The Prince's Mark

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Magic won't hurt you, Pendaer," Tracou cooed, each word as pointed as a needle. "I know it must be frightening for a pointy-eared human like you.... But you don't have to be scared—I'll be gentle."

In one movement, Pendaer stood up. "Don't you talk to me like that, dezmek!" He forced a breath through his nose like a bull and stomped to the other side of the barn, opening and closing his fists. "I won't do it!"

Tracou's smirk left his face. Oops. He was supposed to get Pendaer to agree, not bully him. It had felt good, though, and he would do it again if given a chance.

Beside him, Ina had a glassy look in her eyes. Tracou had expected her to chide him about how he treated Pendaer, but she must not have absorbed any of what had just happened.

"Ina?" he asked.

She glanced at him. "Yes? Did you come up with an idea?"

"No..."

"I think I did."

"What is it?"

"Remember how I posed as a merchant when we entered the city? We might be able to get in the castle that way. Aodehn trades with every other country on the continent, aside from the Zeibr. But Winlea only trades with Aodehn. They need us, especially when it comes to food they can't grow here."

Leaning against a wall, far from the other two, Pendaer huffed. "Why would they accept a foreign trader into their castle?"

"We could pose as one of the merchants on the Council."

"Ahh, that's right... Aodehn doesn't have a king—they have that ridiculous 'council' that barely functions."

"The Council works just fine!"

Pendaer shook his head. "That's not what I heard. Even dezmek have a king, making them an almost halfway civilized society."

"Dezmer is more than halfway civilized!" Tracou spat.

"Two-thirds civilized, then."

Ina placed a hand on Tracou's shoulder, but focused her attention on Pendaer. "Look: I think this could work. If I pose as one of the merchants on the Council, someone who could offer them a better trade deal by undercutting others, maybe they'll let us into the castle."

On its face, that idea didn't seem terrible. Dorssur was a relatively well off city from the looks of it, but the villages had been depressing. Even if the king wasn't interested in helping his people, he should be interested in lining his pockets or just gaining prestige. Increasing his people's standard of living would ensure that he would be remembered fondly.

But there was an issue: what if the king already knew the merchants on the Aodehsh council personally?

"I think posing as directly as one of the merchants might be a problem," Tracou said. "Maybe you could be a relative? A daughter of one of them? Then Pendaer could pretend to be your body guard."

"No magic," Pendaer said through his teeth.

Ina stood up, brushing straw off of her skirt. "Yes, magic. You have to help us, Pendaer. You worked in a castle, didn't you? You know the most about them out of the three of us. Plus... I doubt the prince would be happy to hear that you moped around with some horses while a human he's never met and his dezmek friend did all of the work to get him free."

There was a lot Tracou would have liked to add. He could have yelled at Pendaer for weeks, possibly even months. But it would have to wait.

"You'll hardly feel it," Tracou said. "I can do it on myself first if you want to see."