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Well, not only. Leo still had one more piece missing, the part where he became a cat. Leopold was a prince. He was a hunter. But he didn’t have any sort of magic. He couldn’t have transformed himself into a cat, so how had it happened?
He tried to think, but he still came up blank. It was still a dark and terrible thing he had wanted to tell the villagers. Something that could still be lurking out there somewhere, encroaching on his peace like the surrounding thorn trees of the Darkwood.
And until Leo figured out what that was, riding on this horse with his family and his pet human seemed like the only place he should be.
* * *
The king asked Archie which way he thought the bandits of yesterday might have gone. He, noncommittally, pointed in the eastern direction indicated by a twitch of Leo’s ears. But, of course, there were no bandits. So they went down the road for nearly half a day, until they reached the gates of the next town. Carabus. The king called out his greeting to the men on watch. “We are on the search for some bandits coming from Castletown. Have you seen anything suspicious?”
“No, sire,” a bearded man holding a spear answered. “Nothing like that.”
The king did not look convinced. “I do not suppose you would open the gates and let us in to see for ourselves?”
“We would, but there has been another run of sickness. We wouldn’t risk your health.”
The king frowned. Apparently not everyone had trouble saying no to royalty. “Another one? How is it that every part of my kingdom has rid themselves of the plague except for here?”
The man ducked his head. “You don’t have to tell us of our misfortunes. But if you could send us more aid . . .”
“You want my aid but not my troops? Not myself?”
“We wouldn’t risk it, sire.”
The king glanced back at the hunting party and then shook his head. “It is the Spring Festival the day after tomorrow. We will put up a collection during the feast and send you word.”
The guard agreed, and the two men exchanged a quick farewell. The party started to move again, and Archie found the king riding beside him. “Well, Archie, what do you think of that?”
Archie looked to both the cat—sitting on the horse in front of him—and the princess—riding a few feet down the path on her own mount—before finding his voice. The king had spoken to him by name. “I don’t know if they are hiding bandits,”—because the only bandit Archie had actually seen was a cat—“but it is suspicious.”
“I agree,” the king said hard and solemnly. “I hate it when people lie to me.”
Archie squirmed. He couldn’t help it. Was “liar” inked across his forehead?
Or did it merely feel that way?
The king shook his head. “This isn’t the first time Carabus has been . . . less than cooperative. They are family, you see. These lands have always been managed by the crown prince during his training to become king. So, when my father died, making me king before my son came of age, I gave it to Keagan to manage—my Ciara’s younger brother.”
Queen Ciara, Archie quickly supplied in his head. Lord Keagan, the so-called Ogre Marquis of Carabus, was Queen Ciara’s younger brother.
The king continued. “Before the plague, there were some inconsistencies in his reports and a few rumors I didn’t like. Perhaps I should have done more to look into it then, but my son was nearly seventeen—old enough for me to place him on my council and give him the lands of his birthright without it seeming like an insult to my wife’s family. But then . . . Well, these holdings are the closest to Castletown, and still, I have not seen Keagan since before the plague. Not even to pay his respects after his sister and nephew died. And the way people speak of him now . . . like he is some ogre. I’m close to sending in troops and forcing the issue, but something like that can be messy.”
Archie grimaced. He might be a miller’s son, but he was well-equipped to understand how messy family matters could be. Being royalty seemed to only exaggerate the problem.
He couldn’t say he had any other insight to share, but he had to try.
“My father would say that something that smells doesn’t get any better by ignoring it.”
The king laughed, and Archie knew he sounded far too common, but it wasn’t like he could help it. Leo and the princess could do a lot, but they couldn’t speak for him.
“Your father sounds like a wise man,” the king said. They rode on, heading toward the Darkwood. When they reached the first thorn tree, the king reined his horse to a stop. “There has been no sign of any bandits yet, and we’re all out here. Let’s help the boy find his first deer.”
Chapter 17
Catwalk
Once their hunting party had established a camp near the forest, the hounds were sent out with their handlers to drive the deer forward. The remaining hunters were supposed to wait in the appointed area—quietly, under cover of the surrounding foliage with their bows drawn and ready—but that skill seemed to be beyond the abilities of the jubilant princess. As soon as the hounds were gone, she caught hold of Archie’s hand and dragged him off the main path.
They ducked around a few low-hanging branches until she turned to face him with triumph in her amber eyes. “This is a faerie ring. Don’t step inside it—especially when the moon is out,” Ainsley said, brightly pointing out a few white toadstools that seemed a little too symmetrical.
