Page 91 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
What if–
The horse neighed, frightened.
Then chaos broke.
“Fire!”
“Water! We need water!”
I exhaled in relief. One or two buckets would suffice, but they didn’t need to know that–until I was out of sight.
As steps barreled down the other alley, I snuck forward toward the market, and peeked from behind the building. The shop owner–a stout woman who looked like she could give great hugs–vanished down the alley, the water in her bucket splashing after her as she bounced.
No sign of the courier.
This was my shot.
I clenched my jaw and raced toward the carriage.
The horse, a great big brown beauty, with a silken mane, neighed and stomped right in front of me. Its dark eyes seared into me, as if it knew my plan and wanted to halt me.
“I’m sorry, I have to,” I mouthed and rounded the carriage fast, before he could stomp me to death.
I pulled the leather wagon flap away, only to be met with a wooden box padded with oilcloth and dozens of empty, plumb jars.
They still smelled of honey.
Of my return to warmer shores.
Once I stepped inside, I would no longer taste Mrs. Thornbrew’s stew.
Never see the Commander tilt his head again before he said something infuriating.
I’d never be an outsider, yet still treated like I belonged.
I gritted my teeth, tightened my grip, and pulled myself up.
Sentiment had no place in my escape. It couldn’t.
My stomach growled and roiled as I gingerly stepped between the jars, careful not to jostle them. A thick cloth had been laid on the wooden floor, bunched between the glass to keep them from bumping into each other. So the road would be rough–and I’d have a cover.
As the shouts outside grew, I squeezed myself between the last row of jars and the hard wooden divider. The planks dug into my spine and I could already feel a cramp tensing in my left calf as I fetused my limbs to make myself as small and unseen as possible.
I clawed at the edge of the thick cloth enough to loosen a corner I could cover myself with. As soon as I pulled the fabric over me, I gagged. The smell of unwashed sheep was a thousand times more potent than the sweet trace of honey.
But I was hidden inside the carriage.
The noise outside quieted to confused whispers. A wave of relief washed over me–I’d planned to not hurt anyone, but fire was unpredictable.
“Such a strange thing,” the shop owner trilled. “Maybe some children playing a prank.”
“You should check the candies in the shop, maybe they wanted to steal some,” the courier said. He was smart–which meant he was dangerous.
“Oh, you’re right. But I haven’t had anything like that happen since I opened twenty-three years ago.”
“Then again…the metal dish looked fancy.” The courier’s gruff voice neared the carriage. My body tensed further. If he opened the flap and looked too closely, he’d see a human-shaped lump in his carriage which definitely shouldn’t have been there. “Definitely came from the fortress.”
Damn. I’d hoped to be very far away before anyone noticed that detail.
