He will not abandon you, said an internal voice. He would never do such a thing. Certainly not with Marcus looking for you. And that will have to be enough.
Perhaps he had been injured himself? My footsteps quickened. If he had returned I would tell him that he need not go to any lengths to avoid me. I had no desire to push myself in where I wasn’t wanted. I would stay out of his way, and as soon as we returned to Lanare, he need never see me again. I held back tears at the thought.
But when we entered the room, I could see no sign of Frederic. Cassian looked grim.
“We set questions in motion as soon as we arrived,” he said, “trying to flush out these rebels. And I have just had word from the governor. They have discovered the traitors.”
“They have?” Celine rushed over to him.
“So they claim.” His look of concern remained. “The governor has received intelligence of a plot against the throne by a cabal of northerners who have been trickling into our kingdom over the last few decades and who have set up their base of operation in Largo. They covet the wealth and resources of Lanover for themselves, and they saw the weakness and instability of the recent rebellion as the perfect moment to strike.”
I sat slowly on a long stool near the door. That made no sense at all, not given the intelligence I had learned from the street urchins. The only northerners they had mentioned had been a few hired as mercenaries to swell the number of rebel soldiers.
“But…” Celine looked over at me and then back at her brother. “What does he propose you do?”
Cassian ran a hand through his hair. “The suggestion has been made by some of the nobles that I issue orders in Frederic’s absence to round up all the northerners in Largo. Once they are all safely under containment, we can root out who among them are traitors.”
Celine gaped at him.
I jumped to my feet and joined them in the center of the room. “You cannot do such a thing! Imagine the chaos and the fear! And I am sure it’s not the northerners. It can’t be.”
“What are you suggesting?” asked Cassian. “That the governor has invented the intelligence? Why would he do such a thing? Or are you suggesting he is aligned with the rebels himself?” He shook his head. “Come Evie, do you really think the governor disloyal to the crown?” He grimaced. “Do you even think him smart enough to head a rebellion?”
I considered his question. “No, I don’t think the governor is behind the rebellion, but I do think his information is wrong. Someone has fed him bad information.”
“Or someone has fed you bad information.”
I let out a growl of frustration. “That makes no sense! The rebels could never have guessed I’d run to the street urchins. Why would they bother to plant false information with them? And they risked themselves to help me get away from Marcus, remember!”
Cassian ran his hand through his hair, clearly torn.
“Look,” I told him, “I’m not asking you to believe them, just not to disbelieve them. Just give me time to gather more evidence, to find some sort of proof before you do anything so drastic.”
I held my breath through a long pause.
Finally Cassian nodded, once. “Very well, then. I’ll admit that with such a diverse population, such an action would drive a wedge down the middle of Largo. Many of the northerners here have lived here their whole lives. The anger such a move would create seems all too much like the moves the rebels have already attempted. I will wait. Only don’t take too long. If Frederic returns, he may choose to overrule me.”
Chapter 28
I flew straight back to my own bedchamber to change into my plainest and most sensible gown. Celine trailed behind me.
“Evie, what are you doing?”
I didn’t look at her as I searched for the dress I wanted. “You heard Cassian. I have to get some more evidence. I’m going back to the street urchins.”
“Not on your own!”
I straightened and looked at her. “Yes, on my own.”
“I’m coming with you.”
I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. “Fine.” She flounced over to the window. “Sometimes being a princess is the worst.”
I shook my head. “It’s not just that. You don’t know the streets and the urchins don’t know you. I’m sorry, Celine, but you’d be a hindrance, not a help.”
She gave me a sad smile. “I know. But you should at least take some guards. What if you run into Marcus again?”
I gulped. “I have to take that risk. I guarantee you that if I turn up at the urchins’ den with guards in tow there won’t be a child in sight.”
Celine frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you going out there on your own.”
“Neither do I, to be honest. But I’m not going to let Marcus and those rebels win. I’ve escaped from Marcus once, and if I have to, I’ll do it again.” I didn’t feel as confident as I made myself sound, but I did trust in the street urchins to help me. I was finished seeing my past as a burden dragging me down. It had made me strong, and I was ready to use my strength.
Maybe my past precluded me from being loved by a prince, but it didn’t stop me from acting to save the kingdom that I loved. Because I did love Lanover, for all the pain I had experienced in it. Revisiting my past had reminded me that nowhere I had lived had been all bad. There was much of beauty and kindness in this kingdom.
Once I had exited the mansion and reached a crowded street, I slipped into an unseen nook and wrapped my desert covering around me. Enough traders and northerners with delicate skin wore the costume here that I wouldn’t stand out. And with the face wrap up, neither Marcus nor anyone who worked for him would be able to recognize me.
I moved swiftly after that, weaving through the streets until I once again entered the quieter part of town. This time when I reached the wooden board guarding the entrance to the urchin den, I knocked politely before swinging it open and launching myself in.
Apparently the knock had been enough to identify me because they hadn’t bothered to extinguish the lights this time. As I unwrapped my face covering, Reya bounded over to me.
“You came back!”
Whitey wasn’t far behind her. “That’s a clever trick.” He pointed at my garb.
I grinned at him. “Clothing is my specialty.”
“What are you doing here?” asked Mastiff. Absence didn’t seem to have sweetened him to me.
I took a deep breath. “I’ve come because I need your help. Someone’s fed the governor the idea that this rebellion is coming from the northerners here in Largo. They want them all rounded up, confined, and put under investigation.”
“What?” Reya drew back a step, exchanging looks with Whitey.
“I ain’t being confined,” said Whitey, his face going, if possible, even paler.
“No, exactly,” I said. “It’s a terrible plan and will give the rebellion exactly what they want. But if I’m to convince them of the truth, I need more evidence.”
I looked at them hopefully, but they all exchanged concerned looks.
“What kind of evidence?” asked Lookout. “We don’t got no evidence.”
I sighed. “No, that’s what I was afraid of. Which means we need to find some. You said you know where the Shadow Man has set up residence…”
Dancer raised both eyebrows. “You want us to take you right to them? You sure about that?”
I decided honesty was my best strategy. “No.” I grinned ruefully. “But unless you have any better ideas…”
“I ain’t risking my neck,” said Mastiff.
“Course you won’t.” Lookout rolled his eyes. “But I ain’t sitting back and letting them scoop up half me crew.”
“No one pays much heed to us,” said Reya thoughtfully. “We can get you close enough. They might pay some attention to you, though.”
I grimaced. “I did the best I could to dress inconspicuously, but there’s nothing I can do to make myself shrink.”
“Well, come on then,” said Dancer. “Let’s get going.”