into the air. His fingers grazed the bottom rung, but couldn’t catch it.
By the time his feet reached the ground and he crouched to leap again, the ladder was out of reach. He scanned the length of the curved wall within sight for vine or low-slung tree he could climb to scale the wall. There was nothing. He picked up his sword. They were gone. Long gone on the other side.
What was on the other side of the wall? Nobles mansions. Perhaps someone had seen and could point him after them. His chest heaving, though he hadn’t run far, he turned back into the woods to get to the path to the gate. He had to find her.
He burst from the trees into the clearing around the statue.
A woman screamed.
“Hera!” She had just turned the bend in the path of the statue.
“You frightened the life out of me, Captain.”
“And you me. You’re all right?” He’d never felt so relieved in his life, not even after he’d escaped from Lake Sandela. Every muscle went soothingly slack.
“You aren’t. Look at your shirt.”
He glanced down at his shirt and felt oddly like laughing. There was a snag in the sleeve. A branch must have caught it and he hadn’t noticed.
“What happened?”
Then, he remembered. “I have to get to the gate. I saw two men take a woman through the woods. I swore it was you. She was wearing a gray dress.”
She rushed to him. “It could be Hera Musette.”
Hera Musette was fat. “No, they carried her up a ladder and over the wall.”
“But there aren’t any other Solacians in Shacra Paulus.”
He took her kithara and they ran for the gate. She held her dress from her feet so it wouldn’t slow her.
At the gate, he told the guard what had happened and an alarm sounded, sending soldiers to fan out in the direction of the place where the men had climbed the wall.
Degarius looked down at her face, bright red from heat. It could have been her abducted had she been a few minutes earlier, though there was no conceivable reason on earth why anyone would want to hurt her. But men’s baser instincts were beyond reason. “I don’t know what happened back in the wood. But it seemed well planned. They knew exactly where to climb the wall so they wouldn’t be spotted. Don’t walk here alone again.”
“I waited for you...as usual,” she added rather sheepishly.
As usual. Yes, they had a sweet little usual routine. He smiled despite everything. Perhaps just out of respite.
“But you never came.”
“The widshins game ran long. I left before it was over to try to get here.”
“I suspected as much. Everyone has been talking about the match for days.”
“Don’t walk alone here. I’ll be here every day. And if I can’t, I’ll send word and my man.”
DUETS
Citadel schoolroom, the next day
A rvana thanked the Maker Miss Gallivere had come to the schoolroom to practice a duet with the princess. All morning the girl had been in a stew, gouging wax from the tablet instead of changing the tense of the verbs in the Old Anglish poem. She’d not answered entreaties as to what was the matter; perhaps she would reply to Miss Gallivere’s. Arvana let the girls twitter while she worked out a harmony part for the duet.
There was a knock. The girls fell silent and stared apprehensively at the door.
Was it Chane, returned to claim the Blue Eye? No, it couldn’t be him. He’d enter without knocking and Jesquin wouldn’t dread seeing him. Arvana opened the door to find Prince Fassal pacing in the hall while his redcoat escort maintained soldierly composure.
The prince strode to her. “Hera, is the princess here?” There was something frantic, and yet dejected, in his voice.
So he was the reason for the princess’s distraction. They might as well resolve whatever issue was between them now, or the rest of the day was sure to be a waste of a lesson plan. “She’s here.” Arvana dismissed the guard, led the prince inside, closed the door after him, and stationed herself against
By the time his feet reached the ground and he crouched to leap again, the ladder was out of reach. He scanned the length of the curved wall within sight for vine or low-slung tree he could climb to scale the wall. There was nothing. He picked up his sword. They were gone. Long gone on the other side.
What was on the other side of the wall? Nobles mansions. Perhaps someone had seen and could point him after them. His chest heaving, though he hadn’t run far, he turned back into the woods to get to the path to the gate. He had to find her.
He burst from the trees into the clearing around the statue.
A woman screamed.
“Hera!” She had just turned the bend in the path of the statue.
“You frightened the life out of me, Captain.”
“And you me. You’re all right?” He’d never felt so relieved in his life, not even after he’d escaped from Lake Sandela. Every muscle went soothingly slack.
“You aren’t. Look at your shirt.”
He glanced down at his shirt and felt oddly like laughing. There was a snag in the sleeve. A branch must have caught it and he hadn’t noticed.
“What happened?”
Then, he remembered. “I have to get to the gate. I saw two men take a woman through the woods. I swore it was you. She was wearing a gray dress.”
She rushed to him. “It could be Hera Musette.”
Hera Musette was fat. “No, they carried her up a ladder and over the wall.”
“But there aren’t any other Solacians in Shacra Paulus.”
He took her kithara and they ran for the gate. She held her dress from her feet so it wouldn’t slow her.
At the gate, he told the guard what had happened and an alarm sounded, sending soldiers to fan out in the direction of the place where the men had climbed the wall.
Degarius looked down at her face, bright red from heat. It could have been her abducted had she been a few minutes earlier, though there was no conceivable reason on earth why anyone would want to hurt her. But men’s baser instincts were beyond reason. “I don’t know what happened back in the wood. But it seemed well planned. They knew exactly where to climb the wall so they wouldn’t be spotted. Don’t walk here alone again.”
“I waited for you...as usual,” she added rather sheepishly.
As usual. Yes, they had a sweet little usual routine. He smiled despite everything. Perhaps just out of respite.
“But you never came.”
“The widshins game ran long. I left before it was over to try to get here.”
“I suspected as much. Everyone has been talking about the match for days.”
“Don’t walk alone here. I’ll be here every day. And if I can’t, I’ll send word and my man.”
DUETS
Citadel schoolroom, the next day
A rvana thanked the Maker Miss Gallivere had come to the schoolroom to practice a duet with the princess. All morning the girl had been in a stew, gouging wax from the tablet instead of changing the tense of the verbs in the Old Anglish poem. She’d not answered entreaties as to what was the matter; perhaps she would reply to Miss Gallivere’s. Arvana let the girls twitter while she worked out a harmony part for the duet.
There was a knock. The girls fell silent and stared apprehensively at the door.
Was it Chane, returned to claim the Blue Eye? No, it couldn’t be him. He’d enter without knocking and Jesquin wouldn’t dread seeing him. Arvana opened the door to find Prince Fassal pacing in the hall while his redcoat escort maintained soldierly composure.
The prince strode to her. “Hera, is the princess here?” There was something frantic, and yet dejected, in his voice.
So he was the reason for the princess’s distraction. They might as well resolve whatever issue was between them now, or the rest of the day was sure to be a waste of a lesson plan. “She’s here.” Arvana dismissed the guard, led the prince inside, closed the door after him, and stationed herself against
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