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There was a long, deafening pause between them until Maris ended it with an annoyed sigh. “Valda,” Maris touched Valda’s knee. “Why didn’t you let me read the reports? I could’ve seen what Dristan wanted to do with the roads, I could’ve made annotations to further the work, but you didn’t even let me touch them. Why?”

Valda stiffened under Maris’s soft touch. She tightened her jaw before gripping Maris’s hand. “There were some things I didn’t want you to see.”

Maris frowned. “Why?”

“It was an investigation.”

“On what?”

Valda swallowed hard as a deep rumble rolled from her chest.

Maris narrowed her eyes and realization washed over her. “On me?”

The queen dipped her chin to her chest.

Maris slowly pulled away from the queen’s strong grasp. Silence consumed the carriage; the only sounds were the clopping of hooves and the groaning of the wooden structure around them.

“You still don’t trust me, do you?” Her voice quivered, unable to look at Valda.

“I do.”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” she muttered.

“Maris,” Valda whispered. “We will read that report, together if you wish.” Her hands moved to her slacks, wiping her palms against her knees.Maris noted this was something Valda did when nervous. She would rub her palms against her pants, as if wiping something off them.

The carriage groaned as it took another bump on the road. Maris looked outside the small window, taking in the vast plains of the desert.

“What was the investigation for?” Maris asked, not wanting to face Valda.

“I want to know more about you. Your father was a soldier in my army, you said so, but you claim you were not taken care of after his death. I want to know the reason.”

“So, it’s not me? You are investigating my father?”

Valda nodded. “Who was he?”

Maris turned back to Valda, her upper lip twitching. “He was the kindest, most loving man I’ve ever met. He was a Skylian soldier, and his name was Raan Era. There. Now you don’t have to have anyone read the report. You got it from the source.”

As Valda opened her mouth to talk, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

“What’s happening?” Valda asked, searching for the door latch. She opened it with a sharp shove and stepped outside with Maris following close behind.

Maris’s demeanor changed to fit one of the Queen’s assistants. She craned her neck to look at the carriage driver before she placed her arms on akimbo. “What happened? Why are we stopping?”

“It is impossible to go forward in the carriage, ma’am.” The driver shrugged and jerked his face towards the road.

“Stay here, Your Highness,” Maris placed her hand on Valda’s back for a second before moving to look at the road ahead.

The shrubbery of thorns and cacti by the side of the road would hurt the horses, and the road itself was uneven and cracked, making it impossible for them to continue on wheels. Maris scratched the back of her head and turned to Valda.

The queen’s eyebrows were knitted together in both worry and apprehension as she waited for confirmation. “What is it?” she asked as Maris walked back to her.

“He is right. There is no way the wheels can take that. We either go on foot or turn back.”

“Absolutely not. We are hours away, and we are not packed to go walking.” Valda rubbed her face angrily before turning to the guards by the back of the carriage. “I need two horses, pack the necessary things to get us through, and go back to the castle along with the carriage.

One of the guards nodded and jumped off his horse to do as commanded.

“That’s it? We are taking only two guards?” Maris asked so only Valda heard.