nodded reluctantly. ‘Money’s no problem. We’ll buy you a horse, though, from here. I don’t think you should take a palace beast, just in case.’ There was suddenly nothing more to say. ‘So you’ll leave, just like that?’
‘Freath,’ Kirin began gently, then sighed. ‘Yes. I promise I will get word to you somehow.’
‘Won’t you at least share a plate of Osh with me?’
Kirin gave a soft grin. ‘Do you always have to win?’
7
Greven dug his staff into the ground and hauled himself up the incline.
‘Are you all right?’ Piven asked over his shoulder.
‘Don’t worry about me, lad. I’m as strong as an ox.’
‘Well an ox, as strong as it is, would be stupid to climb this hill. I still don’t understand why we must.’
Greven gave a brief bitter laugh. ‘Because only fools would.’
‘There’s a perfectly good road below us.’
‘Perfectly good, yes. Also perfectly open, perfectly positioned for ambush, perfectly—’
Piven stopped and turned. ‘Ambush?’ he interrupted, his voice leaden with sarcasm.
Greven waved a hand. ‘Just pause a while. Let me catch my breath.’ He looked up to see the sun low in the sky. It was nearly time to think about an evening meal. ‘You must be famished. Let’s stop properly and eat something light. We can build a fire later and cook the rabbits we’ve brought.’
Piven unslung the water skin and offered it to Greven, who took it gratefully and drank a few mouthfuls. ‘Ah,’ he sighed with relief. ‘I suspect I owe you an explanation.’
‘I would agree with that,’ Piven replied, sitting down beside Greven. ‘What are you frightened of? What happened yesterday?’
Greven knew the boy deserved to know. And he felt safer now that they had put some distance between themselves and the interfering couple. ‘A man called Clovis and his wife, Reuth, came to see me. They are looking for you.’ As he spoke he delved into a small sack of food, pulling out a tiny loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese and some nuts.
‘Me?’
Despite the note of surprise in his tone, Greven sensed that Piven had already guessed as much. The boy’s perceptiveness was unnerving for one so young. ‘I suppose it was wishful thinking to imagine that anyone from the former royal family would be left entirely alone,’ Greven grumbled, more to himself. He placed a knife on the stump of a nearby tree that had obviously been felled a long time ago, its surface smooth enough now to act as a makeshift table.
‘They would do better to hunt Leo,’ Piven replied carefully.
Greven frowned. The boy was right. So why was he so frightened for Piven and, more to the point, of Piven and his powers? ‘They probably imagine that Leo is dead. And he could be, for all we know. But someone obviously suspects you’re alive and while you may not be blood, you are still valuable as a figure of hope to any pockets of loyalism.’
Piven shook his head. ‘It’s been ten anni!’
‘Some people have long memories, son.’
‘Do they know?’
Greven shook his head, understanding. ‘No one knows of your change but you and me. And no one should know, if we’re sensible.’
‘You want me to pretend to still be simple?’
‘I don’t know what I want. I just don’t want anyone to know about your true identity.’
‘But they still think I’m an imbecile.’
‘Imbecile? That’s a harsh word. From what I could tell, Piven, everyone thought of you simply as an invalid. But you’re right—they believe you to be older but exactly as you were when you werelast at the palace. That’s our one advantage. I’m hoping we can lose ourselves among people, especially as we are now hard to pinpoint given your maturity and the fact that my leprosy has miraculously cleared.’
‘Don’t avoid the truth,’ Piven said, somewhat harshly. ‘It’s not a miracle. It’s magic.’
‘I know you’re one for honesty, Piven, but you’re never to speak of magic so openly again, do you
‘Freath,’ Kirin began gently, then sighed. ‘Yes. I promise I will get word to you somehow.’
‘Won’t you at least share a plate of Osh with me?’
Kirin gave a soft grin. ‘Do you always have to win?’
7
Greven dug his staff into the ground and hauled himself up the incline.
‘Are you all right?’ Piven asked over his shoulder.
‘Don’t worry about me, lad. I’m as strong as an ox.’
‘Well an ox, as strong as it is, would be stupid to climb this hill. I still don’t understand why we must.’
Greven gave a brief bitter laugh. ‘Because only fools would.’
‘There’s a perfectly good road below us.’
‘Perfectly good, yes. Also perfectly open, perfectly positioned for ambush, perfectly—’
Piven stopped and turned. ‘Ambush?’ he interrupted, his voice leaden with sarcasm.
Greven waved a hand. ‘Just pause a while. Let me catch my breath.’ He looked up to see the sun low in the sky. It was nearly time to think about an evening meal. ‘You must be famished. Let’s stop properly and eat something light. We can build a fire later and cook the rabbits we’ve brought.’
Piven unslung the water skin and offered it to Greven, who took it gratefully and drank a few mouthfuls. ‘Ah,’ he sighed with relief. ‘I suspect I owe you an explanation.’
‘I would agree with that,’ Piven replied, sitting down beside Greven. ‘What are you frightened of? What happened yesterday?’
Greven knew the boy deserved to know. And he felt safer now that they had put some distance between themselves and the interfering couple. ‘A man called Clovis and his wife, Reuth, came to see me. They are looking for you.’ As he spoke he delved into a small sack of food, pulling out a tiny loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese and some nuts.
‘Me?’
Despite the note of surprise in his tone, Greven sensed that Piven had already guessed as much. The boy’s perceptiveness was unnerving for one so young. ‘I suppose it was wishful thinking to imagine that anyone from the former royal family would be left entirely alone,’ Greven grumbled, more to himself. He placed a knife on the stump of a nearby tree that had obviously been felled a long time ago, its surface smooth enough now to act as a makeshift table.
‘They would do better to hunt Leo,’ Piven replied carefully.
Greven frowned. The boy was right. So why was he so frightened for Piven and, more to the point, of Piven and his powers? ‘They probably imagine that Leo is dead. And he could be, for all we know. But someone obviously suspects you’re alive and while you may not be blood, you are still valuable as a figure of hope to any pockets of loyalism.’
Piven shook his head. ‘It’s been ten anni!’
‘Some people have long memories, son.’
‘Do they know?’
Greven shook his head, understanding. ‘No one knows of your change but you and me. And no one should know, if we’re sensible.’
‘You want me to pretend to still be simple?’
‘I don’t know what I want. I just don’t want anyone to know about your true identity.’
‘But they still think I’m an imbecile.’
‘Imbecile? That’s a harsh word. From what I could tell, Piven, everyone thought of you simply as an invalid. But you’re right—they believe you to be older but exactly as you were when you werelast at the palace. That’s our one advantage. I’m hoping we can lose ourselves among people, especially as we are now hard to pinpoint given your maturity and the fact that my leprosy has miraculously cleared.’
‘Don’t avoid the truth,’ Piven said, somewhat harshly. ‘It’s not a miracle. It’s magic.’
‘I know you’re one for honesty, Piven, but you’re never to speak of magic so openly again, do you
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