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Then she leads me to a table, and Lochlan is sitting there.
I give a small jolt, then drop her arm.
He doesn’t look any happier to see me. “You came,” he says flatly. “I suppose I’ll be buying your drinks, then.”
“I—what?”
“He didn’t think you would come,” Karri says quietly. “He made a wager on it.”
Oh. Lovely. I’ve run face-first into his attitude. “You don’t need to pay for me,” I say tightly. “Or any of us. I can buy the chocolate creams.”
“I’m sure you can.”
“Are you going to drive away anyone who offers you something?” I say. “It seemed to be working so well in the palace.”
He holds my gaze boldly. “I was just telling Karri that it’s all well and good for you two to be friends, but you’ve changed sides.”
“What does that mean?”
He gives me a cool up-and-down glance. “Not much outlaw left, is there?” He gives a pointed look at the doorway leading to the street. “Nice carriage. Too good to walk now?”
“I’m not too good to walk. It took some time for the message to reach me. I didn’t want Karri to wait.”
He inhales, his eyes darkening, but Karri gives him a solid shove in the shoulder. “Don’t argue,” she says. “She might not be an outlaw anymore, but Tessa is myfriend.”
“So you’ve said.” He rises from the table and offers me a mocking bow. “Do forgive me, Miss Tessa. Allow me to fetch your confections, ladies.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Karri catches my hand. “No,” she says. “Let him do it. Maybe a little sugar will change his mood.”
I sigh, but I sit while Lochlan heads for the counter.
To my surprise, an awkward silence falls between me and Karri. It’s so foreign. We used to sit and chat for hours on end. I still remember the day she realized I was mooning over the outlaw Weston Lark—back before I knew he was Prince Corrick. The memory makes me smile.
Tell me about his hands, she said, and I blushed like a schoolgirl.
“I’m really glad you sent me a note,” I say.
That seems to break the tension, because she smiles, too. “Me too.” She pauses and flicks her eyes at Lochlan, where he stands by the counter. “He doesn’t trust them at all, Tessa. That consul was terrible. It’s obvious he doesn’t care.” She hesitates, and I can hear the fear in her voice. “This morning, Lochlan was worried the meeting was a trap. That you were luring us to the palace. The whole time we were there, he kept waiting for them to drag us to the Hold.”
“It’s not a trap,” I say. “Karri, I would neverlureyou.”
“I know. But there are still people who believe that ‘Weston Lark’ was only a spy to find more criminals to hang.”
I frown. “No. He cares.Wecare. The king really does want to figure out a way to make sure there’s enough medicine for all of Kandala. Buteveryonehas to agree. Not just the elites, and not just the people in the Wilds.Everyone.We all have a stake here.”
“I know.” She hesitates. “Lochlan didn’t even think the rumors of the ship from Ostriary were real. He thought it was a ploy to end the meeting until he heard the talk in the streets here.”
“It’s not a ploy either, Karri! Harristan and Corrick wouldn’t do that.”
She stares back at me, and her voice has cooled a bit. “It wasn’ttoo long ago that you stood with me in front of the sector gates declaring how much youhatethem.”
The words hit me like a slap. She’s right. I did.Shewas the one to chastise me for speaking words of treason.
But that was before I knew who Weston was. That was before I knew everything the king and his brother had at stake.
That was before Corrick and I were captured by the rebels. Before he wastorturedby them.
Before the rebels set the whole sector on fire as a means to show Harristan how desperate they were.
