Page 20 of The Rebel's Prize

"Have you been here before?" Chloe asked.

He nodded. "We were here yesterday talking to the caravan master. Besides which, I can spot my own standard easily enough." He pointed to the flag that flew from the top of the hut, the breeze just strong enough to keep the de Roche tower and stars in dark green and silver billowing. "That is the secret to navigating this place—learning everyone’s crests." He gestured at the other huts, each sporting one or more flags. There must have been close to fifty, a riot of brightly colored fabrics dancing in the air, the sound of them adding to the general noise of the kharaevenia. She recognized a few of the crests as Illvyan, but most were unfamiliar.

The building had two steps up to a deep porch. Lanterns lit the inside of the small room, but the air was cool. She caught the shimmer of wards on the walls. A cooling charm most likely, along with whatever other protections had been added. Unexpected but welcome.

The woman sitting behind the large desk that took up half the space was also unexpected—because she wasn't a man. Her robes were a vivid blue that set off her gleaming dark skin and eyes. Her black hair was braided away off her face, rings of gold and blue stone dancing in her ears. Kharenian, perhaps, rather than Miseneian.

"Good morning, my lord," the woman said, smiling with a flash of white teeth as they entered. "I see you have been successful in your venture." Her gaze moved from Lucien to Chloe, curiosity lighting her eyes.

Lucien nodded. "Yes, this is my wife, Lady Castaigne. Chloe, this is Mali inFalusi. She's in charge of the caravan that will be taking us to Partha."

Mali bobbed in a brief curtsy. "Good morning, Lady Castaigne. Welcome to Jinkara."

"Good morning, Madame," Chloe said politely. "Or is it Mamsille?"

"It’s Madame." Mali laughed and waved her hand out toward the sea of tents. "My husband is out there somewhere, organizing the last of the wagons, I hope. He is good with the animals. I handle the rest." She smiled as she said it, but looking at the stack of papers and ledgers piled on the desk, it seemed her words were no exaggeration.

Chloe nodded. "And what is our cargo?"

Mali smiled approvingly. "What’s left of last year's cloth from your serineau flocks, my lady," she said. "And casks of brandy and a few other things. No livestock, you'll be happy to hear."

"You don't like driving beasts?" Chloe asked. That seemed strange for someone who had chosen the life of a trader.

"I do not mind them so much," Mali admitted. "But they do slow the caravan things down. This way we will only be limited by the speed of the horses and the oxen rather than the need for goats and sheep and cattle to be fed and watered so often along the way. It makes us slightly nimbler. I understand you may need some diversions from the route, which is another reason to choose goods that do not grow road weary."

Chloe glanced at Lucien, wondering if Mali knew the true reason behind their travels. "Let us hope things are not too exciting."

"Yes, my lady. I far prefer trips where it all goes smoothly."

Regardless of how much Mali knew, the fact that Lucien was accompanying the caravan had to be cause for a good deal of speculation. How long had it been since one of the de Roche family had traveled with one? She couldn't picture any of Lucien's sisters amongst the dust and noise. No one rose to be a caravan master through being a fool. And an intelligent woman would know that it was unusual for her lord to accompany a caravan north. Serineau cloth was valuable but hardly enough to warrant the personal attention of a marq whose occupation kept him in the capital or traveling as the emperor demanded rather than the needs of his estate. Mali and the other workers making the journey must rightly suspect that perhaps it was his other duties that had caused him to join them.

Lucien nodded. "We've taken enough of your time, Mali. What time do you expect to depart?"

She pointed at the clock sitting on a shelf on the rear wall. "Perhaps another hour or two. We are aiming to leave before the midday traders begin to arrive. That will give us time to get to the next decent campsite with light to spare." She focused back on Chloe. "We will review the day's travel and make sure everything is in order before we settle in for the night. Which in turn will make the next morning run more smoothly. Sometimes after the first day's travel, we redistribute the loads slightly, see which beasts are reacting well or which may need to be changed in their pairings."

Chloe tried to look as though she knew what Mali was talking about. "Does that happen often?" She didn't know a lot about horses and even less about oxen, but she had a vague idea that they tended to work in established teams.

Mali waved a hand. "Beasts can be contrary, just like people. They have their moods and tempers. Most of our teams are well established, but we have a few new horses and two new oxen this journey. It may take some time to bed down the best teams. But it is nothing that should delay our journey, Lady Castaigne."

"Well, I look forward to learning more," Chloe said. "Lucien's trading concerns are broad, and it will be good for me to gain some experience of them firsthand."

Mali lifted an eyebrow. "That is not a sentiment that many women share. Wagons and tents are not to everyone's taste. This can be tiring work but interesting." She laughed, the sound rich and deep. "Which is just as well, or else I would be entirely in the wrong line of business."

Chloe smiled back. "As it happens, I quite enjoy travel myself." She didn't know whether Lucien had told Mali about her being in the diplomatic corps. And given the fact that she didn't know her current status within the corps, perhaps she should refrain from mentioning it herself. But the thought that she was going to see some new parts of the empire, even under the current circumstances, was something she had to admit was cheering. And as much as Lucien was annoying, it was good not having to navigate all the unforeseen and unknown places she was about to experience by herself.

"If you wish to rest, my lady, before we set off, there is a tent behind the store which has been set aside for yourself and the Sejerin. It will be more comfortable than a wagon. And we have some horses along, so you can spend some time riding during the day, if you prefer." She turned her attention to Lucien. "I assume you will ride some of the way, my lord?"

He pulled a face, nodding. "Yes, better than spending all day in a wagon. I remember the first time I traveled with a caravan with my father. The weather was terrible, and he wouldn't let me ride. Those wet days inside the wagon seemed to last forever."

Mali laughed again. "Well, we do not need to fear the weather much. At least for the next few days while we are still within Miseneia. We may hit some rain as we go farther north where spring will be lingering, but nothing that should keep you cooped up in the wagon all day." She tapped a scroll that lay on top of one of her ledgers. "Would you care to see the route we are taking, Lady Castaigne?"

Chloe nodded. "I would, but I'm sure you must have much to do to organize before we leave. I would not like to get in your way. Perhaps you can show me tonight?"

Mali nodded. "Very well, my lady. I look forward to it."

* * *

"Didn't Mali say something about a tent?" Chloe asked as they left Mali's office and Lucien started to walk back down the row of similar buildings.

---