Page 49 of The Abandoned Princess

My eyes dropped to where Xander’s hand still lightly gripped my elbow. He let go quickly in response, and I wanted to tell him the contact hadn’t been unpleasant. But Lori had already returned to the road, and we had to hurry to catch up.

Twice more we had to duck out of the way, the final time sending us huddling behind the last house in the village.

“We’ll have to give it longer this time,” Xander said, “to let her get properly ahead of us.”

“How will we stop ourselves running into her when she stops for the night or even just stops for a rest or to prepare a meal?”

“If she makes a fire, we’ll hopefully smell it before we reach her,” Xander said. “And it’s likely that she’ll camp just off the road, rather than in view of it. She’s a lone traveler, so she won’t want to attract attention. Even though she has enchantments to protect her, it’s still simpler to avoid trouble if she can.”

“So we might walk right past her?” I asked, alarmed.

“We’ll keep our eyes out.” Lori didn’t sound in the least concerned. “I’m sure between the three of us we’ll see signs of her.” She hesitated for a moment. “I’ve followed her before—for a day or two at least—so I have a sense of her pace. We’ll naturally move at a similar speed, I expect, so it shouldn’t be too hard to guess where and when she’ll stop.”

“You’ve followed her before?” I stared at Lori, my mouth gaping open. “When?”

“At various times,” she said evasively. “How did you think I was so certain she was leaving the region entirely?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, still shocked to think I’d been so unaware of Lori’s movements. I knew we often went days without seeing each other, but I had thought it was because she was busy tending her garden, catching game, and sourcing our supplies.

Lori didn’t reply, and my frown deepened.

“I think she felt bad,” Xander said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “She didn’t want to tell you she was going so far when you were trapped in the tower.”

Lori sighed. “Aye, that’s it. You’re a perceptive one, young master.”

“I understand because I’ve never liked having to leave anyone behind,” he said in a murmur, and I believed him.

From the moment I’d met him, he’d been easy-going and inclusive. I’d thought my insistence on including Lori on our trip would throw him off, but he’d responded with warm welcome. And even when I’d discovered him about to sneak into the king’s chamber, he’d been quick to invite me to join him.

Being around Xander was nothing like being around the princes of my childhood—especially my own brother who had been the most enthusiastic at excluding me from anything that could possibly be considered dangerous.

It was incredibly endearing that Xander didn’t feel any need to cosset me. I might be about to turn eighteen, but I had missed five years of normal life experience, and he could easily have used my imprisonment as an excuse to treat me as weak and helpless.

I couldn’t entirely trust that instinct, though. I was far too aware of the way I responded to his presence. I had watched various courtships from my window, but I had been barred from participating in any, and there was no denying Xander was extremely handsome.

Was I seeing what I wanted to see in him? He had exactly the sort of lighthearted, adventurous charm that had appealed to me from childhood. But I couldn’t let myself forget that he had left all his family and friends and gone off in search of the missing princess. I might be attracted to Xander, but I didn’t need a prince who thought the role of a princess was to sit around meekly and wait for a prince to rescue her.

He might be entertained by me now—the charm of the unexpected—but how long before he got bored of my real personality and decided it was time for me to step aside, be quiet, and let him be the one to shine? I refused to marry anyone unless we would have an equal partnership. A third prince and second princess from allied kingdoms might appear to be a perfect pairing, but I had finally escaped my tower, and I would rather marry a commoner than find myself in a larger, fancier cage.

Gabe’s charm had been paired with a good heart, but what did I really know about Xander? I had spent my whole life watching the world from the sidelines—both in my childhood and from the tower. I had no personal experience with charming scoundrels. Could I trust myself to recognize one if he appeared?

“I think it’s safe to go now,” Xander said, startling me out of my thoughts.

How long had I been standing there, staring at a wall? I flushed, but neither of the other two noticed. Their full attention was on the main road, which extended beyond the village, cutting through the forest to connect this remote northeastern corner with the rest of the kingdom.

“The tour came on horseback or in carriages,” I said, struck by a sudden thought. “Won’t they overtake us when they return this way? How is Eulalie expecting to stay ahead of them?”

“They’re not heading back by this route,” Xander said. “They’re continuing out of the forest into the foothills of the mountain range that separates Northhelm from Rangmere. They’ll then skirt the southern edge of the forest on their way back to the capital.”

I recalled the maps of the Four Kingdoms that I used to study. “That makes sense. I know there are mining communities in the mountains since they trade with the villagers. That must be the last leg of the tour, though. The day of the transfer of power is getting close.”

Xander nodded, stepping confidently onto the road and leaving me to trail behind with Lori. It didn’t take long for him to drop back to walk next to me, though, and he was soon regaling both me and Lori with tales of his distant home kingdom.

“Kuralan sounds fascinating,” I said, “and I’d love to know more about it. But I’m desperate to find out what happened to my old friends. I heard that someone from my own lands made it across the desert and discovered two new kingdoms, so when I heard the adventurer was called Cassandra, of course I guessed it was Cassie. But it all happened so far from here, and you’re the first person from either of the new kingdoms to make it this far north, so I’ve barely heard any details.”

“You must have been worried about them,” Xander said with quick sympathy. “It’s been hard for them not knowing what happened to you, but at least they had the godmothers’ reassurances.”

I frowned at his words, but I didn’t feel the outrage I’d felt at his first mention of the godmothers’ involvement. I had thought then that the godmothers had glibly assured the others while abandoning me entirely. Now I wasn’t so sure.

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