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“Oh.” He shook his head. Then smiled. “Of course it’s worth it.”

A few of the Venyatux and Rising Wave traders were gathered around his table, looking through the tunics he’d put out, and with another smile, he bustled over to them.

Ava watched him talk to them in a jocular tone.

He didn’t look her way. She walked along the line of tables, but kept looking back at him, but he made no move to fetch the shirts and put them up for sale again.

She would have nightmares about the working she had just subjected him to fading over time and him going back to his original plan further down the road.

But she had no way to change that, unless she joined the trade caravan herself.

She considered it. Then forced herself to acknowledge that she might as well take the shirts herself, then. And she couldn’t have even the smallest hint of involvement.

Her cousin would be wary. Especially now she had escaped.

He might even be expecting her to do exactly what she was doing.

Which was why she’d created such an elaborate plan in the first place.

She’d known it was risky.

She’d now done even more to mitigate that risk.

She’d have to leave it to fate.

And let her cousin actively seek out his own doom.

Chapter 22

Luc circled the caravan again. There were others doing the same, keeping a watchful eye both toward the caravan, and outward, scanning the plains.

He kept the hood of his cloak up.

He didn’t need any word of the Turncoat King being seen alive and well to reach Fernwell, even though they must suspect he had made it back to the Rising Wave after his escape.

Suspecting wasn’t knowing for sure.

Of course, Haslia knew, and she could confirm it to her Kassian masters.

Still, long ingrained caution ruled his actions, and he wasn’t prepared to be foolish, just because it seemed likely they already knew.

They would know Ava was with him, too, if Haslia was a Kassian spy and had headed for Fernwell herself after running last night.

Hopefully later today he could talk to Revek, and find out what he knew. What Haslia had said to him.

He sighed, and then straightened in his saddle when he saw Ava walking to the end of the carts that made up the caravan, and then turn to walk back down the line of tables toward the cart that had transported the Rising Wave and Venyatux traders.

She had on a new cloak, and he suddenly remembered his own idea to buy her one.

She had obviously had the same plan, and used her day off to do something about it.

He altered course, aiming his mount toward the caravan, but keeping his speed to a gentle trot.

She must have heard the hoofbeats, because she turned and shielded her eyes to look in his direction, and like him, altered her course to walk toward him.

When they met in the middle, he reached down and swung her up into his lap, and chuckled at the surprise on her face.

“How did you do that?” She gaped at him.