who I just talked to?” He didn’t wait for Kyra to answer. “The queen’s sister! Who, by the way, is absolutely gorgeous. She’s in the area looking for a fugitive—not really what you’d expect from the queen’s sister, but Mohr is a pretty strange kingdom. And a friend of hers told her about us. A witch friend. Can you believe it?” Fred plopped himself down. “She asked where my wife was, and I told her she must have the wrong person. It didn’t really look like she believed me, but she did believe I was a complete idiot and not worth her time.”
“Imagine that.”
“Ha-ha.” Fred slung the waterskins off his shoulder.
“Wait,” Kyra said, sitting up in alarm. “How did she find us? We’re miles away from the witch.”
“No idea.”
“Fred,” Kyra said tentatively, “you didn’t remove anything from the witch’s house, did you?”
“What do you take me for?”
Kyra cocked her head.
“She did give me some warm socks before she went and got you.”
“Fred!”
“What? My feet were cold. You should have seen the holes in my other socks!”
“She put a trace on you in case you escaped. Damn.” Witch’s traces were much like potions tags, except that if you got rid of the object, you got rid of the trace. Nothing got rid of a potions tag.
“Really? I thought she was just worried about my feet.” Fred touched one of his socks.
“Go back to the river—”
“That was a mile back!”
“—and throw the socks in. We can’t have a trace on us. We don’t want the duchess to come looking for us again. Next time, she’ll bring the guard with her.”
“Why should we be afraid of her?”
“You aren’t from around here, so you might not know about the duchess. But I’m telling you, do NOT mess with her. She’s powerful in the kingdom, and even though we aren’t who she’s looking for”—Kyra tried to make this sound as though she really believed it—“she could have us imprisoned for a long time before things got cleared up. There wouldn’t need to be a reason, either—people can be thrown in prison here for irritating the wrong person.”
“Hmmm…” Fred mused. “She is like a beautiful but poisonous flower.”
“She isn’t just beautiful.” Kyra hesitated, but she needed to make sure Fred realized the danger they were in. “The duchess,” she whispered, “is a witch.”
“No way! Like Miss I’m-going-to-eat-you-in-my-stew back there?”
“No! Not like her. The duchess’s gift is persuasion and attraction. It’s very difficult to say no to her if she turns her gift on you. You’re lucky she only put an attraction spell on you and didn’t turn on the persuasion, or you would’ve spilled every little secret you’ve got.”
Fred looked sincerely disturbed. He rubbed his hand over his head, rumpling his brown hair. “I didn’t know.”
“Please, just go down to the river, toss the socks, and avoid falling in love with any dangerous people, okay?”
“Fine.” Fred’s smile turned back on. “But I want you to know that I will then be completely sockless and cold.”
Kyra glared at him.
“Okay. Just promise me you’ll be here when I get back. I don’t think we should separate the animals right now.”
Kyra sighed. “I promise.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Fred reached into his pocket and tossed something over to Kyra.
On reflex, Kyra caught the object. The necklace the witch had stolen from her. “How did you…?”
He put his fingers together in the two-fingered sign of a thief. “Just a small talent I picked up in my travels.” He winked at her and disappeared over the side of the loft.
T HE NEXT DAY , Kyra cursed herself for not having slipped away the night before. She was tired, dirty, and completely unnerved by the appearance of the duchess.
Plus, it was raining.
That wasn’t Fred’s fault, but somehow it seemed everything would be easier to bear if she didn’t have to share her misery with anyone.
When Fred had come
“Imagine that.”
“Ha-ha.” Fred slung the waterskins off his shoulder.
“Wait,” Kyra said, sitting up in alarm. “How did she find us? We’re miles away from the witch.”
“No idea.”
“Fred,” Kyra said tentatively, “you didn’t remove anything from the witch’s house, did you?”
“What do you take me for?”
Kyra cocked her head.
“She did give me some warm socks before she went and got you.”
“Fred!”
“What? My feet were cold. You should have seen the holes in my other socks!”
“She put a trace on you in case you escaped. Damn.” Witch’s traces were much like potions tags, except that if you got rid of the object, you got rid of the trace. Nothing got rid of a potions tag.
“Really? I thought she was just worried about my feet.” Fred touched one of his socks.
“Go back to the river—”
“That was a mile back!”
“—and throw the socks in. We can’t have a trace on us. We don’t want the duchess to come looking for us again. Next time, she’ll bring the guard with her.”
“Why should we be afraid of her?”
“You aren’t from around here, so you might not know about the duchess. But I’m telling you, do NOT mess with her. She’s powerful in the kingdom, and even though we aren’t who she’s looking for”—Kyra tried to make this sound as though she really believed it—“she could have us imprisoned for a long time before things got cleared up. There wouldn’t need to be a reason, either—people can be thrown in prison here for irritating the wrong person.”
“Hmmm…” Fred mused. “She is like a beautiful but poisonous flower.”
“She isn’t just beautiful.” Kyra hesitated, but she needed to make sure Fred realized the danger they were in. “The duchess,” she whispered, “is a witch.”
“No way! Like Miss I’m-going-to-eat-you-in-my-stew back there?”
“No! Not like her. The duchess’s gift is persuasion and attraction. It’s very difficult to say no to her if she turns her gift on you. You’re lucky she only put an attraction spell on you and didn’t turn on the persuasion, or you would’ve spilled every little secret you’ve got.”
Fred looked sincerely disturbed. He rubbed his hand over his head, rumpling his brown hair. “I didn’t know.”
“Please, just go down to the river, toss the socks, and avoid falling in love with any dangerous people, okay?”
“Fine.” Fred’s smile turned back on. “But I want you to know that I will then be completely sockless and cold.”
Kyra glared at him.
“Okay. Just promise me you’ll be here when I get back. I don’t think we should separate the animals right now.”
Kyra sighed. “I promise.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Fred reached into his pocket and tossed something over to Kyra.
On reflex, Kyra caught the object. The necklace the witch had stolen from her. “How did you…?”
He put his fingers together in the two-fingered sign of a thief. “Just a small talent I picked up in my travels.” He winked at her and disappeared over the side of the loft.
T HE NEXT DAY , Kyra cursed herself for not having slipped away the night before. She was tired, dirty, and completely unnerved by the appearance of the duchess.
Plus, it was raining.
That wasn’t Fred’s fault, but somehow it seemed everything would be easier to bear if she didn’t have to share her misery with anyone.
When Fred had come
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