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“You’re leaving already?” Lancelet complained. “At least let us walk you back to the castle. Did you come with a guard?”
I gave her a wry look. “Do I ever?”
“You ought to have,” she warned. “You’re careless, Morgan. Sir Ector has told you before.”
I shrugged, refusing to heed this particular warning. “Our city is peaceful. A few thefts here and there...”
And a few executions.
I cleared my throat. “I feel safe. The tavern is only a few minutes from the castle gates.”
Lancelet’s expression remained stony. “Still. Sir Ector and Dame Halyna told the squires there’s growing unrest among the people.”
“What kind of unrest?” Galahad leaned forward.
Lancelet lowered her voice. “You know there have been food shortages. They’re getting worse. Some say there are people starving. Families with children. Within Camelot’s very walls. People are growing angry. They say...” She broke off, looking at me.
“They say what?” I asked.
“They say that there is anger growing, against... the king.”
“Against the king and his family, you mean?” I demanded.
I knew it was stupid of me, but for one brief second I felt almost offended. As if the people of Camelot should have somehow known that Kaye and I were trying to help by hunting the other night.
As if our contribution was significant at all in the grand scheme of things. When children starved.
I imagined the way a mother might feel as she looked at her hungry children and felt a wave of sympathy. Of course the people had the right to feel angry at Arthur and the entire royal family for that matter. The Rose Court showed no signs of imminent starvation–or of any lack whatsoever.
I suddenly felt uncomfortable, sitting there in the tavern. Knowing that when people looked at me they saw merely a spoiled, privileged princess–and rightly so.
How could Arthur have let things get to this point? Camelot was a wealthy and prosperous city. What was causing the food shortage and why wasn’t he addressing it?
I could see from the expressions on my friends’ faces that they were wondering the same thing.
“I’ll ask my brother why this is happening,” I announced, rising from the table. “I promise, I will try to get answers.”
They nodded, but said nothing. It was not exactly a vote of confidence. They knew their king too well for that already.
“Go with the Three, Morgan,” Galahad said softly. “Just... be careful, whatever you do.”
I turned away from the table and began winding my way through the crowd.
Somehow I’d managed to forget that the new guard–Kairos Draven–was still there.
His back was to me as I went past him and for a moment I was relieved. Then I realized that even with his back to me, I still felt as if I were being watched. How was that possible?
I quickened my pace and pulled my hood back up as I neared the door. This time I didn’t collide with anyone as I made my way back out into the streets of Camelot.
