Page 25 of Pippa of Lauramore
The grim boar will be easy to find, if not so easy tokill. I already showed Galinor where to find the maid-of-the-shadows. Ingers nest in waspnettle, which isn’t too hard to locate but incredibly difficult to get through. The Eldentimber resin will be the hardest item on the list, as the tree is quite rare, but I happen to know where one grows.
But Archer’s only told me four.
“What’s the fifth item?”
“I don’t know. Percival never shared it with me.”
Four is better than none.
“I have to tell Galinor,” I say, already moving toward the tents.
Archer shakes his head and takes my arm, pulling me to a halt. “It’s too close to the arena, and you aren’t in disguise today.”
I shake off his hand. “What good does it do to tell me if you won’t let me help him?”
“Have you no faith in him? Give him a chance, Pippa.”
I want to have faith in Galinor—Iwantto give him a chance. But I want him to win more.
CHAPTER 6
Islip through the palace, silent like a wraith. The nearly-full moon shines brightly, and the clouds cast strange moving shadows on the stone walls. I stick to halls that are unlit and rarely used. The only people awake are the guards, and even they are dozing in the quiet, wee hours of the morning.
I still don’t know what the fifth item in the scavenger hunt is, even after I spoke with Leonora. She didn’t know and informed me she couldn’t tell me if she did. I thought about asking Percival but decided that would be unwise.
Galinor isn’t expecting to hear from me, but I need to get this information to him. Archer refused to deliver the message, as I knew he would.
I make my way through the kitchen. There’s a hint of warmth from the sleeping coals, but the light has burned out. I’ll need to find another way back in the palace when I return. The sun will be up in a few hours, and the cooks and kitchen maids will be rising any time now.
I slip through the garden door, cringing as it creaks.The sound echoes through the empty kitchen, and a dog barks somewhere in the palace. I wait, ready to flee, but hear nothing more.
Outside, the only sound comes from the waterfall. It’s a lonely, cold roar, and even though I’m warm under my cloak, I shiver. I slip through the gardens and into the stables.
A boy I don’t recognize, who’s twelve, maybe thirteen years old, sleeps on a cot outside the hall where the men’s horses have been stalled. I crouch down and gently shake his shoulder. He wakes with a start, and I hold my finger to my lips, alerting him to be quiet. Then I pull my hood down so he will recognize me.
His eyes go large as he pulls himself up.
“Princess Pippa,” he says, his voice scratchy. “I?—”
“I need you to do something for me.” I point to a stall two places from where he’s resting. “Do you know the man that crest belongs to?”
He nods vigorously. “Yes, Princess. He is Prince Galinor of Glendon.”
“Give him this message.” I hold out a folded paper and warn, “He will notice if the seal in broken.”
“I will not read it, Your Highness,” he says, bowing his head.
“Good. Only to him, you understand? Not his squire or page or guards—only Galinor.”
He nods again. “I swear.”
The trumpets sound.The tournament—my tournament—is officially beginning.
This is agony.
I pace back and forth in front of my balcony. Do I want to go out and see what I can? Or will that make it worse?
Anna should be here by now. She didn’t mention going to the opening ceremony this morning, so where is she?
