The good news was that he didn’t come straight for their vessel, as they would have done if they knew for sure where Sophia was hiding. Instead, they moved from ship to ship, house to house, looking inside and moving on.
She felt the moment when Rupert came aboard in Captain Borkar’s thoughts. He was considering reaching for a weapon, wondering whether he would have to fight.
“What can I do for you, your highness?” he boomed as Rupert came aboard. It probably came across to Rupert as bucolic joviality, but Sophia knew that it was a warning to her to hide.
“You can tell me if any young women have tried to get aboard your ship,” Rupert snapped.
“There was one, your highness, but when I saw that your men were searching, I told her that I didn’t want to be involved. I thought about grabbing her, but that creature she had with her…”
“A wise choice,” Rupert said. “Which way did she go?”
“That way, I think, your highness.”
“And you won’t mind me checking your boat to make sure that she isn’t here?”
Again Sophia felt the tension in the captain. For her part, she dove under the bed in the cabin, urging Sienne to join her. The forest cat pressed against her as they hid.
“I am at your command, your highness,” Borkar said. “As you can see, there aren’t many places she could be aboard a vessel like this.”
“What about that cabin?”
Sophia heard the creak of the door opening, and she could feel Borkar’s tension building.
If he sees her, I’ll kill him, and damn the consequences.
She heard Rupert’s booted feet on the deck. Would he actually search the room? If he did, she had no doubt that he would find her, because her hiding place was pitiful. She could feel Rupert’s thoughts, filled with anger and hate. She took a risk, pushing a thought Rupert’s way.
She’s getting away. I’m wasting time.
She held her breath.
“It seems you were telling the truth,” Rupert said. “Which way did you say she went, Captain?”
“That way, your highness.”
“Then if I catch her, I’ll see you rewarded.”
Sophia heard the sound of Rupert’s boots retreating, and dared to pull herself out from under the bed. Captain Borkar was there waiting for her.
“By the old gods, I thought I was going to have to knife a prince.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a loss to the world,” Sophia assured him. “But we don’t have much time now.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “Sooner or later, he’ll realize that no one saw you after you came to my ship. Someone will tell him the truth. Better if we’re not here when that happens.”
He hurried out onto the deck, issuing orders once again. For her part, Sophia dared to relax. Rupert might still be searching for her, but for now at least, the danger was past, she was safe, and soon she would be with her uncle.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Angelica stood in a small stand of trees and watched the harbor with the stillness of a snake waiting to strike. She’d been watching for more than an hour now, forcing herself to remain calm, waiting for her moment. Someone else might have found that hard, or given in to the urge to rush down there, but Angelica knew how to be patient.
She’d watched Sophia’s arrival in the village, watched her walk around, obviously seeking passage to Ishjemme, as she’d said in her letter. Angelica had considered striking at her in the streets of the village, stepping out from a doorway or ambushing her in the inn, but the truth was that there were too many people there for that. She might be able to do what she needed to and get away, but people would see her, and that would mean that they talked.
It was funny that she was more afraid of getting caught than of the prospect of killing Sophia. Angelica found that was often the way of things. When she had to ruin some rival or bribe some official, she knew that most people would declare themselves disgusted by the thought of such an act. Angelica only worried about what might happen to her if she weren’t careful.
“And I’m always careful,” Angelica said, as she stretched and stood up.
When Rupert had come, she’d thought perhaps that he might do her job for her. Certainly, the way he’d been shouting had suggested that he had murder in mind by the end of it. Angelica could have ended things then simply by walking up to him and telling him where Sophia was hidden. She’d seen her hiding, after all, first on the roof, then in the boat.
She hadn’t called out for three reasons. First, it would have told people that she was involved in this, and that would have complicated things with Sebastian too much when he inevitably heard the rumors. No one could see her here.
Second, there was always a danger in being around Rupert, especially in a place as remote as this. He would undoubtedly propose that they travel back together, and Angelica had no wish to have to barricade her door against him at night.
The third reason was the most important one: she wanted to see the moment when Sophia died and all of this ended. For that, Angelica was willing to do far more than simply give her rival away.
Now, looking down at the harbor, she could see the situation was as perfect as it was going to get. There were men around on the ship, but Sophia appeared to be alone in the cabin. Rupert was off at the other end of the village, questioning people. If Angelica waited much longer, there was also the danger that the boat would simply leave.
“It’s time,” Angelica said to herself. She tied her horse in place using a sapling, then started to creep down along the shoreline. She kept the hood of her cloak up as high as she could manage, considering the best way to get aboard the vessel where Sophia was hiding. Could she walk up and claim to be her friend? Try to book passage? Sneak up the gangplank? All of those seemed like recipes for disaster.
When she found a small rowing boat, Angelica knew what she had to do, pushing the vessel into the water and taking its oars in delicate hands. Ordinarily, she had no need to row; on the occasions when she found herself on a river, it was because some swain was trying to impress her with his strength, or there was a servant to do the hard work. Now, Angelica pulled herself through the still water, her muscles straining with the effort.
She aimed for the stern of the ship, on the basis that it was where the cabin sat. She knew she would have to cross the deck at some point, but the more she could minimize it, the better. It would mean fewer people to see her, and less chance of being caught.
They might kill her if they caught her, here in the north where no one knew who she was. The thought of that brought a twinge of fear, but also the determination to do this properly.
It seemed to take an age to reach the ship, and by the time she did, Angelica was sweating with the effort. She wasn’t done yet, though. Tying the fishing boat to the larger vessel, she picked one of the lines running buoys down into the water and started to climb.
Her journey across the country had made her stronger. Even so, it took most of her strength to pull herself over the railing of the boat. She slipped aboard, moving as quietly as she could as she made her way down toward the door where—
“What are you doing there?”
Angelica turned, seeing a young sailor there, looking at her as if uncertain whether to make a grab for her or call for help. Angelica smiled.
“I’m here to see Sophia,” she said. “I’m here to help her.”
To help her into the next world, at least.
“Who are you?” the young man demanded, while Angelica’s hands considered the various objects at her belt. There was no time to arrange poison, and the close confines of the boat meant that the pistols she’d taken from the bandits were out of the question. Even her knives would take a moment or two to get to, too long if he decided to call out.
“I’m Sophia’s friend,” Angelica said, moving closer, remembering that there had been others with her on the road. “I traveled with her most of the way, but was going to go in a different direction. Now, s
eeing that she gets to travel with such big strong men, I’ve changed my mind.”
It was overdoing things, of course, but Angelica didn’t have time for subtlety. She just needed to get closer.
The sailor boy still looked confused, but that didn’t matter, because at that point, Angelica spotted a belaying pin tangled in the ropes, waiting to hold them fast. Angelica snatched it and struck, catching him on the side of the head so that he dropped like a stone.
Angelica pushed him back as he fell, forcing him to the rail and then over it, putting all the effort into it that she had. He tumbled, falling into the harbor with a splash and vanishing from sight almost immediately. Angelica didn’t know if she’d killed him with that first blow or not, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he wouldn’t surface to say that she’d been there.
She turned her attention to the cabin door, staying crouched so that no one would see her. Testing the handle, she found that it wasn’t locked, which struck her as foolish. She had time to draw a stiletto now, so she did, taking a moment or two to coat its blade with essence of foxglove, so that there would be no mistake about this. She also palmed a small bag.
Angelica pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to be greeted by the growl of the great cat that lay in front of the bed. Sophia was there too, looking at Angelica with obvious surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m here because I have a message from Sebastian,” Angelica said.
Sophia was already shaking her head by the time Angelica finished saying it.
“I can see your thoughts, Angelica. I know that isn’t what you’re here to do.”
See her…
“You’re more than just some indentured slut, then,” Angelica said. “You’re an abomination too.”
It was just one more reason to hate Sophia. It wasn’t that Angelica cared much for the strictures of the Masked Goddess, but anyone who could see into her head and ferret out her secrets was to be despised. If Angelica had known, she would have poisoned Sophia when she first met her, just to be safe.
“And you’re here to kill me,” Sophia said, her expression still caught in surprise at it all. “Why, Angelica? Why would you do such a thing?”
“You don’t get to call me Angelica, you imposter, you owned thing,” Angelica snapped back. “You came into my life and disturbed everything. I could have been married to Sebastian by now, but instead, the Dowager has me traveling the length of the country, making sure that you can’t be a threat.”
“She sent you as well as Rupert?” Sophia said. “She must be getting desperate if she’s resorting to you as an assassin.”
“That’s how much Sebastian means to her,” Angelica said. “And to me. You have no right to interfere with the affairs of your betters like that.”
“My betters?” Sophia said, and for some reason, she laughed again. “You really have no idea what this is really about, do you? You think it’s just about Sebastian.”
Right then, Angelica wished that she were the one able to read minds, because it was obvious that there was something Sophia was keeping from her.
“What is it about then?” Angelica demanded.
Sophia shook her head. “I’m not giving you any more ammunition against me. Tell me this, do you love Sebastian at all?”
Angelica wondered what the point of that question was. She considered Sebastian a good match, handsome and likely to be a good husband, even before the obvious advantages of his position were considered. There was a reason she was pursuing him rather than Rupert. Even so, what place did love have in an affair such as this? Love was for the lower orders.
“Is that it?” Sophia demanded, and again, Angelica had the feeling that she’d plucked the thoughts from her head like some kind of thief.
“Better a thief than a murderer,” Sophia snapped. “Although I’m wondering how you plan to do it. Sienne.”
The forest cat stood, poised to pounce, its teeth bared in an obvious threat as it hissed.
“Even if it were the two of us, I could probably beat you,” Sophia said, “because you’ve never had to fight your way through an orphanage every day. Do you think that you could fight your way past Sienne as well? Do you think I couldn’t bring a dozen sailors running just by shouting?”
Angelica considered the odds. “Why even warn me?” she asked. “Why not just set that thing on me to kill me?”
That’s what she would have done if she had the power to do it. If someone was a threat, you dealt with that threat. To do anything else was to leave yourself vulnerable in a world that allowed no space for such weakness.
“I’m not like you,” Sophia said. “So I’m going to give you a chance, Angelica. Turn around. Walk out that door. Go back to Ashton. I won’t stop you. You probably won’t even see me again.”
“Probably,” Angelica said. Probably wasn’t enough. The Dowager had been very clear about what would happen if she didn’t deal with this conclusively. A traitor’s death, fastened into the mask of lead while they filled it with molten metal. No, she couldn’t allow that.
Nor could she allow the possibility of Sebastian finding Sophia alive at some point.
“Then I guess we have nothing more to say,” Sophia said. She raised a hand, obviously ready to order her beast forward.
The key was to act without thought. Angelica shut her eyes and threw down the pouch in her hand simultaneously. Smoke and light burst from it as the impact with the floor set off the substances within. She threw herself forward, grabbing for Sophia and thrusting once, sliding the razor sharp stiletto as deep as she could get it.
She heard Sophia gasp in pain, trying to grab onto her. Angelica let the weapon go and pulled back, knowing that there would be no chance for a second thrust. She heard the forest cat roar, then saw it leap out of the smoke.
Angelica threw herself flat, feeling it pass just over the top of her. Angelica rolled to her feet, powered by fear, and lunged for the door without looking back. To look back, to slow even for a moment, was to die.
She felt claws rake across her back, burning like fire, and heard the growl of the forest cat as it attacked. She didn’t stop even as she felt her flesh tear, but kept running, grabbing for the door as she went. She plunged out into the open air and slammed the door behind her, knowing that the only way to get away from the creature trying to kill her was to put a barrier in the way.
With the door shut, Angelica collapsed to the deck for a moment, putting a hand to her back. Her fingers came away wet. She forced herself back to her feet, because the noise of the fight would soon attract attention. She pushed back the way she came, making it over the side of the ship and all but falling into the small rowing boat. She gritted her teeth as she started to row, putting as much distance between her and the scene of her attack as possible.
Not attack, murder. There was no way that Sophia could survive. Even if the knife wound didn’t kill her, the poison on the blade would. Angelica had done it. She’d done everything the Dowager had instructed, and she’d gotten away safely.
Now, she just had to get back to her horse and ride back to Ashton. She needed to do that with all the speed she could muster, so that she would be waiting when Sebastian got back. Was he a prize worth killing for?
No, but a kingdom might be.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Sebastian pushed his stolen horse forward, racing across the countryside with as much speed as he dared in a land of hills and uneven ground. He had to get to Sophia before she left. He had to.
Already, he felt as though he was behind. He’d been trying to get to Sophia before Rupert could, but the detour he’d had to take to escape his brother’s men had turned into a wider detour, until Sebastian had been so far out of his way that he had barely been able to find the way back. Now, every second that passed felt like a second in which Rupert could be hurting the woman he loved.
If he did, then Sebastian would kill him, brother or not.
The gardener, McCallum, had told him where he needed to go, so Sebastian aimed for the coast, trying to catch sight of the fishing village where the boats to Ishjemme would be. He didn’t know what there was for Sophia there, and right then it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was going to be with her.
It was one last sprint at the end of a long race to catch up with her. Sebastian still didn’t know why she’d sent him the wrong way, but he hoped that it wasn’t because she’d somehow stopped loving him. Sebastian wasn’t sure that he could live with that, when his own love for her burned so brightly. He had to believe that she was just scared, and actually seeing him there for her would change things somehow.
“First, I have to get to her,” Sebastian said, crouching low over the back of his horse to gain every hint of speed. He was back on the roads by now, because in a landscape like this, it was the only way to travel quickly, even if it meant the risk of running into Rupert and his men.
Finally, ahead, he saw the village, boats down in the harbor holding the prospect of Sophia. Sebastian could also see the uniforms of Rupert’s men as they moved through the streets, obviously searching for Sophia. They were mostly at the far end of the village, but it was only a matter of time before they swept through every inch of it.
There was no time to waste, so Sebastian plunged down into the village, trying to keep low enough that Rupert and the others wouldn’t see him. He tied his horse at the inn, found the door locked, and kicked it as hard as he could. On the second blow, he felt something give way, and he stumbled inside.
There were people there, staring at him in obvious terror. It took him a moment to realize that, to them, he must just look like one more of the soldiers barging through their homes. He could see a few of them with their hands under tables or hidden in cloaks, obviously getting ready to bring out weapons if they had to, but just as obviously scared of what it would mean.
“I’m not here with the others,” Sebastian said. “I’m trying to find Sophia before they do.”