Page 46 of The Half King
“I might know someone,” she told them, playing along. “And she might be willing to help you, but she insists on traveling with her pup.”
“Is her pup at least handsome?” Daerick asked, biting back a grin.
Cerise glanced at Blue, who had rolled onto his back and now lay asleep on the carpet with his limbs splayed out, his wide jaw open at an awkward angle, and his tongue lolling to the side. “He’s the most breathtaking hound to have ever been sired.”
“…by a goblin,” Kian added with a snigger. He held up an apologetic hand to fend off a glare. “All teasing aside, we need to make a plan.”
Yes, they certainly did. Mother Strout had given them a lead—maybe at the expense of her own life—and now they owed it to her to follow it. And with just under six moons until the king’s last sunset, there was no time to waste.
“The blighted mountain is a death trap,” Daerick said. “We’ll need a guide—someone discreet who can tell us which routes are safe to travel and where to find water along the way. It will cost us a lot of coin, but I think I know where to find one.”
“Take as much from the treasury as you need,” Kian told him.
“I can start gathering supplies,” Cerise volunteered. “How many people will be traveling with us? And how long do you think we’ll be gone? Do we need to arrange a caravan?”
Kian jutted his chin toward the journal. “Old Strout kept this a secret for a reason. Until we find out why, I want to keep our group as small as possible. Let’s plan a day trip for the three of us, just an exploratory visit to see what we’re up against. Then I can decide who else to include. I know I can trust General Petros. But Father Padron… I only want to bring him with us if our lives depend on it. A priest’s protection isn’t always worth the cost of his presence.”
Cerise couldn’t argue with that.
“Then it’s decided,” Kian announced. “We’ll take the rest of the day to prepare, and we’ll leave tomorrow morning. Meet me at the stables an hour past dawn.”
11
With their tasks divided, the three of them set to their work. Kian left for the stables to select the hardiest horses for the mountain journey. Daerick went into the city in pursuit of a guide. And Cerise and Blue visited the kitchens to secure provisions for the following day. In hopes of minimizing gossip among the staff, she enlisted the help of Wren, one of the young serving maids who had come to visit her after the fire. Wren promised to quietly set aside an assortment of dried meats and fruits, flatbreads, and several flagons of water. Cerise thanked her, and then she found a snack for Blue and carried him outside to the palace gardens to exercise his rapidly growing legs.
Though it didn’t seem possible, Blue had gained nearly half a stone in the hours since dawn. The adorable stumpy-tailed rump that had once fit in the palm of her hand now stood almost halfway to her calf. If Blue kept growing at this rate, she would only be able to carry him in her sling for another day, two at the most.
“Slow down, my sweet boy,” she told Blue as she knelt in the grass to scratch his neck. “Can’t you stay a baby for a while longer?”
As if in response, he yipped and rolled over for a belly rub. But then his head jerked up and he froze, tense and alert with a predatory instinct. He must have caught a scent on the breeze, because in an instant, he was on his paws and loping toward the hedge maze faster than Cerise could catch him.
“Blue, stop!” she called, but she hadn’t taught him that command yet, and so he darted onward and disappeared into the maze.
Cerise scrambled to her feet while glancing behind her to ensure she was alone, and then she hitched up her dress and sprinted in a most unladylike manner into the maze. She caught sight of Blue and ran after him as fast as her legs would carry her. It was all she could do to keep him in her line of vision. Blue led her around so many twists and turns that she feared she might not find her way out again. He reached the center of the maze and continued around two more corners until he finally stopped at a small, grassy nook hidden by an extra layer of hedges. The space was so well concealed that Cerise never would have found it on her own. But as she caught up with Blue, she discovered that the alcove was occupied by two young ladies seated on a marble bench, their silk-draped bodies pressed together in a passionate kiss.
Cerise gasped in embarrassment and startled the ladies, who pulled apart and released gasps of their own. One woman splayed a hand over the swell of her left breast as if to still her heart. She stared at Cerise with round, unblinking eyes, and with equal shock, Cerise recognized Delora Champlain. The other woman was unfamiliar. Slightly older than Delora, she had the face of nobility—a long, straight nose, smooth skin, high cheekbones, and a strong chin—and her auburn hair was worn in a twist secured by golden combs.
Blue broke the silence with a shrill bark directed at a basket of food resting on the grass near the bench. Both ladies started at the noise, but their gazes remained fixed on Cerise.
They weren’t afraid of Blue. They were afraid ofher.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” Cerise told them. “I’ll go.”
“No, wait!” Delora exclaimed. Her mouth was still swollen from the kiss, but the blush on her cheeks had turned to wax. “Please let me explain.”
“You don’t need to,” Cerise said. Delora had done nothing wrong. She had taken a lover in addition to the king, and that lover happened to be a woman. Both of those things were within her rights as a courtesan, though she was wise to be discreet about it. If Kian’s spirit was drawn to Delora, he probably wouldn’t enjoy the idea of sharing her.
But then something occurred to Cerise. She noticed the tender way Delora stroked the woman’s back. Delora had never shown that kind of affection for Kian—no warm gazes, no kisses, no embraces, no touches of any kind other than to accept his arm in escort. It almost seemed like Delora didn’t share a connection with the king.
For some odd reason, Cerise’s heart lifted.
“My lady,” Delora began, pausing to lick her lips. She wrung her hands, the patch of skin at the base of her throat visibly pulsing. “You won’t tell, will you?”
“It’s not my place to tell,” Cerise said. “But to be fair, don’t you think the king has a right to know…” She swept a hand toward the women. “…about this?”
“I’m not worried about the king.” Delora lowered her voice. “He already knows.”
Cerise blinked. But that made no sense. Kian could have any woman in the kingdom as his courtesan. Why would he choose someone who clearly didn’t want him? There was no shortage of young, desirable ladies who would leap at the chance to conceive his heir and become the next queen.
