Page 99 of To Kill a King
Now would be an opportune time to figure out if she could change shape and escape.
Who should she be?
Of course. It was perfect. She smirked as she imagined her captors’ faces when they found King Malkov in their prisoner cart.
Less than an hour later, Aliya sat on the floor in the corner of her wagon, knees pulled up to her chest, feeling sorry for herself. At least the smell from the battlefield had lessened.
The wheels ground to a halt and a fist pounded on the door.
“Hey, Yer Majesty! You awake yet?” Annabelle’s face hovered above the door. “Lunch.” She pushed a loaf of bread and a small bar of cheddar through the window. A leather canteen the size of two fists followed.
Aliya lunged for the food before the roll collided with the chamber pot in the far corner. She crammed the cheese into her mouth and washed it down with the water. The bun was hard, like a baguette three days past its baking-date.
The voices and muffled laughs of her captors floated to her ears from the front of the wagon.
If only she could shift. Cursed manacles. She needed to get them off. This time, she wouldn’t be able to rely on Elessan, or anyone else, for help.
Aliya dug her thumbs into the leathery crust of the bread, pulling the roll apart. She’d figure something out.
Hopefully.
Chapter 20
Zadé
Zadé sat, as always, at the end of the bar. Close enough to order another round, but far enough to the side so she could keep her eye on the room. She hadn’t been to this tavern before…she much preferred Westcliff. Judging from the sign on the door, the human barkeeper didn’t want any elves or mages in his establishment, but her presence was technically his fault for putting his business so near the border. And her gold spent as well as anyone else’s, as long as she kept her cloak pulled up to hide her ears. She smirked. Thanks to her aunt, she had lots of coin to spend, and this was as good an inn as any.
“Barkeep, another!”
He frowned and fixed her with a hard look.
Zadé stared right back as time stretched on. She sighed. Fine. She plopped a few more silver pieces on the counter. The man brushed them into his pocket. Thirty seconds later, five tall glasses appeared in front of her, each with a different ale.
She smiled. What this outstanding establishment lacked in customer service, it made up for in creativity. They named this after a boat of some sort… Ship? Skiff? Schooner! That’s what it was, a fleet of schooners. Or maybe he’d said flight…but that was silly, because boats didn’t fly. Whatever. The ales cost a lot, but the novelty was worth it.
Zadé took a deep chug from the glass on the left and let a loud belch rip.
Did this make her an admiral with her so-called fleet? She guffawed. Admiral Zadé. Wouldn’t that make her aunt twitchy? She should get a hat. A big one, like the real admirals wore. But what use was a bunch of ships, or someone to command them, this far inland?
She tipped her head back and chugged the second schooner dry. Then the third.
The world started to go double on her. She smiled. Tonight would be fun.
She eyed the room and sighed. This place was boring. She needed some patsy she could con into starting a brawl.
The bartender scowled at her.
He must’ve caught the mischievous glint in her features. She rolled her eyes and the floor tilted sideways.
When the room righted itself, two familiar mountain elves stood in front of her.
“Elsan? I didn’t realize you were twins.”
His shoulders slouched, and he pulled out the adjacent stool. “Zadé, I’m glad I found you,” he said in Elven. He took a deep breath. “But I need you…semi-sober.”
She stuck her tongue between her lips and blew at him. “Why?” She pointed at the flight of ales. “I have half a fleet of schooners to drink.” She leaned forward and put a finger to her mouth, speaking at full volume, “Then… Shhh! Don’t tell, but I’m gonna start a bar fight!”
The barkeep crossed his arms and glared at her. She thrust her bottom lip out and ignored him.