Page 16 of Ashes of Betrayal

Bree heaved in a deep breath. “Just give me a few moments,” she replied, the catch in her voice unfeigned.

She became aware then that the jewelry vendor was staring at them, his expression expectant.

Clearing her throat, Lara raised her chin haughtily and thrust the two pairs of earrings at him. “I shall take both.”

A delighted smile flowered across his face. “Of course, Your Highness. Six silver pennies, if you please.”

With a snort, the princess dug into the coin purse at her waist. Usually, Lara would haggle, yet she was too distracted to do so today. The vendor took the coins eagerly and set about wrapping up her purchases.

Meanwhile, Lara glanced Bree’s way once more. Her brow furrowed then. “You grieve him?”

“Aye.”

Lara’s expression turned searching. “If you care for Cailean … why did you run off?”

“I panicked.”

Bree started to sweat, resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder at where the princess’s escort still waited. Surely, they’d be getting suspicious now, wondering whom Lara was talking to in such a furtive tone.

Her throat constricted. Her friendship with Lara and Mirren was built on lies. If they knew who she really was, what she’d done, they’d run shrieking. They’d call for the guards to run the ‘Shee fiend’ through with their iron-tipped pikes. But Lara didn’t know the truth, and so she watched Bree expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.

Swallowing hard, Bree took a step back. Now she knew Cailean wasn’t in Duncrag, urgency coiled in her chest. She had to find him. “I should go.”

“Here, Your Highness. Many thanks for your custom!” The jewelry vendor handed Lara a neatly wrapped leather package.

The princess took it, although her gaze remained upon Bree’s face.

Meanwhile, Mirren impulsively reached out and grasped Bree’s hand tightly in hers.

Guilt twisted under her breastbone. Iron smite her, she didn’t deserve the lass’s kindness.

It was time to leave.

“Goodbye, Mirren.” Her gaze then flicked to the princess. “Lara.” She paused then. “Thank you both … for everything.”

Her friend’s gazes clouded in confusion. They didn’t want her to go—instead, they wanted answers.

Gently, she extracted her hand from Mirren’s. Then she pulled her hood down, shadowing her face once more. And, without giving either of them time to stop her, she slipped away into the crowd.

8: A BLESSING AND A BANE

Rothie fort

The Uplands of Albia

Twenty days later …

“I DON’T WANT any trouble in here.”

Cailean cut the big man with the stained apron an irritated glance before focusing on the mercenary seated at the long table in the ale-hall once more.

“The fight master,” he growled. “Tell me what he looked like.”

The mercenary—a wiry man with close-shaven black hair—curled his lip. “Give me another silver penny and I might.”

Heat swept over Cailean, his temper rising swiftly. He didn’t have time for this horseshit. He needed to know where Eilig was. The whoreson was a hard man to find. Years earlier, the fight master had been successful enough to have left a clear trail behind him. But these days, he’d turned into a ghost.

Cailean had started to wonder if Eilig was dead, when he’d learned a group of traveling fighters had stopped here at Rothie.