Page 100 of The Threadbare Queen

“I can’t help what you thought, Sirna. I was calling to Gregor, and I said that I had Melodie riding with me. I found the blanket I’d lent Avasu on my step this morning, and saw the tent had been packed up. If that wasn’t you, who was it?”

Vanin Gruger coughed. “Gregor and I took the tent down. Avasu wasn’t inside, and neither was the pallet, so we assumed you were up already and had packed it back in your cart.” He looked blandly at Sirna, his face holding the same calm expression he always seemed to have.

There was a moment of silence and Evelyn and Sirna exchanged a glance.

Evelyn’s lips thinned in anger. She wasn’t going to admit to having taken the pallet back the evening before, leaving Ava to spend the night on the ground.

Ava leaned against the tree, amused at her misdirection.

She had, in fact, traveled with them by sitting on the back step of Madame Croter’s cart. Vanin Gruger had been the next cart along in the caravan, and she had watched him carefully as he’d sat on the driver’s bench, but the only time she’d worried he’d seen her was when the cart’s rough passage over poorly-maintained roads had forced Ava to stand and give her backside a break. He seemed to start as she stood and held onto the side of the cart for balance.

She’d frozen in place, and after a moment he’d relaxed again.

Maybe he had caught sight of something, some shadow as she stood, maybe it was coincidence.

With Vanin Gruger, she never really knew.

“The girl probably wandered off again, and you left her behind.” Madame Croter’s voice took on an accusatory edge. “Didn’t you think to check on her this morning? You knew she was cold and disorientated from last night.”

Sirna stood, the movement aggressive, and Gregor got to his feet slowly as well.

Melodie had been sitting with Blackie on Madame Croter’s step, and she looked straight at Ava, her eyes going suddenly wide.

Ava stared back, putting a finger to her lips and then beckoned her over.

Melodie hopped down and skipped into the trees closest to Madame Crater’s cart. Ava moved behind the tree to wait for her to make her way through the wood, shielded from view.

“I thought you were running away.” The little girl whispered the words as she darted forward.

“I decided to follow you to make sure Sirna doesn’t hurt anyone, and to see if some of my friends are waiting to help me at the border.”

Melodie blinked at her. “Is that why you’ve made your cap like that?”

“Like what?” She was interested to know how Melodie saw her workings.

“Telling eyes not to see you.”

“Yes.”

Melodie gave a slow nod. “I’ll pretend not to see you, too, then.” She glanced over her shoulder uneasily as the tone of the conversation ratcheted up.

“Tell your father I’m here, if you can do it quietly.”

She looked up at Ava, frowning. “So he knows he has help if Sirna does something bad?”

The little girl was sharp, Ava acknowledged. “That’s right.”

“Okay.” She barrelled forward, gave Ava a clumsy hug and then began working her way back through the trees to Madame Croter’s cart.

“We’ll have to go back and look for her.” Sirna’s fists were clenched at his side.

“I thought you said you lost—” Evelyn cut off what she was going to say as Sirna sent her a vicious look.

“She’s probably wandering along the track, looking for us, poor thing.” Madame Croter stood and brushed crumbs from her dress. “I hope you can find her.”

“You’re not going to help us look?” Sirna asked.

“Not if we want to make the border before sun down.” Vanin Gruger shrugged. “They close it from dusk. If you don’t get there in time, you have to wait until morning to get through.”

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