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Thanks to a vicious hangover, I spent most of the morning in bed. Bouts of cold sweat washed over me like waxing and waning tides. A hot, burning mass had settled in my stomach and occasionally tried to crawl up my throat. Marlis fussed over me, bringing me greasy eggs, bacon, and endless teapots of herbal concoctions meant to stave off nausea, dehydration, and headache. Mostly, her efforts worked.
A morning of endless wallowing allowed plenty of time for my dread to build. In several hours, I would be expected to meet a group of unknown dignitaries, and my identity would be revealed. Anyone questioning the status and whereabouts of the heir to the throne of Inselgrau would have their answers soon enough. My exposure was hazardous, but necessary—I still believed that.
In the early afternoon, I managed to leave the bed without my head rolling from my shoulders, and at Marlis’s beckoning, a footman drew a steaming bath. After several rounds of lathering and rinsing, I no longer smelled like sour sweat and stale brandy. Later, I sat before the mirror at the vanity table, watching Marlis work a comb though my tangles. The steady rhythm of her movements hypnotized me and eased the last of any lingering sickness. “Where has Gideon been all day?” I asked. “I’m surprised he hasn’t been in to poke fun at my wretchedness.”
“I told him to leave you alone. He went to the stables.”
My chest tightened as my thoughts shifted to Karolina. Was she there with him? “Oh?”
“He likes horses better than people, and you know he detests being idle.”
“Does he have anything appropriate to wear tonight?”
“He said a footman brought something the empress asked him to wear.” She paused, comb in hand, and frowned. “He seemed less than excited about it.”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure he’ll be dashing.”
“My brother is handsome, isn’t he?”
“Hmm.” Handsome was the least of it. Gideon’s appeal defied simple labels. He possessed a force of personality that refused to be overlooked. In some ways, his conspicuousness made him a terrible spy—he would never fade into a crowd. Then again, most people would have had a hard time believing he was anything other than exactly what he said he was. Subtlety had never been Gideon’s forte.
Marlis accepted my ambiguous answer without pressing me further. Instead, she wove my hair into a loose braid and tied it off with a bright-green ribbon. She crossed the room and tugged open the doors to my wardrobe. “Let’s get you dressed, unless you plan to lounge around in your robe all day.”
The idea appealed, and I nearly told her not to bother with a dress when a pounding at the apartment door interrupted me. “My lady!” Otokar called, raising his voice to carry from the hallway. “Please, it is urgent.”
My heart surged into my throat. Had something happened to Gideon? I hurried to the door and yanked it open. The Magician stood before me unkempt, his hair disheveled and wild, his robes open, revealing a wrinkled shirt and dark pants beneath. “My lady, please excuse me, but I must know if Karolina is with you.”
Puzzled, I blinked at him. “Why would she be here?”
“We have scoured the castle for her, and no one has seen her.”
“Have you been to the stables?”
His forehead creased as he frowned. “That was the first place we looked.”
“Was Gideon there?”
“If he was, I did not see him.”
I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and gnawed as I considered the possibilities. “Was her horse there?”
“Her horse?”
“Yes, her horse. Has she gone riding?”
“She is forbidden to leave the castle grounds without an escort, and she would certainly never leave without telling someone where she went. On her own, the princess is too much a liability, too great of a temptation, for those who might wish to manipulate the empress by abusing her sister. Never mind the sum one could command for her ransom if she were ever kidnapped.”
A cold hand of fear gripped my heart. Otokar’s worries were justified. I had been used as a pawn more than once. Wouldn’t Karolina be as susceptible to exploitation as I was? “I’m going to dress and find Gideon. If she’s ridden out somewhere, he’ll find her. He’s a fine tracker.”
Otokar nodded. “I am going to my laboratory to see if I can scry her whereabouts.”
I turned away, heading for my bedroom. “You haven’t done that already?”
“We hoped she was on the grounds somewhere.” He followed me, but stopped at the threshold of my bedroom. “Now that we have verified her absence, I will use other methods to locate her.”
I knelt by my bed and drew out my boots. “You do that. Gideon and I will hunt her on horseback.”
“Where will you search?”
Standing up, I looked at him and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can’t find her if we don’t start somewhere.”
Otokar started to leave but paused and glanced back. “Why should you care about finding Karolina? She is not your problem, and she was not particularly kind to you last night.”
“Being a brat is not an unforgiveable trait. I should know. I used to be one.” A faint smile twitched at the corner of the Magician’s mouth. “Besides, it doesn’t sit well with my conscience, knowing a girl has gone missing. I won’t be able to live with myself if I did nothing to help.”
“Your assistance will be most appreciated.” He bowed and swept out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“I’m guessing you’ll want these?” Marlis asked, holding up my favorite pair of trousers.
“It’s uncanny the way you read my mind. I’d be worried if I didn’t trust you so well.”
After dressing, I hurried to the stables, following the directions Marlis had given me. Gideon crouched in Wallah’s stall, working mud from his hoof with a pick. “I’m surprised to see you on your feet so soon,” he said without looking up from his chore. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it through the night.”
I snatched a hank of his hair and tugged. His head whipped around and he chuckled.
“I’m not here for teasing,” I said, and his expression sobered, matching my own dread. “Karolina’s missing.”
His eyes flashed. He released Wallah’s hoof and stood. “Someone was here looking for her earlier, but I told them I hadn’t seen her.”
I summarized Otokar’s visit to my chambers and my promise to search for the missing princess. “Perhaps she’s simply been thoughtless and rode out without telling anyone, and she’ll show up later, but Otokar insisted her absence was concerning, and I tend to agree. He said she never leaves without an escort. Will you help me look for her?”
“You had to ask?”
“Is her horse here?”
His gaze flashed down the stable hallway, presumably searching out the stall reserved for Karolina’s horse. “He was when I first got here, but I was distracted for a bit.” He opened Wallah’s stall door for me and followed me out. “A new hay delivery came in. I went to help unload it.”
He dropped his grooming tools onto a bench outside Wallah’s stall and raced toward the stables’ opposite end. “Get saddled up, Evie. Either way, I expect we’ll be riding out.”
I turned for the stall next to Wallah’s. Adaleiz’s curious nose poked over her door, and she sniffed at me. “Hey, girl. You ready for an adventure?”
As expected, Mika’s stall was empty.
In what must have been record speed, Gideon had raced back to Wallah and fastened his bridle and saddle in place before I’d led Adaleiz to the path heading toward the castle’s main drive. We both mounted and turned for the gates, and the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves against the cobblestone matched the anxious patter of my heartbeat. “She seemed very interested in the circus. I thought I’d look there first.”
Gideon nodded. “I’ll look around town for a lead on her.”
I squeezed Adaleiz’s sides and switched into a trot. “I’ll see you in our rooms at sundown, if we don’t find her before then.”
The main gate swung open at our approach, and as soon as we cleared the castle’s stone walls, we leaned in, held tight, and urged our horses to run. Gideon peeled off at the first intersection while I focused on heading east, out of town, toward the circus.
After darting around slower carts and yelling at oblivious pedestrians, I eventually wove my way through Prigha and crossed the bridge over the city’s eastern border. The road opened, traffic thinned, and I squeezed Adaleiz’s sides again, urging her to fly. The open road stretched before us, and wind roared in my ears. Part of me rejoiced at the freedom, at the open air and independence, and a tiny flame of envy flickered to life inside me.
If only I could run away, too.
***
“I swear to you.” Falak tossed his hands out at his sides. “She’s not here. And if she were, I’d beg you to take her. Runaway princesses are not the kind of trouble this circus needs.”
I glanced around the empty concourse again as if Karolina might have magically appeared in the last few seconds. Despite careful inspection and help from several other members of the troupe, we had not found the princess stowed away among the tents and wagons.
“I believe you.” My shoulders slumped. “But I’d hoped finding her was going to be as easy as saying please and thank you.”
He raised his chin. A knowing smile played on his lips. “You wanted to be the hero, bringing home the wayward girl and earning the empress’s thanks.”
I shrugged. “Perhaps.”
“Or maybe you made up an excuse to visit one last time before we left. I’ve been told I have that effect on some. I’m unforgettable.” He dusted imaginary dirt from his bright-red waistcoat. Gold sequins glittered along the lapels, catching the late-day sun. “Compelling.”
I raised one finger at a time, counting off his other traits. “Pompous, arrogant, smug....”
He chuckled. “So, Evie, you’re rubbing shoulders with royalty. The mysteries surrounding you grow thicker. I’m intrigued.”
Shaking my head, I backed away. “Your sense of theater is overdeveloped. I’m still the same nobody I was yesterday, circus boy.”
“Circus boy?” He pressed a hand to his heart and gave me a pained look. “You wound me.”
I rolled my eyes and turned toward Adaleiz, who was tied to a wagon at the edge of the field. “If you see the princess, send a messenger to the castle, would you?”
“If you wish, lightning girl. But I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. I bet your missing princess is playing games closer to home.”
I threw up my hand, waving, but didn’t look back as I walked away. May we be so lucky. But in my world, luck was a rare commodity, and the missing princess was proof that mine was probably running out.
