Page 39 of The Uncrowned Prince

Hergolden-browneyes…

Vaniell heard a sharp intake of breath from Karreya when she looked at Senaya, as if she’d seen something unexpected. But no surprise appeared on her face, and her hands did not drop to her daggers.

Instead, she seemed to go blank, dropping further behind him and losing all trace of interest or personality.

But it was too late to ask for her reasons, as he was already stepping up to the front of the stall and offering his most charming smile to the proprietor.

“Good morning, and a fair wind to you and yours,” he greeted her, adding a slight bow at the end.

“May your skies be clear and your sails full,” she returned politely. “What are your needs today? I have fresh gingerblossom and powdered yarrow, plus a new stock of imported purple leaf tea.”

“A friend mentioned you may have herbs to aid with bruising.”

She nodded and gestured to a basket of what appeared to be dried flowers. “Leopard’s bane. It can be made into a salve and applied to the skin, though I recommend applying to an apothecary for the correct formulation. The flowers themselves can be poisonous if not handled correctly.”

Vaniell allowed himself a theatrical wince. “Any other options that do not include death by poison?”

“I might recommend oil of rue, but I do not stock it myself.” She tilted her head sideways and looked around him at Karreya, whose eyes seemed stubbornly fixed on the ground. “Is this for you or for your bodyguard?”

Vaniell chuckled lightly. “My bodyguard, I am happy to say, is wise and skilled enough not to allow herself to be punched in the ribs.”

At that, Karreya jabbed him in the back with something sharp—hopefully not a dagger.

“Then I suggest you seek out a competent apothecary on Trade Street, who can compound the leopard’s bane into a salve for a small fee.”

“An excellent suggestion, Mistress…” He left an open pause, to which she merely smiled and slipped a generous handful of the dried leopard’s bane into a drawstring bag.

“One silver shell,” she said, and Vaniell groaned inwardly as he produced the money from the depth of his pocket. He’d hoped she would be the friendly, talkative sort, so that he could work his way up to showing her the portrait without seeming to know too much.

Instead, she seemed close-mouthed and canny, and he was still considering the best way to ask his questions when Senaya leaned to the side and addressed Karreya directly.

“Do you require anything?” she asked gently. “I will not meddle where there is no need, but if you are bound to this man against your will, there are those who can help you.”

Vaniell blinked in surprise and turned to look at Karreya. She had somehow made herself appear so small and harmless, the woman thought he was threatening her.

But at the question, she looked up and met Senaya’s gaze with a bright, challenging stare. “I am exactly where I intend to be.” Her tone was cold and harder than flint. “And I am here for purposes of my own.”

The older woman had remained entirely calm and self-controlled up to that point, but when she looked into Karreya’s eyes, she blanched and her hands began to tremble. She froze there for an instant, seeming poised between fear and flight.

But the moment passed, and she dropped her gaze, backing away from the counter and dipping her chin. “Then if there is nothing more I can do for you, I believe it is time for me to close up shop for the day.”

Before Vaniell could think to protest, her jars and baskets were being neatly stacked in a tall, narrow wooden crate.

“Please, if there is something we have said to alarm you…”

But her hands were still moving swiftly, and she did not answer. The crate proved to have straps so that she could carry her wares on her back, and once she shouldered her burden, she did not so much as turn to offer a polite farewell before stepping through the opening in the back of her stall and disappearing.

Vaniell turned, intending to question Karreya about whatever had caused her to confront the woman so abruptly.

But he was left blinking in confusion, because she, too, had disappeared into the crowd, leaving no hint of either her reasons or her destination.

CHAPTER10

The woman moved quickly, and she was wise enough to watch the rooftops as well as the side streets. Both her caution and her flight told Karreya that she had not been mistaken in her assessment, nor in that swift unmistakable flare of recognition.

Her own heart was beating faster than normal, and the palm sized portrait beneath her shirt seemed to burn where it touched her skin. Nervous anticipation hummed through her veins, and her chest felt achy and hollow. As if she did not know precisely what to hope for.

It should have been impossible, but her memory was excellent, and she was particularly trained to recall faces.

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