the free berries. I carried as many as I could back into the straw baskets.
“What’s your name?” I asked the girl.
“Cynthia” she said. “And this is Mr. Hops.”
“If you want, I can ride in the back with you, and make sure they don’t spill again?” I lifted my eyes to her mother. She frowned at first, but then rolled her eyes and nodded. I climbed up just as the horse began moving again. A minute later we were at the gate.
I grabbed Cynthia’s hand and held it up to the guard, our palms sticking together.
“Sorry,” I said, “we had an accident. Want some berries?” I grabbed a handful and held them up, the juice dripping between my fingers.
I smiled as widely as I could, willing him to let us pass. He scanned us quickly, studying the dark red stains on our clothes and the girl’s tired-looking mother, and the piles of squashed berries behind us.
But gradually he raised his hand and yelled, “let them through.”
He reached out as we passed, his arm brushing against my hip. I thought for sure he’d seen the wooden stakes strapped inside my jacket, but his hand came away with a bunch of berries, which he popped into his mouth with a wink.
“There’ll be dancing after the wedding,” he called out after me, “hope to see you there.”
I smiled and waved, even though I knew I wouldn’t be sticking around that long. With any luck we’d be long gone before the party started.
I waited till the cart turned the corner, then said a quick goodbye and jumped off the cart. I brushed the juice off my skin and stuffed my fingers back into the leather gloves, then tied my hair up into a tight ponytail.
“Why didn’t he recognize me?” I asked, once the others had made it safely through the front gate as well.
“When you left the capital, you were chosen. Almost a princess. Now you look like you’ve spent a week in the wilds, living off squirrels and roots.”
“That was a neat trick, by the way,” Luke said.
Jazmine was the last to join us. She’d had one of the jesters paint her face, with big red lips and white circles on her cheeks against her dark skin.
“Shut up,” she said, before wiping the makeup off with her sleeve.
“We’re just lucky none of the guards recognized us. We’ll have to stay as far away from the ceremony as possible.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Trevor said. “The elite and nobles will be dressed in their expensive finery. The guards are looking for weapons, not faces. And they’d never expected you to show up back here, not willingly.”
“So now what?” Luke asked.
“We should wait until the ceremony starts to make sure everyone is distracted. I have an idea, follow me.”
We followed the crowd, who were surging into the central plaza of the citadel beneath the palace. Performers on stilts wearing colorful costumes towered above fire dancers and merchants. It was like King Richard was distracting everyone with spectacle.
The green mazes used during the trials had been cleared away. In their place was a raised stand with an altar made of pink and white roses in a large heart shape. Even from a distance I could smell the sweet floral scent. Hundreds of chairs were set up facing the altar, divided by a central aisle with a long red carpet. The chairs were still half empty, as the esteemed guests and nobles were slow to take their seats. Most of them were socializing at the round tables near the back, with large carafes of sparkling wine and kegs of beer.
Around this display, divided by a red velvet banister and wooden slats, the public was already crowding for a good view of the ceremonies. We avoided the worst of the crowds, instead opting for the upper garden areas on the walls around the city. Even these were crowded, but we managed to find a place to stand with a good view of the area below us. It was also near Damien’s apartments, so I could sneak off and grab the key during the ceremony, if all went well.
Horns sounded, as a cue for the guests to take their seats. The nobility and elite strolled leisurely to their spots, as the crowds outside the fenced area roared with approval. I noticed from this angle the king’s guard surrounded the ceremony, lined along the perimeter like toy soldiers.
Unlike the grunts at the gate, these were special troops, their visors