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“Who is the right question because this city is the farthest from the border with Acca.”
“So, where’s the enemy?”
Jrijori swept an arm.
I frowned. “In the castle?”
“Somewhere in the Great Desert, in a place long buried. I think someone tapped into something they shouldn’t have.”
I remembered that first lord I’d been assigned to so long ago and his discovery of ruins in the mountain. “Secrets are hidden for a reason.”
And so much fun to tease out.
CHAPTERNINE
Done with our chat, Jrijori and I split apart for our individual rooms. New clothes awaited me, laid out on the bed. A Weztrogian-style dress. Since I’d made my point and drawn attention, I changed. Never be too predictable. Besides, I’d still be a curiosity with my bare face and hair. Hair that I wore down around my shoulders, the ends of it curled, though not easily. I didn’t have my usual heated stone brush.
A knock sounded at the door as I put on a brooch with a clasp easily triggered to release the gas in the small compartment inside. Jrijori had also brought me a ring. My kind uncle dropped them off easily. Apparently, he’d gone to town to find me some gifts to make up for the robbery. Or so he claimed aloud for anyone watching. I didn’t know how he’d met with Qynn to get me some stuff, but I felt more at ease with my potions at hand.
Knock.Knock.Knock.Knock.
Impatient servant.
“I’m coming,” I muttered, smoothing my skirts as I walked. The material was stiff and didn’t have the split leg of the riding habit I’d worn before. The shoes pinched my feet, and I wondered what anyone would say if I kicked them off during the meal.
Upon opening the portal, my eyes veered right away to the man dressed all in black, slouching against the wall across from me. He didn’t straighten at my appearance.
I pursed my lips. “Can I help you?”
“I’m bringing you to dinner before you can complain about my manners again.” He lifted his face to show off a smirk.
I might not recognize the features, but I recognized the voice.
This was the king?
I eyed him more closely, noticing the shaggy dark brown of his hair. It matched the unshaven jaw. He was bigger than I remembered, especially once he pushed off the wall.
Tall, too. And definitely handsome. Too handsome. How had I never heard our monarch was pretty?
“Since when does a king play servant and escort the guests?” I asked, stepping into the open vestibule area for the guest bedrooms.
He shrugged. “Given the tongue lashing you offered earlier, I feared you might go on a bloody rampage if I didn’t escort you myself.”
“Is that really it, or are you afraid I’ll get lost and discover your secrets?”
“Everyone gets lost in here eventually. It’s easy to take a wrong turn.”
“Sounds like you should put up signs with directions,” I suggested as he took my hand and tucked it on his arm. I didn’t understand the tingle that went through me.
“Making it easy would ruin the fun.”
“Only if you provide simple directions. You could post signs in a different language, or a riddle. Make newcomers work for it.”
He offered me a crooked smile. “You’re clever like your uncle.”
“I am, which is why I’m going to ask, what are you doing?” I paused in the middle of the stairs out of sight in the bend.
“I am guiding you to dinner.”
