The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret #1) - Melissa de la Cruz Page 0,54
extrasensory strength to hear either one anymore.
Nearer still. Cal looks at me, his eyebrows knit together. I shake my head. He doesn’t look convinced but he doesn’t move either. The dogs are so close. They can definitely see us at this point. Cal looks like he’s about to go with or without me.
“Wait!” I shout over the noise. The clamoring gets louder. “Now!”
We take off down the road just before the dogs lead their masters right to us—just as a stampede of deer charges across the trail directly in front of them, blocking their path.
I hear men yelling and dogs barking furiously. The deer stampede continues, giving us the distraction we need to get away. The confusion should mask our scent and throw the dogs off our trail.
Once we’ve put enough distance between us and the hunting party, we slow the horses down to a trot. I don’t hear our pursuers anymore. “That was close.” I start laughing and can’t stop. I’m so relieved that it worked.
But if I’m looking for praise or thanks, there will be none from him. “Best to get where we’re going without any more excitement,” Cal says. “I’d like to survive the rest of the way, if you don’t mind. We’ll ride until we get into town.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, unafraid to hide the annoyance in my tone.
Cal says nothing. Just clops on ahead of me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Caledon
ALVILLA IS A TINY BORDER village nestled in a valley, the last proper town before crossing the invisible line between Renovia and Montrice. It’s typically populated by a mix of local farmers, shopkeepers, trade merchants, and diplomats, as well as some unsavory types; a place accustomed to outsiders and unusual people. So nobody pays much mind to two strangers on horseback.
Cal is still uncomfortable, however. There are too many people around for his liking. Out of habit he reaches to pull a hood up over his head, then remembers he doesn’t have one. Maybe I can buy one in town, he thinks. Too bad I can’t get cleaned up properly first, though. He’s in desperate need of a hot bath.
He’s still a bit angry at Shadow for insisting on taking the forest trail. Even if she rescued them from her own mistake, they could have been captured or killed. The closer they get to leaving the relative safety of Renovia, the more irritated he feels.
He should probably get rid of her. Leave her behind somewhere and continue the journey alone. She can go back to Renovia. He’ll send a message to the queen that the girl was a liability. Except it seems Queen Lilianna wanted the girl to be with him, for whatever reason. He’ll have to deal with having a shadow—ha!—for at least a while longer. He’ll just have to be more assertive, stop allowing her to make decisions she isn’t qualified to make. Sent by the crown or not, Montrice is his task—he is the Queen’s Assassin. She may have been ordered to release him from Deersia, but she isn’t equipped to deal with the Aphrasian traitor.
Shadow seems to know exactly where she wants to go. She leads them directly to a tavern in the middle of town. They dismount and tie up the horses; there’s a water trough for the animals, and they can keep an eye on them from one of the tavern’s front windows.
They walk inside and sit down at a small table. A man holding a dirty rag in one hand shouts at them from across the room. “The missus will bring out some salt meat and ale for ya. Four coppers apiece.” He disappears through a door in back.
“Thank you kindly, good sir!” Shadow shouts back, a bit too jovially.
Cal leans toward her. “Do you have any coin? Because I do not.”
“I do,” she says, avoiding his gaze.
“Why don’t I believe that?” Cal says. “Look, if you were given coin for the trip, we should save it for Montrice.”
When she doesn’t answer him right away, he says, “We should leave.”
“But I’m hungry,” she says with a frown.
Cal sighs. “I might have something to eat,” he says, motioning to the drawstring pouch under