Page 5 of The Abandoned Princess

“Thankfully your parents had the foresight to send sufficient coin,” she said. “We will head back toward the coast and then continue north until we find a ship heading for our own kingdoms. There is no need for us to determine who is truly at fault in the attack—all we need to do is get safely home. Your parents can manage what happens after that.”

“You want us to get on a ship and go home?” I cried horrified. “But what about the other girls? We don’t even know if they’re alive.”

“While I hope they may have escaped harm, they are not my responsibility. You are. And since I cannot hope to protect you if we put our trust in the wrong people, we will trust no one and remain concealed.”

“You’re serious.” I stared at her. “We can’t possibly just turn around and go home!”

“I see no reason why we cannot,” she said frostily.

“I—” I stopped myself before I could express any more rebellion.

Lori would be watching me closely enough already without giving her more reason to restrict my movements. It wasn’t as if she was attempting to bustle me onto a ship this very moment. She planned for us to move northward, and the Arcadian capital lay in that direction. Who knew what might happen before we managed to secure two berths on a ship? It would be better to stay quiet for now.

Lori regarded me suspiciously, clearly mistrusting my silent acceptance, but after a moment she decided to let the matter go. Despite her confident manner, she had to be beyond anxious about our situation.

I threw my arms around her waist and squeezed, taking her by surprise.

“Your Highness,” she said, disapprovingly, but I grinned up at her, unapologetic.

“You have to stop calling me that if you want us to travel in disguise. Just Daisy is fine. And thank you. For everything.”

Her face softened slightly. “Enough of that nonsense now. We need to get moving. One of the locals is heading north in an hour and was willing to give us a ride in his wagon. I said we’ve been traveling for days and have just arrived from the next town. Everyone I encountered took one look at my face and offered assistance without asking prying questions.” She lightly brushed the burgeoning bruise. “Apparently the locals are disposed to help anyone fleeing from harm. So as long as we don’t say anything to raise suspicions, we should be able to pass through largely unnoticed.”

“My lips are sealed,” I said primly, ignoring her look of disbelief. “But do you think we could find some food before we climb into another wagon?”

She immediately softened even further, hustling me out of the shadow between the buildings and into the sunlight.

“Of course we can. If we go now, we might even be able to find something hot.”

* * *

Lori was right about leaving the hamlet without attracting any particular notice. Unfortunately I was less accurate in pinning my blithe hopes on the capital. The wagon she had found for us was an enclosed one, like those used by the trader caravans, and we were shut away in the back. Lori was delighted to have us out of sight, but it also meant we could see nothing.

I had to rely on the change in the wagon’s movements, the increased noises filtering through the wooden walls, and the feel of cobblestones beneath the wheels to announce our arrival in the capital. There could be no doubt about the change, though, and I waited in eager anticipation for the wagon to stop.

But every time it did, Lori put a cautionary hand on my arm and moments later we started moving again. We were only navigating the increased traffic rather than reaching journey’s end. And as more and more time passed, a horrible suspicion crept over me.

“He’s not traveling straight through the capital and heading further north, is he?” I asked Lori.

Her pleased smile sent my heart all the way into my boots.

“Yes, that’s right. Finding him was an excellent chance. He isn’t even a local but was only passing through that village on his way to his home in northern Arcadia. With any luck, our enemies will find we have vanished into thin air.”

“Lori!” I cried, horrified. “I thought we were looking for a ship in the capital?”

She gave me an equally horrified look in response. “Of course we aren’t going to look for one in the Arcadian capital! Must I remind you that we still don’t know the extent of the conspiracy against you? If we can find a large enough ship heading west in the northern part of the kingdom, I will consider it. But I would far prefer we found berths in Northgate.”

When I stared at her, dumbfounded, she frowned.

“Northgate—the capital of Northhelm, Arcadia’s northern neighbor? Weren’t you always poring over your family’s maps of these kingdoms? Surely you remember the names of the capitals at least?”

“Of course I know what Northgate is!” I said. “I just thought…”

I didn’t finish the thought, a new one taking its place. I had wanted an adventure, and wasn’t that exactly what this was? The thought of tamely hopping on a ship to head straight back home had been crushing, but a wild flight across two kingdoms was another thing altogether. After all, in the original plan I was only the youngest princess in a large royal delegation, so how much freedom would that have allowed?

I sat back. “I can see you’re right,” I said placidly. “I quite agree.”

Lori’s expression only grew more concerned, her sharp eyes narrowing as she examined my innocent smile.

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