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I falter, my mind trying to pick through his rambling for the important details. “You know Eden and Brawley?”
“Yes, milady. They’re doin’ well. Happy as can be. You’re Mika’s ma, right?”
“Gracen. Yes.”
“Gracen!” The rambling boy’s jaw drops. “Well, I’ll be. I was hopin’ to find you. Eden talks about ya all the time. Says you make the best pastries, and you were always takin’ care of her. She knew I was comin’ here tonight and wanted me to give you these.” He fishes out a pair of knit baby booties from his pocket and hands them to me. “She was working on a sweater, but it got left behind in Freywich. They left in a hurry.”
I study the stitching. Eden was practicing her knitting when we left. She’s improved greatly. But … “I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Pan.” He takes a few steps and drops his voice to a whisper. “Romy rescued me from my keeper in Bellcross, just like she rescued Eden and Brawley from Freywich. And you guys, too, from what I’ve heard.”
That first day, in the assembly, Lord Danthrin was lamenting how Princess Romeria had stolen his servants. This Pan fellow may very well be speaking the truth. “Romy?”
He holds his hands in the air in surrender. “I mean, Princess Romeria. Actually, Queen Romeria now. She’s got a castle and everything!”
“Can we go?” Mika tugs on my skirt. “Please, Mama! I wanna see Eden and Brawley!”
“No, Mika. We can’t.” For so many reasons. Even having this conversation could be considered treason. I glance over my shoulder, afraid the guard is seconds from catching us. Or worse, Atticus will round the corner. What would he say? Pan shouldn’t be here. “How did you get inside the city?”
“That’s a long story. Me, Romy, and Jarek—”
“Her Highness is here?” I hiss. “Princess Romeria is here?”
“No.” Pan looks like he swallowed his tongue.
“You’re lying.”
“No, I ain’t. She’s not right here.” He points at the cobblestone beneath his feet. “But she wanted me to check on everyone in the castle. She gave me a list. Let’s see, there was”—he peers up into the night sky as if this list is waiting for him there—“a lady maid named Corrin, a seamstress named …”
“Dagny?”
“Aye, that one.” He waggles his index finger. “And her husband and son. Then there’s a caster. Romy wasn’t sure if she’s still alive. And you guys, of course …”
“They’re all fine.” My heart pounds in my chest. All the castle staff who personally knew Princess Romeria. “We are all fine. The king has treated us well, though this poison has made life difficult.”
“Yeah, Silmar was tellin’ me about all the executions they’ve been doin’ around here.” He grimaces. “There’s lots of them going on across Islor too. But don’t worry, Romy wants to take you out of here and bring you to her kingdom.”
“To Ybaris?”
“No. Ulysede. It’s in the mountains, near the rift.” He pulls a gold coin from his pocket and hands it to me. “You’ll be safe there.”
I stare at it in my palm, stupefied. I’ve never held gold before. It’s a moment before I notice the engraving on the face—the double-crescent-moon emblem, the same one that marks our hands.
Faint shouts sound somewhere in the city, reminding me how dangerous it is to be caught talking to Pan. “You need to go. If they find you here, the king will execute you.”
“Right.” His face scrunches as he peers up at the imposing castle. “You wouldn’t happen to know where they’re keeping the caster, would ya? I haven’t made it down to the dungeon yet, but—”
“Do not go down there. It’s full of lords and ladies and guards. You will get caught, and you will be executed. But she is not down there anymore. I heard she’s in the east wing of the castle when she’s not in the city marking mortals. I do not know which room, and you will not be able to reach her. The castle is heavily guarded against anyone unfamiliar. You will get caught and—”
“Executed. I’m sensing a theme.” He grins, despite the dour subject.
The wooden gate into the stable creaks open, and two cloaked forms rush through.
Silmar’s eyes widen, but Pan waves him off. “It’s okay, they’re with me.” To them, he says, “I thought we were meeting in the tunnel.”
“Plans changed. We’ve got to leave now,” the female elven declares, her voice stony.
I fumble for Mika, pulling him tight to my leg.
She freezes when she sees me standing there.
“Yeah. Look who I found!” Pan beams. “Small world, huh?”
“Gracen?” The elven woman pushes off her hood. Her hands are covered in blood.
I step back, ushering Mika behind me, and open my mouth to scream, hoping the guard inside will hear.
“No, no, no … it’s okay. It’s me.” She holds up her hands in surrender. “It’s Romeria.”
