“Yes, and we almost got ourselves killed.”
“This time, we have your magic.” I cast a wink in her direction. “Besides, I am completely serious about using our travels strategically to understand the state of our kingdom and try to recruit others to our cause. Learn where Brahm has stationed troops. Start to form a battle plan for when the time comes.”
“Our kingdom,” she says through a grin. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too,” I say.
“Then let’s go. I’ll disguise us using magic, but we should probably come up with a story for who we are before we run into someone with questions for two weary travelers.”
I scratch the side of my jaw, considering. “We could pose as Rivertoads. They’re wanderers and often travel these back roads.”
“Why do I sense hesitation in your voice?”
I raise a brow. “The fact that they often travel the path we’re on means we are most likely to come across one of them, and, presumably, they know their own.”
“Okay, well, who wouldn’t they know?”
“A brother and sister from one of the west villages? People starved out of their homes and seeking a better life.”
“I thought Ariadne said they weren’t allowed to leave?”
“The citizens of Bolvet Village can’t legally leave. But the Zephrine region is bigger than Bolvet. The region is sprawling, and certain rural families would not be beholden to the law.”
“One disguise, coming right up.” She raises a hand and circles it above her head. Her curly red hair straightens and takes on a pitch-black hue, while her clothing transforms into a mess of rags. Her eyes, usually green, twinkle copper in the moonlight. “Does this work?”
“Less wretched. We may have to buy goods. We don’t want to appear completely destitute.”
Another wave of her hand and she’s in humble riding attire, something similar to what the mountain dwellers wear. “Perfect,” I say.
She trails her fingers in my direction, and my hands transform to slender versions of my own. I look down at my narrower self. Eloise couldn’t always perform magic this easily, but when she resurrected Phantom, she gained access to all the powers of all her ancestors. No longer does she need to carry a grimoire—she has direct access to the experience of the authors of every spell in her parents’ book. Phantom changed everything.
“What do I look like?”
“Blond. Blue eyes. Thin and lanky,” Eloise says. “Very handsome. What should we call each other?”
“Velis and Marquis?” I suggest.
“Okay. Which one of us is Velis?”
I laugh. “Velis is quite obviously a woman’s name.”
“Is it, though?” She quirks a brow.
With a snort, I clarify, “It is on this planet.”
“Fine. Velis, it is. But my rabble beast’s name is Scout.”
“Scout? Why Scout?”
“I always wanted a horse named Scout, since I was nine and readTo Kill a Mockingbird. Sadly, my parents never delivered a pony for Christmas.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird? Were you a violent child?”
“It’s not about actually killing birds,” she explains. “It’s just something one of the characters in the story says. It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are one of nature’s gentlest creatures.”
“Scout, it is,” I mumble.
“What should we call Borus?” she asks me, giggling to herself. “How do you feel about Atticus?”
