I told him of my intention of going to Malawi and wished him to travel with me, but as the words fell from my lips, I knew they were lies, and so did he. We both laughed.
He said, “If we resolve this trouble, I will accompany you. Send word, and if possible, we will make it a trip to remember.”
We departed, Flier again at our head. Each of the five of us carried a pair of jugs of water. Anna forced her way to my side. I hadn’t spoken to her all day. She was becoming attached to me and seemed to wish to spend more time at my side that with her sister.
“Is there a reason you are walking with me?” I asked.
“I miss talking with you.”
“Why?”
“Because you are so smart—and so stupid.”
At that, I laughed, then realized she was honest in her assessment. “And why am I so stupid?”
“Because Kendra can tell if there are mages and sorceresses up ahead waiting for us. She can have her dragon kill them, and any Wyvern waiting for us, too. But you don’t even ask her.”
“I will. I was just waiting for the right time.”
Anna snorted and rolled her eyes again. “Look around, Damon. We’re in the middle of an empty desert. No trees, people, or dangerous animals. Nothing to do but walk. Can you think of a better time?”
I glanced at the diminutive girl and wondered how she’d gotten so smart in ten or eleven years. But not to be outwitted, I said to her, “Where is the dragon?”
She cocked her head and motioned behind us. “Still guarding our backs at the edge of the tree beside the river, I think.”
“Are there any mages ahead of us?”
She smirked. “If there are, I can’t tell.”
I smirked back, mocking her. “Have I mentioned how well you speak Common?”
“Because you barged into my head and taught me?”
“How else would you learn?”
“Mostly from you. I *listen* to what you are about to say, then hear the words and learn, but also from Kendra. I do not hear anything from Emma or Flier.”
“Does Emma know you *listen* to her?”
She gave me another of those eye-rolls.
I said, “We need some rules between us. All of us. No more *listening* without permission for any of us. You can speak in my mind, like talking within. and that is fine. Of course, I will do it with you too. But no snooping. For us, it’s like talking with our mouths, but we project it into the head of the other. No more than that.”
“I think there might be more, but it scares me, and like slapping a bug on my arm, I fight back when bitten.”
That was a reasonable answer. I took a few more steps then said, “If it scares you, don’t do it. I won’t, and I’ll tell Kendra of our decision. Maybe in time, we can all speak like that, but maybe not.”
She remained quiet for a while then said, “I think my mother could mind-speak.”
I said in my head, *Anna, could your mother speak with her mind like this?*
*A little. I’m not even sure she knew she was doing it because sometimes she would say things like “how did you know to do that?” and she’d told me in my head.*
*Your father?* I asked. *Now that we can talk, I need to ask about him.*
*I think he—we—lived in Dagger. Then one day he came home in the middle of the day, and we went to a ship without our things or even extra clothes. He got sick on the voyage. Mother thinks he was poisoned. He died on the ship.*
Out loud, I continued, “So, the three of you landed in Dire without a father, no money, and if I understand things unsaid, there were bad people chasing after you.”
Anna looked at me as if surprised. “Mother said not to talk about it.”
I exchanged a concerned look with Kendra but had learned so much all of a sudden; I couldn’t quit. “Listen, your mother was right in telling you that. But that was then. This is now. Your mother was taking you away from Kondor, we’re going back to it, so if there is anything else you can think of, we need to know. It may help us, and it may keep the bad people away.”
“I understand,” Anna said.
Flier waited until the conversation lagged, then said, “I’m taking us on a little longer route, not much, but it will pass by the Waystone I mentioned days ago. I thought you’d want to see it.”
“We do,” Kendra said before I could answer.
I had the feeling there was additional information she wanted from it that I was unaware of. With her new magic powers, who knows what she was after. I was not going to argue or hesitate to agree with her. “How far?”
“To the Waystone?” Flier asked. “Before nightfall. Vin in midmorning.”
“Are we just going to march right into Vin?” I asked.
He said, “So far, you and Kendra have done everything. I have a surprise or two, but no. We will sneak in.”
“I hate surprises.”
He laughed and said, “And they are usually dangerous in our circumstances. Okay, my family owns a farm not far from the Waystone. We have people who work it, and we share the profits. Once there at the farm, we can get food and clothing that blends in. Then we can walk right into Vin as if we live there, especially if we take a wagon of food to sell at the market.”
“And at the market, we can take a pulse on the city. Maybe even hear of a visiting princess?”
“If we get lucky and the farm is still in operation. But even the Council of Nine has to eat, so my guess is the farm will be there, along with our people.”
Things were looking up. My feet felt lighter. My mood improved. However, an old Dire saying told us to beware of a good time because bad ones always follow. The saying rang true. It filled my mind. I couldn’t make it stop creeping into my thinking.
The question was that things had been going too well for us. Were we due for some bad time ahead?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Princess Elizabeth
Seven of the nine councilmen came to meet with me in my official role as an envoy of Dire. They were due to arrive in the late afternoon on the Gallant. Seven was more than the five I demanded to have a simple majority. I suppose they had grown curious when Timor delivered my ultimatum. They arrived on the pier in five beautiful coaches, and since there was only the passenger lounge large enough to hold us all on the ship, the purser, with the captain’s permission, escorted them there.
The lounge was closed to all but us. I’d left specific instructions that no snacks or drinks be made available to my guests, since presumably, all had dined elsewhere, without me. Perhaps next time they would ask me to dine with them. Besides, it was a small indication that I feared none of them.
After they were shown to the passenger lounge by the ship’s officers, I left them to their own devices as I slowly dressed in a gown made of shimmering threads that Lady Grace revealed to me from one of her trunks. Along with it, she opened a small trunk filled with bracelets, rings, pendants, brooches, necklaces, pins, and on top, the tiara. My father had planned well.
We decided not to overdo it. Simple can at times be more impressive—but I wanted to wear the tiara as a symbol they would recognize. A green-stoned pendant set in gold offset the green of the shimmering dress, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Blue Lady from the mountain pass and the way she shimmered. When fully dressed and we decided they had waited long enough, Lady Grace escorted me to the lounge and formally announced my entrance.
The council members leaped to their feet, but none bowed or curtsied. I waited, caught the eye of Lady Grace and muttered loud enough to be overheard, “Barbarians.”