The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Eight

Dusk had fallen by the time Seraiah had cleaned up the mess of ink and redone her last pages. The snow had stopped, but the air still held onto its bitter bite. Around her, people rushed home to their warm hearths and families. She would have liked to do the same, but instead, she pointed herself in a different direction.

The market would be closed by the time she arrived, but if she was fast enough, she might catch some of the vendors before they left for the night. There had to be someone who knew something or had seen someone. She'd even ask Freya about the faeries if it meant finding a clue as to what had happened to her sister.

Seraiah was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the oncoming cart until it was almost upon her. The driver was distracted by someone sitting behind him and hadn't seen her in his path. She knew she should at least try to scramble out of the way before they ran her down, but her body froze in place, refusing to do anything but watch.

She blinked.

One moment she was standing in the street, and the next she was flat on her back in the freshly fallen snow. Instead of being crushed under hooves, Seraiah found herself under a human body with the breath knocked out of her lungs.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then the man pushed himself off her and held out a gloved hand to help her up.

She accepted, and he tugged her back to her feet. Her backside was numb from its short time in the snow. Embarrassed, she ducked her head and brushed the ice off her cloak and dress.

"Are you all right?" the man asked, an unfamiliar lilt to his words.

"I-I think so." Seraiah's voice wobbled as it slowly hit her how close she had come to death. A lot of good she would have done Sterling then. "I should have been paying more attention. Thank you . . ." she trailed off, waiting for him to supply his name.

When he didn't say anything, she glanced up. The hood of his cloak was pulled forward, so she couldn't see his face, but she caught a glimpse of gray hair. He hadn't sounded like an older gentleman though, and he certainly didn't move like one.

Then she noticed another slighter figure standing a few steps behind him. Both of them seemed to be watching her.

When the silence dragged on, Seraiah offered a small, uncomfortable smile and moved to step past them.

"Wait." The man reached out to stop her. "Are you Seraiah, perchance?"

"Do I know you?" As soon as the question was out, she realized where she had seen the two of them before. It was the strangers from the Grumbling Bear Inn.

"No, but I know what happened to your sister."

Seraiah's eyes widened, and she took a step back, almost tripping over her own feet and ending up in the snowbank again. "How do you know what happened to my sister?"

Her thoughts raced. What if they were the ones who had taken Sterling? Did they think to extort her for money?

"We came from a visit with Lady Zahara where we met—" he paused like he was searching for a name.

"Ariya," the woman said, stepping up next to him.

"Yes, your friend Ariya told us what happened, and we volunteered to help."

Seraiah's heart lept. Ariya had kept her promise, but why would these strangers offer such a thing? If Ariya had spoken to them, they had to know she didn't have the means to pay them.

"We're leaving the city tomorrow," he continued. "If you would like to join us, meet us on the edge of the forest at sunrise."

Seraiah felt herself nod. "I'll be there."