I nodded, swallowing the fear clawing its way up my chest.
Dyter closed his eyes. “You’re not the only one, unfortunately. I don’t know how it happened. We had men check the area for soldiers before everyone left.”
I told Dyter what the man had said. “If Lord Irrik can conceal himself like Mum says, then the man could be right,” I said. “The Drae was breathing fire all over the place.”
“You think it was the Drae’s signal to the ground soldiers to follow you?”
I paled. No. I hadn’t. But that put a different perspective on last night.
“That certainly explains it,” Dyter continued. He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes briefly. “Your mother’s going to hurt me for getting you involved.”
“We’re going away for a few weeks,” I said. “She said to tell you.”
“That’d be best. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to ya.”
Last night had been scary, but I’d thought myself safe when I got home. I’d even come to think of it as exciting. Now, that sense of security was rapidly burning away. I might’ve wanted some interruption to routine, but this? This was much too scary, and I didn’t like it, not one bit.
Dyter said, “Hold here a bit, love. I’ll be back.”
He disappeared out the front and reappeared a few minutes later. “Drak. Two tails, al’right. One’s tall and skinny with a face like a snake, and the other’s a fat toad.”
“Seriously?” A laugh escaped, my anxiety rising to hysteria. My tethered grip on reality was slipping.
He cupped my cheeks, forcing me to stare at him. “Take a deep breath, Rynnie. It’s going to be fine. One is headed around the back now. I just saw him go. I’m going to distract Toady, and I need you to run. Go into the Quota Fields, and then head home. Make sure you go sideways through a couple of zones so you can lose them, al’right? Your mother, is she going to be out all day?”
I nodded.
“Well then, you best stay in the fields until curfew. I don’t want you home alone.”
“Can’t I stay here?” I whispered.
He squeezed my shoulder and shook his head. “I don’t know what the soldiers plan to do or how much they know. If they come here, you’d be in harm’s way for sure. I don’t want that, especially when I might’ve put you there in the first place.”
“I made my own choice,” I said, refusing to let him feel guilty over allowing me to work here.
“I know,” he smiled, “But you’re the daughter I always wanted, and I can’t help getting overprotective.”
“I . . . I can help.” I wasn’t sure if I could or not, but I didn’t want to leave. Somehow, in my mind, staying here with Dyter was safer than hiding in the fields.
“I appreciate that. I do. But that no is firm. I won’t have you here.”
I scowled at him. A real one. “Shouldn’t I warn Mum?”
“Your mother is a lot safer going about her day in ignorance. But you tell her as soon as you see her next. If you need help getting away in the morning, you send word via Arnik, you understand?”
I knew that look, and I’d learned years before that it wasn’t worth arguing once his no was firm. It was time to dash past the toad and hide in the fields. “Yes, Dyter.”
He gave me a tight smile and headed for the door.
5
The workers had left their stations more than an hour ago. The sky was now a convincing twilight, and there could only be an hour until curfew, just enough time to get home if I ran. Mother would be back by now, and I was certain if I wasn’t back before curfew, she’d actually worry for once.
I’d spent the day thinking about all the things I should’ve done if I hadn’t been completely flustered by having two of the king’s guard following me. Like asking one of the children to run a note to mother, telling her to pack, or how about staying at The Crane’s Nest last night instead of taking a moonlight walk and being spotted by the king’s Drae and getting into this stupid mess?
Next time I decided to take a moonlit walk, I was going to slap myself. Twice.
Except for now. Because I was taking a moonlit walk now.
From tomorrow onward, if I ever even thought about a moonlit walk, I’d slap myself twice.
The skies had been empty all day, but before I moved, I gave the sky a last anxious scan.
Nerves twisted in my gut, making me eager for the moment Mum could take over the decision-making. Prior to this trouble, I’d thought myself a capable person, but I was learning this wasn’t true at all.
I kept low, opting to scuttle through the fields with the high growing vegetables and fruit for extra cover. Snake and Toady weren’t following me; I was certain. I’d taken considerable care losing them in the Quota Fields of Zone Six. Then I’d dodged through five before hiding in the fields of Zone Eight for the day.
Thirty minutes later, I was back in the fields of my own Harvest Zone. If I could make it over the Market Circuit and through the fountain garden in the Money Coil, the rest of the way to our house in the Wheel would be easy.
I sprinted across the Market Circuit and all the way to the edge of the fountain garden. I pressed myself to a brick wall as I stared up at the sky, panting hard. The stars were just starting to wink into life, and I took a deep breath before turning my attention across the garden.
My feet faltered, and I nearly had a heart attack when I glimpsed the man standing in the shadows opposite me.
He wasn’t a soldier—they all wore the same blue or green uniform with a black trim. This man wore solid liquid black, perfect for sneaking. I blinked several times to get rid of the blur his clothing had going on with the shadows, almost as if the dimness clung to him. My eyes were obviously feeling the strain of the day.
“Psst,” I whispered to him across the gap, determined to be a good neighbor. “You shouldn’t be out here, mister.”
I couldn’t see his face, shadowed as it was, but he was tall and muscular. I’d crossed over into Seven, and the thought came to me that this man better not be Arnik playing tricks. I’d kill him.
The man turned to me, just his head, and I gave him a pointed look. “Well? What are you standing there for? The king’s Drae is out and the soldiers, too. You need to get on home before curfew.”
The man jerked, as if surprised I was addressing him.
I rolled my eyes. This one must’ve dropped his acorns when he was fighting for the emperor.
“You see me?” he demanded.
Oh, brother. It was sad, really, what happened to men after war, but Mum said manners didn’t cost a thing. Using the politest tone possible, I asked, “Are you usually invisible?”
The silence following my remark was drawn out. In only a few seconds, it became awkward. I shifted, debating whether I should leave him, but something about his surprise held me back. His mouth open and closed several times, and then he answered, “Yes.”
He took a step toward me, still cloaked in shadows, and my heart stopped.
It wasn’t that I immediately connected his single word reply to what it meant.
Not at all.