The Prince's Mark

Chapter Thirty One

"No, I think he's right." Ina gestured to the others to follow her and started down the stairs. "Pendaer knows more than I do about castle life. The only problem is his personality."

"My personality is just fine!"

"Do you have friends, Pendaer? Elf ones?" Tracou asked.

"Yes, of course."

"How many?"

"...I...have too many to count."

Tracou turned his gaze to Pendaer, watching him as they inched down the stairs. Whatever Elvish society was like, Tracou had imagined that Pendaer fit into it so well that leaving it brought out the worst in him, but maybe he was always terrible.

Soon Pendaer noticed that Tracou was watching him and sneered. "What are you looking at, dezmek?"

"Pendaer!" Ina stopped in her tracks and whirled around. "You need to cooperate. Call Tracou by his name and pretend you don't hate him, okay? That Yash guy doesn't want either of us here, so he'll use any excuse to get rid of you."

His eyes on the wall, Pendaer gave a noncommittal and possibly not even Aodehsh mumble. But this satisfied Ina.

"Okay. I'll try to visit every day, if they'll let me. Maybe having me on the outside will be useful."

Tracou nodded. Ina could help them escape Dorssur, even if she couldn't help them in the castle. But visiting once a day, at most, wasn't reliable.

"I could make a pigeon my familiar and send you messages."

Ina shook her head. "That would be useless—I can't read."

"O-Oh."

They began walking again, silently this time. It couldn't be late in the day—lunchtime at most—but Tracou wanted to sit and do nothing for at least an hour, if not more. His body weighed on him. The constant, complex flow of magic required his vigilance, which made everything else just a little bit harder.

Light appeared below them. Ina stopped them again and held her hand out to Pendaer.

"If I'm leaving, you have to give me enough money to stay at the inn, eat, pay for the horses..."

Pendaer clicked his tongue, but dug a handful of coins out of his pouch and set them in Ina's hand. "Make yourself useful while you're out there and find the best path to leave Dorssur."

Ina nodded, counting her coins.

"We should walk you to the gate," Pendaer grumbled. "Then we'll find that Kattick boy."

They trudged toward the gate, the faint Winlean sun hardly noticeable in the cold, dragging out the process as long as they could. Countless knights stood around outside, with nothing better to do than watch them.

Karthik greeted them at the gate. The old guard from before didn't make any movements, his gaze focused on the slope of the hill in front of him.

"Kid. Will Ina ferch Angharad be safe in Dorssur by herself?" Pendaer asked, his fake face full of premature fury.

"Yes. Not only do knights patrol the castle, but they patrol the entire city! A noblewoman like Ina ferch Angharad will have no troubles."

"All right... if she dies here, Aodehn will not be pleased."

Ina laughed and waved her hand back and forth as though she heard Pendaer make this threat to people daily.

"You're too serious, Pedr—everything will be fine! I'll visit you tomorrow, okay? Good bye!"