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The road yielded no further clues before nightfall. Thea did not understand how as many people as the farmhold must have housed could disappear from the road so swiftly, especially with animals in tow, but the men offered no suggestions.
There were no established campsites like there had been along the road between Kentoria and Ranor, so they stopped only when they were too weary to go any farther. At least, Thea and Rilion were weary; Gil roved up and down the road while they set up camp, searching for signs or indications they may have missed. He still maintained the group had gone north along the same trail they followed, but the road was narrow and unkempt, and it was a marvel Gil saw any tracks at all.
Eventually, he returned. Thea had already spread her bedroll, and she sat cross-legged on the cushion and gnawed dry rations while Rilion started a fire. It was too cold to go without it, but seeing the flames spring to life in the night made her think of the ashes of the settlement they'd left behind. She couldn't imagine a group of travelers stopping without a camp, but there had been no signs they had even stopped for rest. She chewed absently while she watched the fire. The paper-wrapped bars in the supply bags tasted all right, a blend of grains and nuts held together with fruit paste, but the cold weather made them hard. Maybe next time, she'd wait for the fire and warm one up, first.
“Find anything interesting?” Rilion asked as Gil removed a bar of his own from his bags.
He didn't remove his bedroll from his horse yet, just sat on the ground near the campfire. “Have the number of raids and robberies near the borders increased of late?”
Rilion blinked slowly, as if he didn't understand the point of the question. “They've increased in recent days, but I wouldn't say there was any noticeable change in the past few weeks. Come to think of it, the increase started months ago.”
Gil gave a slight frown. “In the spring?”
“Yes. Why? Does that relate to something?”
Thea understood. “Your coronation.” She paused to wipe a crumb from her lip. “Or, the other you's coronation. Your decoy.”
“Lucan's death.” Gil nodded. “What of the neighboring countries? Have you heard anything from them?”
“No. Or, not that I'm aware.” Rilion stared at their provisions as if unable to decide whether he wanted any. “It's possible my father has kept such discussions to himself, but as far as I know, nothing has been out of the ordinary. Angroth and Lyrangroth have reported nothing out of the ordinary, but ordinary for them is to simply not report things. They're very insular that way.”
“And Vahar?” Gil asked.
“Nothing. But their southern edge has the benefit of not being up against the mountains, where it's easy for ruffians to hide. There was...” The prince's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze to the fire. “There was something from Nylmeres. Just something in passing that our quarriers picked up from their miners. Something about having to lock up tools in the mines. Theft had been bad. But theirs is such a sliver of border up against ours. Most of their range is shared with—”
“With Kentoria,” Thea finished. She thought of the scrap of fabric in her pocket. Red was an unlucky color, but it also reflected the nature of fire, making it an ideal choice for such a garment. “Are most of Ranor's raiders Kentorian?”
Rilion nodded. “We are on good terms with Vahar, and as I said, Angroth and Lyrangroth tend to keep to themselves.”
Thea looked to Gil for confirmation she understood what he wanted to know.
He licked sticky remnants of his nut-and-fruit bar from his teeth. “It is safe to say however my opponent infiltrated my kingdom and swayed my decoy to his side, he has used that weak point to try and destabilize Kentoria's alliances, as well.”
“But we aren't your allies,” Rilion said.
“Ranor isn't, but you are. And neither your brothers nor your father hate me. I am arrogant enough to believe they would be willing to negotiate a formal treaty with me, regardless of the difficulties they had with my father.”
Thea suspected he was right. She'd found him charming from the very beginning. As a king, that charisma would serve him well. But alliances had nothing to do with the puzzle piece that still sat in her pocket. “So whoever arranged the deaths of your father and brother is pushing the worst Kentoria has to offer to cause trouble. That doesn't explain why the people they attack would go north, into the mountains, instead of toward Danesse. That smoke was visible from just a few miles outside the city. Shelter wasn't far off.”
“It does not, but I have my suspicions.” Gil slapped his thighs and rose to his feet, abruptly changing the subject. “Rilion, fetch your weapon. It's been too long since we sparred.”
“What, now?” Rilion asked, though the question was pointless. Gil had already drawn his daggers.
Thea stood instead. “I'll fight.” They hadn't practiced for days, and while it wasn't so much time that she thought she'd lose what little skill she'd gained, there was a sense of urgency she couldn't shake—something that warned her of the need for a blade.
“Very well.” Gil beckoned her to the empty space that hardly justified the title of road.
She stepped over tall grasses to join him, dagger in her hand.
She'd hardly set her footing before he came at her.
Though he'd drawn two, Gil fought with only one blade, the other held behind his back. Every strike was calculated, measured, designed to make her think. Real combatants wouldn't fight that way, he'd warned her during their first match. They'd strike hard and fast, aiming to debilitate.
The first five swipes and stabs, she dodged or parried. The sixth slipped past her reach and his dagger came in for her ribs.
At the last second, he twisted his hand and jabbed her side with his index finger.
