Promising Hope (24 page)

“They could be.” Sashe paused. “I understand why you
didn’t tell me.”

“I wanted to, but—”

“I know. If I were in the same situation, I wouldn’t
have, either.” She shrugged, laughing softly. “At least now I know
that he’s healthy… or that he’s a he!” She smiled at Grace.

They reached the end of the field. Houses and
buildings flanked the cobblestone roads, and Sashe led them through
the streets. Renaul was a clean city with a thriving merchant class
and a market than ran every other day. Grace had visited the market
a few times with friends or her mother, and it was one of the only
places nobles and commoners mixed. She used to think it was
fascinating to go there and see dozens of people she’d never met
before with plain dresses, void of jewelry. She’d wonder about
their life, what sort of house they lived in, what kind of food
they ate, who they fell in love with.

Instead of veering towards the town square, Sashe
went towards the east side of the city.

“Where are you going?” Grace asked.

“Just indulge me,” Sashe said over her shoulder.

Grace fell silent, frowning. Perhaps there was more
to this trip than just getting her fresh air.

* * *

Sashe brought them to a small cottage. It looked much
like every other house on the street, but it was Sashe’s salvation.
She only hoped Grace followed along without asking too many
questions. She was different now that she wasn’t under the love
potion, but Sashe still didn’t know her very well.

She dismounted and tied her horse’s reins to the post
outside. Grace followed suit and caught hold of Sashe’s arm before
she went inside. “What are we doing here?” Grace asked.

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a
commoner?” Sashe asked.

Grace slowly let go of her arm, staring at her. “I
suppose…”

“Well, I miss it. I grew up with the governor, yes,
but I was never officially nobility, and Shyra was more relaxed
about nobility and commoners mixing. Here in Renaul, everyone has a
place, a role to play.” She let out a breath, stepping closer.
“Just come inside and see.”

Grace looked at the cottage, then back at Sashe. She
hesitated, then slowly nodded.

Sashe turned and knocked on the door. A moment later,
it swung open, and Callie stood on the other side of the entrance.
She beamed when she saw who it was. “Sashe! Come in!”

Callie was a seamstress Sashe had met ten months ago.
She was short and had a head of dark brown curls. She ushered them
in and closed the door. “Who’s your friend?”

“The question is, who is she going to become?” Sashe
asked, grinning.

Callie clapped her hands. “Oh, it’s been so long
since you’ve been here! I was beginning to think you’d left me
behind!”

“I could never!” Sashe said. “But I’ve had some
health problems.”

Calle suddenly gasped, her eyes on Grace. “Wait!
You’re Lady Grace! You were kidnapped by gypsies! Oh, your drawing
was all over Renaul.” She took a step closer to Grace and
scrutinized your face. “You’re much prettier in real life.”

“Um, thank you,” Grace said.

“You recognized her within seconds,” Sashe said. “You
see how much she needs a disguise.”

Callie squealed and jumped up and down. “Yes, yes, I
do! Go into my dressing room, I’ll be there in just a minute!”

Sashe took Grace’s arm and led her to Callie’s
dressing room. Trunks overflowing with fabrics sat on the ground.
Dresses and clothes hung from the walls. Mirrors surrounded them,
and the vanity desk in the corner had all kinds of make-up and hair
stylings.

“What is going on?” Grace asked, crossing her
arms.

“I come here when I don’t want to be a lady anymore,”
Sashe said. She motioned to her dress, lavish like all of her other
clothes. “It’s just a bit of fun. Something to blend in.”

Grace glanced around the room. “You mean, you dress
like a commoner and go around town?”

Sashe nodded. That’s what she’d done a few times when
she needed escape from the castle, but today, there was more
involved. She couldn’t tell Grace of her plans until they were safe
from any intruding ears. She grabbed Grace’s hands. “Come on,
you’ve been hunted down for weeks. This will be fun.”

Grace shrugged. “All right… I’m yours for the
day.”

Half an hour later, they surveyed themselves in the
mirror. They wore plain brown and white dresses, and they were
stripped of jewelry. Grace had make-up to make her look much older
than she actually was, and Callie had given her a cane to walk
with. Sashe, on the other hand, had extra fabric added beneath her
dress so she looked pudgy.

“This isn’t very comfortable, you know,” Sashe said,
putting her hands on the bulge protruding from her sides and
stomach. She had a small bump from the pregnancy, but it was
currently hidden under another layer. She would have a son soon. A
little boy.

Grace giggled. “Neither is walking with a crooked
back.”

“I could make you both healthier,” Callie began. The
last half hour, she’d been trying to convince them to walk around
looking like ladies of the night. Not only was it morning, but
neither Sashe nor Grace was looking for that kind of attention.

“No,” Sashe said. They needed to be unrecognizable.
Invisible. “This will be fun. Thank you.”

Callie shrugged and turned to their dresses, which
were hanging from the walls. “You have strange ideas of fun.” She
smoothed the dresses down. “I can’t believe I have one of Lady
Heather’s dresses in my cottage!”

Sashe knew if they told her it was a gift from the
prince, she’d probably faint. They left the house through the
backdoor.

“What about our horses?” Grace asked, using her cane
to point to the front of the house.

“You’re supposed to be using that thing to walk,”
Sashe whispered. “And we don’t need them. We’re going to walk.”

Grace stopped where she stood. “Sashe, I appreciate
this, but—”

Sashe grabbed her arm. “Will you just go along with
this?” She met Grace’s eyes, trying to silently plead with her.

Grace narrowed her eyes at Sashe, then nodded. She
started walking with her cane and a very convincing limp. Sashe
followed along at a waddle and soon both of them were laughing and
trying not to, which only made their laughs come harder. They
worked on their voices, perfecting what they thought was the
dialect of peasants. They also came up with fake names and lives.
Grace told Sashe all about her imaginary life, how she’d joined the
army and posed as a man and fought in the war against Kleisade
twenty years ago and broken her hip, which had given her the limp.
By the time they reached their next destination, Sashe’s cheeks
hurt from smiling so much.

Sashe led Grace to a house in the middle of town and
knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, and a dark face
peered out. “Who is it?”

“My name is Julian,” Sashe said. “We’re here in
search of protection.” It was enough to imply they needed Cosa
magic.

“How much money do you have?”

“As much as you charge.”

The man paused, then swung the door open. It was
Emile. Sashe had visited him before; he was one of the last Cosas
in Renaul who wasn’t working for the Protectors. He ushered them
into his house. “Do you know the price of helping just anybody?” he
hissed. “The Protectors are constantly on watch. The Avialies
aren’t the only ones in trouble, mark my words…”

“We think we’re being listened to,” Sashe said.

Emile glanced at the two of them and held his hand
out. “Let me see the money.”

Sashe reached into her cloak and pulled out her money
pouch. She looked through her ryrels. “I have a hundred
altogether.”

“Only a hundred?” Emile scoffed. “That will hardly
get you anything.”

“We can find another Cosa,” Sashe said, nearly
letting her accent slip.

He twitched as she moved towards the door. “Wait.
What do you need?”

“We need to visit Lin and Kalel, and we want to be
completely hidden from any intruding eyes.” Sashe could feel
Grace’s gaze on her, but she didn’t have time to answer her
questions yet.

Emile didn’t respond at first, staring at the pouch
in her hand. “All right, fine.”

“Hide our conversation when our hands are clasped,”
Sashe said. “And tell us if others are watching us.”

Emile nodded. “The money.”

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“One hour.”

Sashe shook her head. “We need at least two. To be
safe.”

Emile stamped his foot. “One and a half.”

“Done.” Sashe took out a hundred ryrels and dropped
them in his outstretched hand.

He counted the coins three times, then made them
vanish. He circled around them, muttering under his breath. Sashe
hoped he didn’t reveal anything, such as their true identities. He
needed to be hiding them, not probing around in business that
wasn’t his.

He finally stopped in front of them. “There’s a Cosa
from the castle watching you, but the magic isn’t very strong.
They’re listening for certain words, and I can tell she’s
distracted.” He studied their faces. “Why is someone from the
castle watching you?”

“Did you protect our conversation?” Sashe asked.

Emile pursed his lips. “Of course I did. An hour and
a half.”

“Thank you for your business.” Sashe inclined her
head. She strode to the door. She didn’t want to ask how much he
knew about them. It would only worry her, and she needed her mind
clear if she was going to do this.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Sashe moved to the market square, Grace hobbling
beside her. The fountain in the middle of the square caught Sashe’s
eye and she motioned to Grace. “Let’s sit there,” Sashe said.

Grace nodded, and they sat on the edge of the
fountain. Merchants shouted their wares to market shoppers, and
people moved through the square with their bags of goods.

Grace took Sashe’s hand. “What are we really doing
here today?”

Sashe took a deep breath, watching the people around
them. She didn’t know where to start, how to explain herself. “This
is where Sierra and I met eight months after Seth died. It was the
first time I’d seen her since she left… the longest I’ve ever gone
without seeing her.”

Grace made a small noise of exasperation, but said
nothing more.

“She was surprised I was at the castle, that the
Protectors trusted me enough to let me stay there. I had to take
truth potions and undergo random Zinna tests for months.” She shook
her head. “But that’s what they wanted. Me and Sierra… two normal
girls far, far away from the Avialies…”

“That’s what who wanted?” Grace asked quietly.

“Tisha, Kilar, and Niculai,” Sierra said. “You didn’t
meet Niculai, but the three of them were in charge of the
Protectors. We called them the Protector Triad. Tisha was there
when they killed Seth.” Her grip tightened on Grace’s hand, and
tears stung her eyes. “He didn’t slit his throat, but he was the
one who…” A few unbidden tears fell down her cheeks, and she wiped
them away. The memory of Seth’s death would never cease to hurt.
“Tisha only came to live here after the battle at Mumbar Jungle,
and seeing him every day… remembering what he did… it makes me
sick. Just knowing he’s alive and he’s going to kill more people.”
Being around Tisha again felt like she was cutting open her heart
and releasing the pain of Seth’s murder all over again. She felt
like she was betraying him by living in the castle with these
monsters. She fidgeted with her dress. “He and William wanted to
kill Dar after Vin and Amina escaped, but I asked Thomas to
intervene.”

Grace gasped. “Oh, Sashe, I… thank you,” she
whispered. “I know you didn’t do it for me, but…”

Sashe just nodded, then continued. “And now seeing
Gregorio there… after I found out, I went to my room and I threw
up. I cried and I considered leaving the castle and I thought of
hunting down that bastard and killing him myself.” She let out a
shaky breath. “But I can’t do any of that. I’m pregnant, and they
could kill my… my son. I can’t let that happen again. But I can’t
let them win, either.” She finally looked at Grace. “I know a Mahri
in town, and I’m going to ask him for a memory erasing potion. Then
we’ll go to the Zinna and ask him to contact Sierra for us if he’ll
take the potion. I know these disguises are kind of stupid, but I
couldn’t think of anything else. We’re not Avialies, but they can’t
know who we are.”

“I understand. They’re not stupid, Sashe. I really do
look like a fifty-year-old woman.” She poked Sashe in the side.
“And no one’s going to recognize you with a hundred extra
pounds.”

Sashe half-smiled, then it faded. “But if they found
out…”

Grace’s face sobered, as well. “We’re both risking a
lot. They could kill Dar.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Sashe was tired of
pretending. She was tired of doing nothing, of waiting on the side
while her family and dearest friends were killed. She squeezed
Grace’s hand. “We’re both here together. That makes it a little
easier.”

* * *

The Cosa forest loomed in the distance. As they grew
closer, their group became quiet. Not that there’d been much
conversation. Matilda and Angela had their own banter and
conversations, but Sierra and Jeshro were mostly silent.

Sierra spent most of her time wondered what Evan,
Grace, and Dar might be doing. It sounded silly, but her days of
traveling with them to Kleisade and the few days they’d had in Aron
once they’d arrived were some of the best over the last couple
months. Even though they’d been running from the prince and
Protectors who were trying to arrest them. Of course, they were
still running, but now she was alone. Even with Matilda, Angela,
and Jeshro.