Page 81 of Gilded Crown

“She has scruples so it's not like she'll turn on Morning Glory,” said Aurelius. “I’ll reward her again later.”

“I’m guessing you both had some kind of agreement that if you ever brought anyone to her house, she’d pretend you two were strangers?”

“Of course.”

That figured. Jari had been quite new at that point, so he couldn’t be upset about the Prince not showing all of his cards.

The surrendered and gathered soldiers vowed their loyalty to Aurelius who was now the King although he wouldn’t be crowned just yet. Too much needed doing. The dead had to be dealt with for one. With the wall and the gate being so unsafe, Este said her soldiers would camp outside beyond the pass instead of trying to get them all in. The city would grow too crowded anyway.

Someone had been sent to fetch the supply carts. Once all of the living Novans pledged their loyalty, Jari and Aurelius split up.

The injured were already being helped which was no easy task since some had been pinned under rubble. Healers in the army did their job. As the dead were gathered, Jari picked a side street for them to be laid out so they could be sorted. Citizens searched the rows of dead Novans for relatives, and the weeping tore at Jari.

An enemy soldier isn’t always the worst person. They fight because they’re told to, and loyalty or fear keeps them going. That, and pay. Most citizens had made it through with no trouble.

Dead Wockston men were also lined up so that those still living in the army who had been a relative or a friend could find them and prepare their bodies to be taken back to Wockston for burial.

Some civilians helped to clear rubble, and a large group moved stones on the main path to make it safer once more.

Some were leaving the stones from the path too close to the wall, and Jari had to get them to lug the pile elsewhere. They still had to clear away the wall rubble so the stonework could be repaired, and they couldn’t do that with a pile of junk so close to it.

Dead bodies in the pass were also hauled into the city. The sight of some so broken made a couple of citizens vomit.

Around the afternoon, he couldn’t find Aurelius in the city and figured he was in the camp since that was a whole other thing to deal with. He made his way down the path with Mercury who had been given water, some food, and a quick rest. Jari led him down on foot.

“You did good, boy. Now you can say you fought alongside a Prince, a Princess, and their royal mounts. I should take youback to your actual owners since I kind of stole you. Actually, I totally stole you. When you go back, you can tell the plow horses about your epic journey and how you fought alongside Galahad, the famed horse of our new King.”

Mercury left out an angry whoosh of air through his nostrils. Maybe sticking him back on that lazy farm with little do would be an insult. It’d be so dull after all of his grand adventures.

“If I offer money and a new horse, I could likely convince the owner of that farm to let me keep you. They probably won’t even be mad when I explain why I snatched you and how I was aiding our rightful ruler. You can stay with me.”

Mercury snorted and picked up the pace a bit.

Jari mounted him once it was safe and wound through the tents and soldiers in the camp. He spotted a couple that were weeping and guessed they’d lost a friend or relative. Some were stony-faced, and others were already getting shit-faced as they passed around whiskey bottles. One pair was so thrilled that they’d made it through alive, they were making out by a tent, and someone shouted to get a room.

He found Este in her tent, and she was speaking with a few lords who also hadn’t changed out of their bloody, dirty armor.

“Where’s Aurelius?” asked Jari.

Este, who had only taken off her gauntlets, made a vague gesture. “I'm not sure. He's around somewhere.”

Jari searched, but he didn’t see the telltale gold hair anywhere. Sitting on Mercury, he stood in the saddle to look around again before he started asking soldiers. Finally, one said they’d seen him leaving the main camp with a couple of men.

“To do what?”

The man shrugged. “Why would I ask, m’lord? It wasn’t my business. I saw him going that way.”

He pointed, and Jari rode through the thick throng until he reached the edge. Mercury cantered at his urging.

A man in heavy armor will leave some decent bootprints, and a trail of trampled grass and prints led Jari around the southern side of the mountains. Sickness rose in his gut. Why would he go out this way? Unless…everything was fine, he had a reason, he was close by, and Jari would feel stupid for letting the uneasy feeling get a hold of him.

A copse of trees lay to one side, and about a quarter of a mile in, deep ruts marked the dirt which showed a cart or a wagon had been there.

The dirt was kicked up on one side like there had been a scuffle, and bootprints went every which way. Jari spotted a long strand of golden hair that was vivid against the dark dirt. The cart was already long gone, and there was no Crown Prince to be seen.

Jari’s heart thudded as he imagined Aurelius being taken away. Two men would have trouble managing it alone, but if a few had hidden in the cart, they could have easily surrounded and overpowered him. He followed the ruts through the copse, and they continued out into the empty plains ahead. A few hoof prints followed them which meant horses had been tethered to wait.

This had been planned. It was no spur-of-the-moment idea that someone had acted on.

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