Disguised as Regent Saldur, Arista traveled down the stairs, wondering what Modina had almost said. The excitement of the night, however, kept her thoughts jumping from one thing to the next. She discovered that she could remain in her disguise for a long time. It broke when she slept, but it would last beyond what she would need that night. This gave her greater confidence. Although she was still concerned about bumping into the real Saldur, the thought of seeing Hilfred again was overwhelming.
Her heart leapt at just the thought of traveling home to Melengar with Hilfred once more at her side. It had been a long and tiring road, and she wanted to be home. She wanted to see Alric and Julian and to sleep in her own bed. She vowed she would treat Melissa better and planned to give her maid a new dress for Wintertide. Arista was occupied with a long list of Wintertide presents for everyone when she stepped outside. The broad face of the harvest moon illuminated the inner ward, allowing her to see as clearly as if it were a cloudy day. The courtyard was empty as she crept to the wagon.
“Hilfred!” she whispered. There was no response, no movement in the hay. “Hilfred.” She shook the wagon. “It’s me, Arista.”
She waited.
Her heart skipped a beat when the hay moved. “Princess?” it said hesitantly.
“Yes, it’s me. Just follow.” She led him into the stables and to the last stall, which was vacant. “We need to wait here until it’s nearly dawn.”
Hilfred stared at her dubiously, keeping a distance.
“How …?” he began, but faltered.
“I thought Nimbus explained I would appear like this.”
“He did.”
Hilfred’s eyes traveled up and down her figure, a look on his face as if he had just tasted something awful.
“The rumors are true,” she admitted, “at least the ones about me using magic.”
“I’ve known that, but your hair, your face, your voice.” He shook his head. “It’s perfect. How do I know you’re not the real Saldur?”
Arista closed her eyes, and in an instant Saldur disappeared and the Princess of Melengar returned.
Hilfred stumbled backward until he hit the rear of the stall, his eyes wide and his mouth open.
“It is me,” she assured him. Arista took a step forward and watched him flinch. It hurt her to see this, more than she would have expected. “You need to trust me,” she told him.
“How can I? How can I be certain it’s really you, when you trade skins so easily?”
“Ask me a question that will satisfy you.”
Hilfred hesitated.
“Ask me, Hilfred.”
“I’ve been with you daily since I was a very young man. Give me the names of the first three women I fell in love with and the name of the one I lost because of the scars on my face.”
She smiled and felt herself blush. “Arista, Arista, Arista, and no one.”
He smiled. She did not wait for him. She knew he would never presume to take such a step on his own. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. She could feel the sudden shock in the tightening of his muscles, but he did not pull away. His body relaxed slowly and his arms surrounded her. He squeezed so that her cheek pressed against his, her chin resting on his shoulder.
“Maribor help me if you really are Saldur,” Hilfred whispered in her ear.
She laughed softly and wondered if it was the first time she had done so since Emery died.
CHAPTER 23
THE HARVEST MOON
Royce and Hadrian began investigating the spouts, giant tunnels bored out of the rock through which molten lava would blast on its way to the sea. There were dozens, each one aiming in a different direction, their access to the mountain’s core sealed off by gear-controlled portals. They climbed the interior until they reached the opening and the sky.
The sun was up and the sight below forced Hadrian’s stomach into his mouth. They were well above the bridge level. The world looked very small and very far away. Tur Del Fur was a small cluster of petite buildings crouched in the elbow of a little cove. Beyond it rose mountains that looked like little hills. Directly below, the sea appeared like a puddle with tiny flashes of white. It took Hadrian a moment to realize they were the crests of waves. What he thought might be insects were gulls circling far below.
None of the spouts were blocked, none of the portals tampered with.
“Maybe it’s in the other tower?” Hadrian asked after they had climbed out of the last tunnel.
Royce shook his head. “Even if that one is blocked, the pressure will vent here. Both have to be closed. It’s not the spouts or the portals. It’s something else—something we’ve overlooked—something that can seal all the exits at once to make the mountain boil over. There has to be another master switch, one that locks all the portals closed.”
“How are we going to find that? Do you see how many gears are in here? And it could be any one. We should have brought Magnus.”