Page 11 of The Spy

Ama shook his head.“Hair dye won’t fool a Yarokian assassin.The only way to avoid death is to convince Yaroi killing me will cause them more problems than they want to deal with.My having ties to two different royal families will go a long way toward persuading them.”

“But we first have to get you over the border where that protection is in effect,” Karl finished.“Shouldn’t we keep your identity hidden until then?”

“I’ll just hide in the wagon compartment any time we need to be out of sight,” Ama explained.He slipped past Karl and strode back onto the road.

“How did the wolves not smell you in those compartments, by the way?”Karl asked, following Ama.

“That’s because the Yarokai aren’t as smart as they think,” Ralph said, turning around from where he had been helping Marc stow away lunch.Then he caught sight of Ama.“Well, shit.”

Chapter Seven

“WE KNEW THEYwould have wolves at the gate to do the searches.They have great noses and are very strong, so they can respond to threats,” Ama explained as he limped his way into the center of the camp, outwardly oblivious to both Ralph and Marc’s dropped jaws.Karl remained at the edge of the path, content to watch everyone’s reactions.“Wolfsbane destroys their sense of smell, which they obviously would have noticed, but if you only use subtle hints of wolfsbane in strategic locations they don’t realize their sense of smell was affected.”Ama stopped walking at the long step up into the driver’s seat, tried to lift his foot high enough to reach, and then grimaced and carefully put his foot down again.

“You— You’re—” Ralph spluttered.

Ama nodded.“I had to wash out all the dyes, so this is my real appearance.Why do you think Queen Carmillian and Prince Braxton were so anxious to rescue me they sent Karl?”He paused, still grimacing.“I won’t be able to walk all the way to the border, especially not at the speed we’ll be going.I would prefer not to be confined in the hidden niche the entire time though.”

Ralph snapped his mouth shut and shook his head vigorously, as if the force could realign his brain.It apparently worked, since when he focused on Ama again he was only frowning, and his shell-shocked look had faded.

“While we’re under the concealment of the trees, you can sit up there.We’ll make room for you to sit or lie inside the wagon when we’re back out in the plains.Karl, why don’t you help him up and take over the reins for the rest of the afternoon?”Ralph clapped his hands, which startled Marc and Tilly back into action.

Karl hurried over, and between himself and Ralph, they managed to lever Ama up into the driver’s seat.Karl sat on the bench next to Ama and picked up the reins, realizing as he squeezed the leather straps between his fingers that he had never actually driven a wagon before.Before he could worry about that issue, Tilly appeared at the head of the lead horse, which started following her without Karl needing to actually do anything.Marc and Ralph apparently took rear guard, since Karl couldn’t see them as the horses picked up speed.Emily was keeping up her carefree child act, humming softly to herself and occasionally skipping, as she walked with the wagon on Karl’s left.To Karl’s right, Lady Ettine strode along.Something about the way she walked was slinky.Her hips rolled with every step as if she was used to having more joints than her human body actually held.

“She’s a Yarokai,” Karl murmured to Ama, gesturing with his chin in Lady Ettine’s direction.

Ama nodded, then shook his head.“What do you know about the power structure within Yaroi?”he asked instead of answering.

“The strongest lead, and there’s a constant struggle to prove who the strongest actually is,” Karl replied slowly as he parsed through his memories of what little he knew about Yaroi.“The royal family are the most powerful, which is why they rule, but there’s always a chance someone more powerful could usurp them because that’s how their society works.The majority of people in Yaroi shift into some sort of animal form, although there are some who cannot shift at all.And…um…” Karl paused, trying to remember the last part that nearly everyone knew about Yaroi.“Oh, the animal a person shifts into is decided by magic, not family lineage, so parents who shapeshift into rabbits can have a child who shifts into a wolf.”

Ama nodded.“That’s the gist of how their society works.Sometime between the ages of five and ten, children move from their parents’ house to the schools and residences set up for the group of whatever animal they shift into.Within that group, there is a constant power struggle to be the leader, and the leaders are the noble families of the realm.So the alpha of the wolf pack or the head of a clowder might be a duke or marquess, but even the noble titles are based on strength, so the leader of the fluffle will only reach as high as baron since rabbits are considered weak.

“The exception to that is the royal family.None of them ever join a herd or pack.They’re strong, we know that, or they wouldn’t be the rulers of Yaroi, but we don’t know much more about their shape-shifting abilities.They keep the secret of their royal magic closely guarded from the rest of the world.What we do know, from Queen Trina, is the royal family are subject to similar internal power struggles.Queen Trina was sent away to Toval as a marriage prospect because she didn’t have Yaroi’s royal magic, but also because she was born without the ability to shift forms.She has no animal nature inside.”

The marriage restrictions within the royal families of the continent were common knowledge.If a prince or princess could wield the royal magic, they remained home.Any children born without the royal magic became fodder for marriage contracts with foreign nations because they could be sent away.Queen Trina’s marriage to the king of Toval had solidified trade agreements between Yaroi and Toval.All four of their children had the royal magic of Toval so had remained in Toval.

“What you’re saying is the Yaroi royal family takes the royal marriage issue to another level,” Karl said, focused on the part Ama had explained about Queen Trina not being able to shift forms at all.“They only allow children with no shifting ability whatsoever to leave Yaroi as marriage prospects?”

Ama nodded.“Exactly.Which brings up the question of what happens to the princesses and princes who are not born with the royal magic but can shift forms.”

“I’m assuming it’s not good,” Karl replied, frowning.

“My fiancé was chosen for me this year,” Lady Ettine suddenly cut in, her eyes sharp and shrewd, far too shrewd for a ten-year-old.“Earl Blackenwater controls significant territory to the west along the mountain border with Zafindere.He’s over fifty years old, and his first three wives did not survive, although no one asked any questions about what happened to them.I was to be married to him next month.I wrote to my dear aunt in Toval, asking for her advice, and she sent Ama.”

“This is Princess Melody Ettine Leon Ealdwulf Dracen Yarotai, a cat shifter of some sort who did not inherit the royal magic, and I was tasked with kidnapping her and bringing her to Toval,” Ama added, his carefree grin back in place.He liked shocking people, Karl realized, and that childlike grin was oddly cute below eyes that were serious and said he understood the gravity of the situation they were in despite joking about it.

“We’re traveling through the middle of nowhere in Yaroi with two members of royalty, one of whom is running away from home.This is going to go well, I can tell,” Karl groused, shifting on the uncomfortable bench, unwilling to let his brain focus on where Lady Ettine was supposed to end up.He was too disgusted.

Ama gave him a sharp look that was part admonishment and part curiosity.“You do know that even though you weren’t officially adopted by Prince Fenwick, you’re listed everywhere as his son?We technically have three members of royalty in this caravan.”

“And that is why we’re going to run our way through Yaroi and across that border, before Yaroi realizes just who we are,” Ralph added, appearing next to Emily on Karl’s left.

It was also why Ralph was here, Karl added mentally as the realization dawned.Ralph was usually Char’s bodyguard but was acclaimed as one of the best swordsmen in the entirety of Toval.If Toval wanted to protect someone, sending Ralph was a great idea.Karl would also bet Marc and Tilly were equally strong.And, despite being only ten, Emily was very good with a blade as well.This was a miniature war band.

Not being officially adopted by Fen wasn’t a sore spot for Karl.Most people, particularly courtiers, thought it would be and tended to try poking at that perceived wound first.When he was younger, Karl had been confused by them.He completely understood why Fen couldn’t adopt him and definitely appreciated Fen still taking on the role of second father anyway, so it made zero sense to Karl why people thought needling him about it would garner any sort of reaction out of him.These days, Karl knew they were jealous.Thankfully, since Karl had spent most of his time in a kitchen before heading off to Timmonsville for two years, he didn’t have to interact with them much.

Still, apparently being unofficially adopted was enough to make him one of the problems Ralph needed to keep an eye on.Karl suppressed a sigh.Also, Karl realized in dawning horror as the thought came to him, if they were caught and Yaroi found out the royalty of two separate nations was complicit in kidnapping their princess… He couldn’t complete that horrifying thought even in his own head.It did explain why Ama’s punishment had been so vile, his body literally rotting to death after they finished torturing him, if Ama was the one who helped Lady Ettine escape from the palace in Yari.Karl had no idea how Ama had managed that, but Karl was glad Braxton had diverted him into Yari to help save Ama.Even if it meant three members of royalty were relying on Ralph to get them home safely.

Ralph had dropped back again, and Lady Ettine was walking with Tilly.Karl looked at Ama, ready to pepper him with all his questions, but closed his mouth without saying anything.Ama was asleep, his chin resting on his chest, just above where his arms were crossed.He looked uncomfortable, but completely exhausted, so Karl let him sleep.

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