, but she believed Roger had lied aboutransoming her back home.Myrna’s little threat today had onlystrengthened that belief.
The only thing she hadn’t decided was whetherto tell Roark.She wanted to trust him, and she could certainly usehis help, yet every time she thought of confiding in him, sheremembered how he’d betrayed her, and the look on his face whenshe’d realized what he’d done.The same look he had on his face nowas he met and held her gaze from the high table.
Making sure to eat her fill, Alinasurreptitiously packed a few scraps of mutton for mama cat into herskirt pocket, along with a piece of hard cheese for the first ofwhat would be her secret larder.She drained her cup of beer,called ale here, more to build herself up for what would likely besome time alone in the wilds than from any real liking of the brew.She was trying to figure out how to grab some cherries for herhoard when Gare came into the dining hall, cap in hand.
“My laird,” he said, when Roger deigned toacknowledge him.“The foal’s turned colicky and it’s Fergus’s dayta home.I could use the princess’s and Roark’s help with the wee,poor thing.”
Alina looked to Roger, and tried to seem morecurious than worried, as she wasn’t supposed to understand whatGare had said.
Roger met her gaze with irritation and thenlooked to Roark, who was halfway out of his seat.“Go,” Roger saidwith an impatient wave of his hand.“This damned foal is startingto cost me more than he’s worth.”
Alina sat on her hands as Roark walked overto her.“Gare needs our help with the foal,” he said in herNorthern tongue.“He thinks it has colic.”
Alina stood and pretended to think about whatshe’d already decided on.“Tell the cook to boil water enough for apot of tea,” she told Roark.“I need a handful each of driedpeppermint, dandelion, chamomile, and meadowsweet if she has them.Tell her I’ll measure and steep them.I’ll go change into my tunicand breeches.”
She grabbed a handful of cherries and madeherself walk, not run, up the stairs, where she quickly wrapped thecheese and cherries in a linen square.It wasn’t much, and she’dhoped to stash away more before she left, but it was better thannothing.If she got the foal over his colic in good time, there wasa chance she could slip away from the stables in the dark ofnight.
***
“Slow down, Alina.”Roark pulled on the sackof herbs she was carrying as they headed for the stables.
“But, Ash—”
“Is fine.Gare and I made the colic story upso I could get you away from the house.”She slowed her pace tomatch his, her head tilted, waiting for him to explain.“I went tothe docks today and spoke to Kerry and Kerwin.”He hesitated,hating to tell her what he’d found out, but she needed to know.“They’re preparingThe Roverto sail in ten days, only notfor Sea Ridge.”Her head tilted the other way.“They have orders tosail through the Mid-Earth Sea to a desert port, where you’re to besold as a slave, and not as any slave, but as a pleasurewoman.”
Alina stopped walking, and Roark gentlytugged her by the elbow in case they were being watched from thehouse.No guard had come out yet, but he figured one of them wouldas soon as they finished their supper.
“He wants me to be sold as mygreat-grandmother was.”
“That was my take on it too,” Roark said.They’d reached the stables, and he pulled her to the far side ofthe building where they couldn’t be seen from the house.“I don’tbelieve Roger intends to ever tell your parents you’re alive.Hehas to know your father would wreak havoc on this place if he foundout.Knowing Roger, he’ll send spies to report back to him howdeeply your family grieves to savor his sick, twisted revengewithout fear of retaliation.”
“I have to leave this place,” she said, herface pale in the moonlight.“Now.”
“Yes,” Roark agreed.“You have to leave thisplace, but not now.Not tonight.I have a plan, if you’ll trustme.”She said nothing.“I know I betrayed your trust, betrayed you,but I swear on my life, I will never betray you again.”
The door to the stables opened, and Gare cameout, peering around the corner.“Sorry, I couldn’t tell what I washearing.”
Alina strode past Roark and Gare and straightfor the brooding pen, where Ash had his head in the milk bucket,drinking away.
“He’s fine,” Gare said with a sheepish smileto Alina.“Really.”
Roark translated and Alina gave Gare a shakynod.
“Gare,” Roark said.“Can you wait outside thedoor and warn us when anyone’s coming?”
“Will do.”Gare tipped his cap to Alina andshut the door behind him, giving them some privacy.
Smokey shoved his nose into the pocket ofAlina’s breeches and she shooed him away.“That’s not for you.”Shepulled out a linen square and unfolded it, revealing a chunk ofcheese, a handful of cherries, and some meat scraps.She removedthe meat scraps and rewrapped the cherries and cheese and put themback in her pocket.“Here, mama kitty,” she called, and the catcame running and meowing.“Here you go, mama,” she said, tossingthe meat to her.
“What, or who, are the cheese and cherriesfor?”Roark asked.
“For me.For later.”
