Page 62 of Ruling the Green

“Not one I am proud of,” I said. “And not one I want my father to know about, or he will turn me into a weapon.”

And make no mistake, he would.

If I said no, he would torture some innocent just to force my hand. Then use me against one of the prisoners.

I shook those thoughts away.

It wasn’t going to happen.

Because I’d worked hard to make sure no one but Vishen knew.

“How far away is the caravan?” I asked, pretending to ignore the hurt look on Serin’s face at not telling her my power.

“A while off. If we go now—and fast—we can cut her off before she hits any military checkpoints.”

“Alright. We can leave in five.”

“Hey, wait, no,” Nira said, making us all look over.

“What?”

“I don’t think you should go alone.”

“I’ll have Vishen.”

“I get that, but I don’t think either of you have really been out that way since this war talk started up. Trust me, you don’t want to screw around.”

“What are you suggesting? You come?”

“I’m all you have, aside from Vishen.”

“I need you here for Serin.”

“I can come. I mean, I wouldn’t be any help in an attack—yet—but I can come so you have extra protection.”

I glanced over at Vishen, who shrugged. “She’s right. Neither of us know what is out there right now.”

“Well, it’s early. Hopefully we can get there and back before The Green really wakes up.”

“Alright. Nira, get Serin changed into something appropriate. We leave in five. If you’re not ready, Vishen and I are going without you.”

With that, the women rushed out.

“What are you thinking?”

“Honestly, bringing Serin feels like a risk. But leaving her here if Tove has suspicions about her just isn’t an option.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Do you have an extra weapon for her?” I asked as I grabbed several knives, a scabbard, and a sword.

“I’ll grab it. You get her enough water, just in case.”

I filled four flasks—one for each of us to carry—then met everyone in the hallway. Vishen was slipping a small sword into a sheath and attaching it to Serin’s hip as Nira pulled Serin’s hair into a high ponytail.

“Ready,” Serin said, giving me a wobbly smile.

“You take this,” I told her, handing her a flask. “We are all carrying one for you because this is going to be a marathon. We are going to need to run most of the way to stay ahead of the day.”

With that, we followed Nira, who led us out a side exit to avoid the redcaps. We all crept silently through the courtyard, then the woods immediately surrounding the palace—never knowing what regiment might be placed where.