could blind you.”
“That is how it was when I left,” I told him. I knew it was not his fault the wall looked as worn as it did. But I had only been gone eight years. Now it did not look impenetrable or intimidating or formidable. Now it looked ordinary. Long and tall, maybe. But nothing a battering ram couldn’t crumble.
I found it only a little heartening that it took several hours to get through the gate. The guards seemed as thorough as ever.
At last, they inspected the carriages. My heart pounded as they tore through mine, dislodging Oliver and I until they were satisfied that the interior held no secrets. They moved to our luggage next, throwing our clothes on the ground and in the short, muddied grass along the side of the road.
One of the guards turned toward me, a burly man with a long black beard. “You have little possessions for a highborn.” I bit my tongue. His manner and speech were inappropriate, but it would do no good to call him on it.
Taelon and I had decided before we set out that my identity would not be disclosed until we were inside the palace. It was imperative that we kept my bloodline and the crown a secret until we knew we were safe within the walls.
“The rest of our trunks are behind us.”
“And that?” His gaze darted to the satchel still positioned over my chest and at my hip.
“My purse?” I asked innocently. “It’s filled with only the things a lady would need.”
He grunted. “The style does not seem very ladylike.”
I swallowed back frustration. “I assure you it is.”
“Let me see,” he ordered.
I stepped forward, but the guard grabbed the purse, pulling me right along with him, before I could hand it over. I yelped, but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead growled, “This doesn’t look like any purse I’ve ever seen.”
He had a point.
While I tried to stutter through a reply, Oliver stepped up next to me and explained. “Oh, it’s all the rage in Heprin. All the well to do ladies are wearing them. But perhaps the fashion hasn’t made it quite this far yet.”
The guard reached into the satchel and let out a curse. He pulled his hand back, shaking his finger. “Bloody hell! Something bit me!”
“Oh!” I pulled Shiksa from the pack. “Sorry. It’s my fox.”
His forehead turned into folds of wrinkles, “Your fox?”
I held Shiksa up. “She’s a pet.”
“She’s a nuisance,” he snarled. “Hold her so I can check your purse, or I shall teach her not to bite by roasting her for dinner.”
I cupped Shiksa with two hands and clutched her against my chest. Both proud of her and afraid for her. If he so much as tried to touch my kitling, I would cut off his hand and make him eat that instead.
The guard’s fingers brushed the outline of the secret compartment and I thought my heart would explode. I felt Taelon’s eyes on me and the watchful stares of his royal guard as they waited for the Elysian soldier to finish his search.
The guard reached deeper into my satchel. His fingers bumped again at the false base and I closed my eyes, readying for the inevitable discovery.
Oliver snorted a disgusted sound and said, “Unfortunately, I think Elysia has a lot to learn from Heprin. Crop management for instance.”
The guard withdrew his hand from my satchel to grab Oliver by the throat. “Insult Elysia one more time,” the guard challenged. “See how long you survive inside that wall.”
Oliver’s hands flew up in a staged show of fear. “I meant no harm!” he swore. “Elysia is of course the gem of the realm. She’s beautiful. Really. That wall? I’ve never seen anything quite that splendid!”
The guard snorted and huffed like a bull getting ready to charge. His fist drew back and I knew Oliver was in for it now.
“Is there a problem?” Taelon’s deep voice cut through the tension.
The guard’s eyes lifted to the crown prince of Soravale and he immediately dropped Oliver on the dusty ground. “This man insulted the Seat of Power.”
Taelon lifted one eyebrow. “Is it a crime to speak an opinion now? Perhaps Elysia has made yet another law and forgotten to inform the rest of the nine kingdoms?”
The guard sneered at him. “No, it is not a crime. Although it should be.”
Taelon sighed. “Well, then you are welcome to petition the king about that, but for now, we will be on our way.”
The guard reluctantly