*
Several days later, Quinn stared down at the remnants of a campfire. Anyone could see a group of men had stayed here two days ago. To the captain’s trained eye, however, there was much to cause concern. First, the number of travelers was ten—which was typical for a Kimisar squad. Second, they posted roving patrols as far as four hundred yards out. And third, they traveled quickly. Unburdened with wagons and the need to stick to roads, they covered twice the distance in one day as the escort unit, and he didn’t have the time or resources to track them down.
Ash Carter came up behind him. “I’m glad we brought the dogs. We might never have found this otherwise.”
Quinn nodded. “They’re headed north, into Crescera. Do you think they intended to meet with that group we dispatched a few weeks ago?”
Ash shrugged. “Don’t know. But that courier said there’s activity all over the border since we left.”
Quinn had a packet of dispatches for the king and his council in Tennegol, but messengers from his father would find them along the way with updated reports. The first had caught up with them last night, bringing news that the army had mobilized and stretched out to meet a number of incursions.
He was missing out on everything.
“I’ve never seen a raid this small so far north,” said Quinn. “They were only a couple days from Crescera.” This group could already be there.
“Must be after food. All the granaries are up here.”
“On foot? How could they carry enough grain back to justify the trip?”
Ash frowned. “Maybe they’ll steal horses here. Last I heard, Kimisara had eaten half of theirs.”
“That makes sense,” Quinn said. “Makes it easier to sneak in, too. I wonder if what our army’s reacting to down south is a diversion from a bunch of little raids up here.” He was already writing the report in his mind for the courier to take back, glad he’d made the man wait.
The pair remounted their horses and headed back to the road, where the caravan waited. Quinn frowned as Robert’s dark head came into view. If there were Kimisar in the area and they realized Rob was with the escort, Quinn had no doubt they would come after him. Kimisara had a long history of hostage taking in addition to raiding, and the crown prince would be a target too tempting to pass up. Quinn felt he could protect Rob against superior numbers, but when they met with the women in a few days, it would be more complicated.
He hadn’t thought to post picket scouts around the group as it traveled, but it now seemed necessary, especially if there were more squads out there. An idea formed in his head as he balanced the need to protect Robert with his plans for spying. He turned to Ash. “I have a new job for you, my friend.”
11
SAGE HEAVED HER trunk onto the wagon, then arched her back and stretched. The matchmaker rolled her eyes. “I hired men for that.”
Sage hopped down from the cart. “Seemed silly to let it sit in the dirt till they got around to it.”
“You’re making this trip as a lady,” Darnessa admonished. “Every stop along the way is a chance to observe people we need to know about, and if you ruin that image, you won’t be able to get close to them.”
“Yes, yes.” Sage straightened her skirt. “I just wanted to wait as long as possible before putting on the yoke.” The monthlong journey to Tennegol would be exhausting, but Darnessa had promised she could wear breeches on the way back.
She dutifully played the part of a shy noble girl as the women arrived, most meeting for the first time. Many obviously saw one another as rivals. Sage pictured a burlap sack full of cats and wondered which would come out with the most scratches.
The matchmaker introduced her. “This is my assistant, Sage, but you will call her Lady Sagerra Broadmoor. She’ll be traveling as one of you, and you’ll follow her instructions as if they were my own.”
“She looks like that girl with the fowler who trained my father’s hawks when I was young,” said a blonde, leaning in to squint at Sage.
“She very likely is,” said Darnessa. The matchmaker probably meant to sound kind, but Sage felt patronized.
Lady Jacqueline crossed her arms. “Sage is a peasant’s name. Or a bastard’s. Which is she?”
They talked like she wasn’t there. “I can speak for myself,” Sage snapped.
The young woman turned her head, peering down as if Sage were an insect she could crush with her high-heeled satin shoe. “Then which is it?”
“Neither, but you can bet your pretty ass you’ll be kissing mine before we get to the capital.” Sage smiled and curtsied. “My lady.”
Jacqueline looked ready to bite back, but Darnessa slashed her hand through the air between them. “Enough. Her name is Lady Sagerra Broadmoor as far as anyone else is concerned, and if one of you leaks otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Jacqueline turned and stalked away, several others following her lead. The matchmaker scrunched her mouth to one side. “That probably could’ve gone better,” she said.
A hand slipped into Sage’s, and she looked down in surprise—Lady Clare. She remembered the sweet face—and that hair. Dark, glossy curls the color of maple syrup cascaded over one shoulder, not a strand out of place. Clare smiled shyly. “I’m glad to meet you, Sagerra,” she said. Clare squeezed her fingers and left to say good-bye to her family.
Sage watched her walk away, feeling unmoved by the gesture. Over the winter, girls who’d never deigned to speak with Sage for years had suddenly wanted to be her friend, which was flattering until she realized their kindness was only designed to get them better matches. No one was ever nice to her unless they wanted something.
*
It was only ten miles to Galarick, and the bridal group arrived shortly after noon. Sage located the library almost immediately and intended to spend the rest of the day there but found herself wandering restlessly on the walls. Galarick’s layout resembled a fortress with an inner and outer ward and barracks for soldiers, but it was only a glorified manor house—all the grandeur of a castle but little of its strength. Fortifications were unnecessary this deep in Demora, especially since the border with Kimisara had been pushed so far south.
When horns announced the arrival of their military escort, Sage’s curiosity was enough that she found a spot on the inner wall to watch them parade in. There were about thirty soldiers total, and horses outnumbered men nearly two to one. Several hunting dogs walked among them, deftly avoiding hooves. The riders, all dressed in black jackets, breeches, and boots, dismounted as one and began unloading carts and leading horses to the stables. There was talk and some laughter, but not as much as she expected.