Page 14 of The Spy

Karl obeyed, filling a bowl of stew for himself before stepping to the side so Ralph could get some too.Beef stock with a tomato base, thick cubes of stewing beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and whatever other vegetables Char had on hand—this was one of the meals Char served in the coldest parts of winter when the soldiers who ate in his mess hall most needed a stick-to-your-ribs shot of warmth.Karl savored every bite, the sharp tang of bay and basil mixing perfectly with all the other flavors.When Char could get it, his secret ingredient was okra to help thicken the stew, but Karl thought this version was made with dried peas as thickener instead.The peas probably powdered better for transport in a travel bag under Char’s magic than the okra.At the mess hall, Char served this with his garlic bread dripping with butter and spices, which had a crunchy crust and soft inside perfect for sopping up any remaining liquid in the bowl.

“Needs garlic bread,” Karl muttered.

Tilly heard him and let out a laugh.“Oh, yeah.Chef Char’s garlic bread.”She made a yum sound, her eyes and mouth closed tight in what looked like remembered ecstasy, but then she suddenly spun to look at Ralph.“Do we have any more of that bread we bought in that village?”

Ralph’s eyes lit up.“We do.We don’t have butter or garlic, but at least we can have bread.Marc!Where’s that bread gone?”

Marc was inside the wagon with Emily, staying hidden while Ama and Lady Ettine were out, but he still yelled back a moment later.“Got a whole loaf and a half in here.Let me cut some slices for everyone.”

Karl got two slices of bread only starting to go stale, which added to the crunch and made it perfect for sopping up broth.Without the garlic and butter, the taste profile wasn’t nearly as good, but using the bread to sop up the dregs of broth in his bowl was still extremely satisfying.Karl licked his fingers when he was done, sighing happily.

Karl helped with the cleanup and then crawled into a bedroll.He couldn’t think clearly enough to remember how long it had been since he had actually slept properly.The ship from Timmonsville to Yari had been cramped, uncomfortable, and smelly.He hadn’t slept then.The next night was when he had rescued Ama, and Karl had gotten only a few hours’ sleep.He had slept in the wagon that morning, but that was more due to magic exhaustion than getting actual rest.He certainly hadn’t slept well the last few nights.A week, maybe?Had he really been traveling that long?Karl tried to get his brain to engage and got nothing.He rolled over and only then realized he was next to Ama.

Beneath his tan, Ama’s skin was bleached out, pale and clammy with massive dark circles under his eyes.None of the vivacity Karl remembered from after Ama’s rescue remained, only this shell of sickness.Whatever Emily had done to help was already wearing off.Still, being close like this, able to hear Ama’s breathing and see his chest moving beneath the bedroll, was somehow relaxing.Karl’s eyes slid closed, and he drifted off to sleep, comforted by the lullaby of Ama nearby.

Chapter Nine

KARL’S INNER SENSES, far too attuned to someone leaning over him in his sleep, jolted him awake.He gasped, trying to stem the instinctive panic, and sat up.

“Sorry, kid!”Ralph said, his tone slow and soothing.“I forgot.It’s just me.You’re safe.”

Karl wiped sweat off his forehead and purposely slowed his panting, breathing in through his nose and out his mouth the way he knew worked to get his heart to stop thudding frantically in his chest.He didn’t honestly remember what had happened when he was a kid that now caused him to absolutely freak out whenever someone leaned over him like Ralph had just accidentally done.The circumstances of his birth were a massive question mark.Karl was pretty certain who his father was but had zero idea about his mother.Soon after his birth, he had been sent to a special home meant to house and hide away bastard children of Toval’s nobility.He had met his adoptive brother Shan there, and a few years later, Emily joined them.And then one of the local gangs got too interested in how a peasant family always seemed to have extra money for food and such when the man and woman who ran the facility never seemed to work.The gang had attacked, hoping to get their hands on some of that money, but instead destroyed the house and sent the inhabitants scattering to safety.

Karl didn’t know where anyone else had ended up, nor whether the adults had survived.In the end, he, Shan, and Emily had found a hidey-hole for themselves up until the day Karl had gotten caught trying to pickpocket Jensen, one of the leaders of the Royal Forces.Karl firmly believed his life had actually started the day he walked into the barracks where the Royal Forces were housed.Everything before that was just a hiccup—except when someone leaned over him and his body reacted without any input from his brain.

“Horses are awake and eating, so we’re packing.It’s about one in the morning,” Ralph continued, knowing that talking to Karl was the best way to bring him out of that instinctive panic.“I’m hoping to get Ama to drink some more before we have to hide him away again, if you want to help?”

Focusing on Ama was enough to fight off the last dregs of panic.Karl climbed out of his bedroll and grabbed a nearby water skin.While Ralph held Ama upright, his head high, Karl carefully trickled water into Ama’s mouth.Ama did swallow some of it, but most of the water trickled back out, sliding between his lips to splash on the ground.

“We’re almost there,” Karl whispered into Ama’s ear, hoping Ama could hear and understand.“Just hang on a little longer.”

They got Ama tucked back into his hiding spot and the horses hooked to the wagon, and they were off.Karl walked to the side of the wagon, close to the hatch, not that he could do anything for Ama when they were moving like this, but it made him feel better all the same.He only hoped Ama might sense him out here and find some comfort.

Hours went by as the miles passed under Karl’s feet.The moon set long before the sun rose, but the path was clear even in the darkness, the wagon’s wheels firm in the ruts.The horses didn’t seem to be particularly pleased about moving in the dark, grunting and biting at the bits in their mouths, but under Tilly’s urging, they kept walking.Finally, the barest hints of light began to grow on the horizon to their left.They were able to move faster then, picking up their pace as the first sliver of sun crested over the prairie grass, lighting their way.Once the sun was fully visible, around what Karl estimated to be six o’clock, Ralph called a halt.

“Let’s have a quick breakfast,” Ralph called, and Marc scrambled to the back of the wagon to go dig out the jerky and some oats for the horses.Karl headed to Ama’s hatch, but something made him pause, his fingers on the release button.The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.He stepped away, looking around into the grass.

The sunlight burnished the prairie to a beautiful shade of gold, glittering as the morning dew began to evaporate.Everything looked peaceful, and yet his instincts, honed by his years on the streets and sharpened by his time with the Royal Forces, said otherwise.

“What is it?”Ralph asked, stopping at Karl’s side.His hand drifted to his side, but he grimaced when he only found his belt knife.In his role as a merchant, he couldn’t openly wear his sword, but Karl had a feeling it was hidden somewhere on the wagon within easy reach.

“I don’t—” Something flashed out of the corner of Karl’s eye, and he spun to look.High, up in the sky, something shiny reflected against the sun, like metal soaring through the air.

Karl squinted, trying to figure out what the heck was up there.Whatever it was turned and banked like a raptor, but no bird Karl had ever heard of came in metallic colors.Karl also thought it was far too large to be a mere bird.Maybe someone was flying a kite…out in the middle of nowhere in Yaroi.Not likely.He used one hand to shade his eyes from the rising sun, but that didn’t help either.If Karl wasn’t mistaken, whatever it was, it was getting closer.And bigger.

“Shit,” Ralph swore.

Karl glanced at Ralph briefly, unwilling to take his eyes off the incoming thing.Ralph’s face had gone pale, and he hurried past Karl to the wagon, from which he opened a small door and pulled out a sword.

“What is it?”Karl asked, looking back to the sky.He could make out some details now.It was silver, with a pair of long wings and a long neck.Possibly there were some spikes on its head and along its back, or it was wearing some sort or armor.Actually, now that Karl thought about it, maybe it was a type of raptor wearing armor.Yaroi probably had bird shapeshifters, so giving them protection while in flight wouldn’t be too strange.

“That,” Ralph forced out, sounding like he was being strangled by the words, “is one of the dragons of Yaroi.”

“A dragon?”Karl gasped out.“Aren’t those just in fairy tales?”

Ralph opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything a thump came from over their heads, from the roof of the wagon.

“Let me out!Let me out right now!”Lady Ettine demanded, thumping on the wagon again.

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