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.Gillen knew where he might be so we grabbed him coming out of a tavern earlier today.”Amon raked back his hair with both hands.“He’s our age, and Gillen thinks he murdered six people.”“So you questioned him?” Raisa prompted.“What did he have to say for himself?”“Well, the first thing Gillen does is steal his purse and beat him senseless with a club,” Amon said.“What?” Raisa shook her head as if she could deny it was so.“Why would he do that?”Amon shrugged.“Gillen’s a bully and a thief.I finally put a stop to it, so now I’m on Gillen’s dirt list for sure.If my da wasn’t captain, I think Gillen would’ve beat the boy to death.He told me how I was new and didn’t know the streets, and I’d learn.”“So they do this kind of thing all the time?”Amon nodded.“Several times, just since I’ve been with them.”“So what happened? With Cuffs, I mean?”“I insisted they take him back to the guardhouse and question him properly.But he broke away and escaped while we were crossing South Bridge.Jumped into the river, so he may be drowned.” Amon smiled sourly.“This Cuffs isn’t stupid, whatever he’s done.If I was being dragged back to the guardhouse for interrogation by Mac Gillen, I’d do whatever it took to escape too.’Course, now Gillen and them think it’s my fault he escaped.And it probably is.” He sighed.Raisa leaned forward, trying to read Amon’s face.“Do you think he was guilty?”Amon stared out at the water.“Seems likely.But you don’t find out the truth by torturing somebody.” He looked up at Raisa.“The point is, people in Southbridge and Ragmarket are scared to death of the Queen’s Guard, and for good reason.” His gray eyes went flinty hard.“Me, I’d like to tie up Mac Gillen and leave him in a Ragmarket alley overnight.See what’s left of him in the morning.”Amon’s changing, Raisa thought.I hardly know him anymore.He’s seeing things, and doing things, and learning things while I’m penned up here like a hothouse flower, learning what fork to use.She put her hand on his arm.“I’ll see that Gillen’s dismissed,” she promised.Amon grinned, his first real smile of the evening.“So you’ll tell the queen you were chatting with me and I suggested Gillen be let go? I don’t think so.” He shook his head.“No need.I already spoke with my da.If there’s anything can be done, he’ll handle it.But the Guard is full of Gillens.It’s a haven for thugs.There’s only so much a captain can do.It didn’t used to be this way.”Raisa stood and paced back and forth.“This is exactly what I’m talking about.How can I be princess heir of the queendom and not know what’s going on?” She stopped midturn.“You say people are starving?”He nodded.“You know we don’t grow much here.The Vale is fertile, but there’s not much other suitable land and our winters are too long.We can’t eat gold and silver and copper.We’ve always depended on trade with Arden and Tamron and the other kingdoms to the south for our grain.With the wars dragging on, what little food comes north costs too much for most people to afford.” He paused, then forged ahead, blunt to the bone.“You can’t assume that because you have plenty to eat that everyone does.”Raisa was mortified.“I don’t want to be that kind of queen,” she said.“Thoughtless and selfish and shallow and…”“You won’t be,” Amon said quickly.“That’s not what I meant.”“Yes it is.And I deserve it.I need to find a way to help people.” But what could she do about it? She might live in a palace, she sat down to a feast every single night, and she had a wardrobe full of clothes—but no money of her own.She could try speaking with the queen, but she’d had little luck pressing her suit earlier in the week.Based on that conversation, her mother probably planned to spend any extra money she had on a wedding.Besides, Raisa wanted to do something on her own.Something important.Something emblematic of the queen she meant to be.She’d felt totally useless since returning to Fellsmarch from Demonai.Maybe she could empty her closet and sell some of her frilly dresses in Ragmarket and use the proceeds to buy food for people who had none.Though that wouldn’t bring in much money.And then she had an idea.The more she thought about it, the better she liked it.She looked up at Amon.“Thank you for telling me the truth.Now that you’ve done that, will you help me?”He squinted at her suspiciously.“Help you how?”“Could you carry a message to Demonai and tell them to give it to my grandmother, Elena?”He hesitated.“I’d need to know what it was about,” he said.“I’m going to ask her to send one of her best traders down to meet with me at Southbridge Temple day after tomorrow.”“Why Southbridge?” Amon asked.“Couldn’t they come here?”“I’m unlikely to be recognized there.And there’s someone at Southbridge Temple I want to talk to.Have you heard of Speaker Jemson?”“Well, yeah,” Amon said, as if surprised Raisa had heard of the outspoken speaker.“Anyone who’s been to Southbridge knows about Jemson.Only…how are you planning on getting there?”She shrugged.“I’ll go in disguise.You said I should get out more and see what’s really going on in the city.”“What?” Amon raised his hands, looking alarmed.“I didn’t exactly…You can’t walk into Southbridge by yourself.I don’t care what kind of disguise you’ve got on.”“Then come with me,” she said, grinning at him.It could be an adventure, just like the old days.“One person isn’t enough to keep you safe.” Impulsively, he gripped her hand, as if he could pull her over to his side of the argument.His hand was warm, the palm callused.“Come on, Raisa, why do you have to go on your own? Just make up a story.Say you’re going to temple to worship.”She shook her head.“That’ll mean an entourage, remember? Armed guard, carriage, and procession? I don’t want that.I want honest answers, and I won’t get that with an escort.”“If you’re going to Southbridge, you’ll need an armed guard.” When she said nothing, he added, “What are you up to?”“I don’t want to say until I know if it’ll work.”“What if I can’t get away? I’ll likely be on duty the rest of the week.”She stood.“Well, I’m going, with you or without you.If you want to come with me, meet me day after tomorrow at evensong at the far end of the drawbridge [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]