Horse Charmer (9 page)

Food first, information second, if she could get both at the same time that would be best. Being an unattended girl limited her options. Cassia jiggled her pouch at her side. She didn't have enough coin on her. Trading jewels in this small a village could be problematic. She looked at her choices, a general store, blacksmith and the stable she just left. A pub, an inn and several other buildings lined the street. She needed to avoid the constable and she doubted any of the other buildings that didn't have signs would welcome her.

But the inn, she cocked her head as she considered. The inn would be used to trading for lodging and food from travelers. She walked slowly toward the white washed two-story building with the bright blue sign –
The Inn
.

A carriage rolled up and parked at the steps of the inn's long porch. Its passengers climbed out of the small door, their wealth shown by the fine cloth of their traveling cloaks. She hung back to make sure they weren't someone she would recognize. Relieved she didn't know them, but still careful, she followed the travelers into the inn.

A cheerful blaze burned bright from the large fireplace centered in the middle of the great room. Several chairs and tables were set off to her left and a bar lined the wall behind them. A teenage girl brought steaming plates out from the door beside the bar and set them in front of a couple at one of the tables. She chatted for a moment and then moved onto the next table.

Pulling herself away from the alluring sight of the food, she walked to the other side of the room. The travelers who had entered before her stood at a desk talking with an older woman whose grey-streaked red hair was swept into a twist. She took their money and gave them each a room key. As she pointed toward the stairs, Cassia moved closer to listen to what she said.

"The carriage will leave first thing in the morning," the proprietress said. "One of our maids will make sure you're up in time. We'll be serving breakfast if you wish."

"Our bags?" the regal lady asked.

"One of the boys will bring them in shortly," she said. "If you need anything else please ask for Daeshawna."

"Thank you, Daeshawna," the lady said as she and her companions moved to the stairs.

Cassia waited as the group went up the stairs and tried to decide what she should do. Most of the tables were occupied and it would be difficult to eavesdrop if she was stuck at a table. Several large chairs surrounded the fireplace, but no one sat there at the moment. It was probably the after-dinner gathering spot. Her stomach growled as the serving girl came out again carrying two heaping and steaming plates.

"Can I help you, my dear?" Daeshawna asked, walking up to her.

She resisted the urge to bolt and tried to think of something appropriate to say. "I was just looking."

Wonderful job, she told herself sarcastically. That didn't sound defensive at all.

"I noticed," Daeshawna said. "Would you like a room or a meal?"

"I was actually wondering," Cassia said as the young waitress took some coins from a customer, "whether you trade. I've run out of coin, but I have several trinkets of value."

"Of course," Daeshawna said with a smile. "Come with me." Daeshawna led Cassia over to the large desk. "Let's see what you have my dear and I'll issue you a receipt for your meal."

Relief swept through her. She should have known she didn't need to be nervous. Her tutors had told her several times it was customary for traveling establishments to take items in trade. Cassia untied her pouch from her belt and peered inside. The trick would be to trade something which wasn't extremely valuable. She chewed on her lip in indecision before pulling out a hair pin with shining pink stones in the shape of roses and handing it to Daeshawna.

She immediately wondered if she'd made a mistake when the innkeeper looked at it speculatively.

"I would keep your pouch close to you, my dear, if this is the sort of trinket it holds," Daeshawna said. "This will pay for dinner, breakfast, a room, and a bath if you like."

Cassia thought longingly of a bath. Oh, to be clean, and from soap and water rather than an unexpected dunk in the river. It had been too long since she'd had a bath. Would staying the night be foolish? Would she temp discovery to stay that long in one place? Kali was certain they'd lost their pursuers and they hadn't heard the dogs once since they'd taken the leap into the river. So maybe a good night's rest for her and Kali and full bellies for both of them was what they needed to continue on their journey.

"Yes, that would be good," Cassia said. She could always leave during the night if she changed her mind. She'd speak with Kali about it since she had much better ears and senses than Cassia.

Daeshawna smiled. "Very good." She pulled out a large book and started making some notations. She then reached into her own pouch and counted out a few smaller coins and handed them over to Cassia. "Your change." She turned the book to face Cassia. "If you could sign here?"

She picked up the pen and began to sign her name, but stopped realizing what an idiot she was. She changed the beginning of the C to an L. Being a Lady would be the best way to explain her trinkets. Lower-level royalty would be the safest way to disguise who her true identity. She signed Lady Kaia with a flourish – hoping the signature wouldn't be legible. She'd combined Kali's and her name in the only way she could think of without pausing in her signature to make it obvious she was thinking about it.

"Lady Kaia, thank you for staying with us. If you need anything please feel free to ask me, Daeshawna." The innkeeper hesitated, but then gave another one of her smiles as she passed two slips of paper to Cassia. "Each of these will entitle you to a meal. One for now and one for morning before you continue on your journey. Breakfast starts at dawn.

"Melany will be happy to get what you like." Daeshawna walked around the desk. "Or perhaps you'd like to rest before you eat?"

"No, thank you."

She hoped Daeshawna couldn't hear her stomach rumbling at the delicious smells coming out of the swinging door. Cassia walked toward the dining area and tried to decide where the best place to sit would be. Information was as important as eating at this point.

"It seems all of our tables are full," Daeshawna said. "If you'd like to wait we can come and get you when one opens."

"The bar will be fine." She tried not to sound too desperate and perched on one of the stools.

Daeshawna signaled Melany over as she handed a handwritten menu to Cassia. With relief, she saw it was written in Vesperan and Karahan. This had to be the border town they'd stopped in on their journey out to Vespera.

Her stomach rumbled again as she tried to decide what she wanted. She finally selected the special which had a little bit of everything, soup, bread, meat and vegetables. Whatever she didn't eat she would wrap in a napkin for tomorrow's lunch. Melany smiled and darted into the kitchen to bring out what Cassia requested. It was a relief to sit and anticipate the coming food.

Daeshawna sat next to Cassia. "I hope you don't mind if I take my meal with you. It's getting to be that time."

"I'd enjoy the company." This would be the perfect time to find out what was going on. As innkeeper, Daeshawna probably knew more about what was happening in the realm than anybody. "Is it typically this busy?"

Daeshawna glanced around the full dining room and shrugged. "Generally, no, depends on the time of year. Most of this travel is due to the recent events. First the wedding with people going to Castle Vespera and now the kidnapping of Princess Cassia has people leaving and coming from the castle." She looked closely at Cassia. "How long have you been on the road, Lady Kaia?"

"About a week." Cassia hoped it was a safe number. That would put her on the road before she, Princess Cassia, officially went missing. "I live on the coast near the trading route to the Spice Islands." She'd visited the port many times so figured it would be the safest place within Karah to say she was from. She couldn't very well hide her Karahan accent. That skill wasn't something she'd learned from her tutors. "What of the princess?"

"It's very sad." Daeshawna nodded to Melany as she brought out Cassia's meal and her own. "She went missing about three nights ago before she was to wed our Prince Torr. Had you heard the wedding news?"

She nodded it would be easier to say she had. "But I didn't know she was missing. What happened?"

"We don't know for sure. That's what makes it even more of a mystery. All I know is what the travelers and soldiers have told me."

Cassia tried not to choke on her soup. "Soldiers?"

"Yes, they rode through here checking all wagons and carriages," Daeshawna said. "It was actually kind of exciting. They searched all of my rooms and every building in the town. I packed them a quick meal as they let their mounts rest before they continued on to the border. I believe they're still searching, from the news I've received from Karahan travelers on their way back home." Daeshawna peered at Cassia again and she had an uncomfortable feeling of being judged. "You haven't heard any of this?"

She slowly shook her head and hoped her expression of surprise was passing inspection. "I avoided the capital and I've been riding hard for most of my journey. Not much time for chatting with other travelers."

"I'm surprised you didn't see the soldiers on the road, you coming from Karah."

"Yes, well I didn't stay on the road the whole way since I'm on horseback," she said, trying to picture her maps from the geography courses she'd taken.

Daeshawna nodded. "Yes, the shortcuts can take a lot off the journey when you don't have to worry about a wagon."

Cassia took another sip of soup and nodded. For a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the flavors and warmth of the broth. How she could have ever taken their cook at the castle for granted was beyond her. As soon as she got home she would personally thank him for all the wonderful meals he had served. A pang knotted in her stomach. Home. She still hadn't figured out how she was going to dig herself out of the mess she was in. It was easier to not think about it and just pass the problem off to Eb and the other advisors. Explaining it to them was becoming more of an issue as she got closer to home.

What real proof did she have? Her father's signature and seal had been forged, but she had no proof of the forgery except for the ghost of her father telling her. The advisors could have the same reaction her mother had when she'd told her. Just because she knew his ghost was real didn't mean they would believe her and the conversation she'd overheard between Torr and Erich only added to the unease without giving her anything solid.

 "You seem worried." Daeshawna observed kindly. "What's troubling you?"

She hadn't realized she was showing her feelings on her face and she concentrated on the thick bread with apple butter. "I hope the princess is all right."

Daeshawna accepted her answer and slid her finished plate for Melany to take back to the kitchen. "I should get back to my other patrons. Safe journey, Lady Kaia. Be sure to watch the cliffs on your way to Julyan's."

Cassia dropped her spoon and stared at Daeshawna. "I didn't say I was going to Julyan's."

She had thought about going to Julyan's briefly, but her focus had been on receiving guidance from the advisors on how to proceed. She knew she'd created an even more volatile situation between the kingdoms and wasn't sure what to do about it. She just hoped they would have an easy solution.

"Oh." The innkeeper blushed slightly and glanced around them. "I assumed since you were an untested Talent you were going to him."

Cassia also looked around them to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "How do you know I'm a Talent?"

Daeshawna scooted back up onto the stool. "It's one of my Talents being able to sense it in others."

"One of?" Cassia asked.

"Well, everyone has multiple abilities, just some are stronger than others. And some of us have multiple abilities that are strong. Sensing abilities is my minor Talent and doesn't have much practical use unless Julyan needs me for diplomatic reasons. My other Talent as a Dream Weaver also isn't considered to be of much use to most people and not much to myself either. But it is what it is."

"What's a Dream Weaver?"

Daeshawna appeared to collect her thoughts. "It depends on the level of skill. Theoretically, a Dream Weaver weaves dreams. We can make a dream and walk in a dream, but in general Dream Weavers are hired to read dreams."

"Make a dream?" She immediately thought about the dream in which her father had come to her. Had someone made the dream? Something inside her deflated. She'd been so sure he'd visited and advised her, and she'd taken her strength from that truth.

"It's very difficult to do. Not only in the making of one, but in sending it to someone."

"Are there many people who can make dreams?"

"Not many. I only know of one other Dream Weaver who could and she went south long ago."

"What about the dead?"

Daeshawna raised an eyebrow. "The dead? You mean dreaming about the dead?"

"Yes." She tried to decide how much to tell. "I recently had a dream where a family member visited me. Could it have been him?"

Daeshawna shook her head. "I couldn't say. I might be able to tell you if another Dream Weaver weaved the dream for you. Are you concerned about its authenticity? Most dreams are just dreams."