Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms Novel)(7)

“Three girls in this county alone have been taken. Word is, a nobleman from Malam is to blame. Even if the rumor’s twisted a little, every man and woman in Shaerdan is going to be looking out for Malamians.”

She’s got a point.

Lirra crosses her arms and drops her shoulder against the wall. Some of the sun-crusted green paint chips off the barn onto her orange dress. “Thing is, I want to find my friend, and if your king was wise, he’d want to find out if the rumors have merit. Wouldn’t take much more to fan the embers of the almost war. Far as I can see, things between Shaerdan and Malam are still smoking.”

“The king doesn’t put much weight on rumors,” I tell her. Mostly I say it because I don’t want to consider spending any more time away from Brentyn, even though there’s no forgetting that I serve the crown. I’ve sworn an oath to uphold the king’s command and the good of Malam.

But a rumor isn’t just cause to launch another manhunt. The thing with rumors is they run as straight and true as creeping weeds.

“Anything else?” I ask.

Lirra dusts the barn scrapings off her shoulder. “Aye. Orli didn’t return from doing her barn chores. By the evening, her family started to worry. She just disappeared.”

“That’s if someone actually took Orli.” I cross my arms.

“Your skepticism is obnoxious.” She stares hard at the barn before turning back to me.

“Your pa in town?”

That small flicker of a frown quirks her lips before it’s replaced by a shrug. “Pa’s not much of a traveler.”

Lirra’s avoidance kicks my irritation up three notches.

“Neither’s our ma,” Finn adds, which is true. But not needed right now.

“You’ve come all this way from Celize on your own.” I slap Finn’s hand away from picking at the peeling paint. He gives me a wounded look. “Why do you need my help now?”

“I suspect Orli’s been taken to Malam. It’s illegal for me to cross the border. If I make it past your border guards, I would then have to worry about someone in Malam tagging me as a Shaerdanian. If that happens, I might as well sign my death certificate. So I propose a trade.” She scoots back and flicks a bug off her skirt fold. “I’ll tell you where Phelia is, then you keep me safe in Malam until we’ve found Orli.”

“That all?” She wants a bodyguard and tracker for the price of a location? Horse dung.

She nods.

I laugh and her eyes narrow.

“I’m taking Phelia to Malam as soon as I catch her. Got no time to babysit a Shaerdanian girl.”

“If you don’t find Phelia soon, she’ll be on the move again. You’ll be back to the chase. You’ve been through enough towns over the last few weeks to be noticed. Soon enough you’re going to walk into a trap. Maybe very soon.”

Her tone says more than her words. Says that she knows something real and dangerous. I realize I’ve clamped my hand over my belt. I slide my grip to my dagger. “And what sort of trap might that be?”

She props her hands on her hips. “A group of kinsmen wait in the next town over. Phelia’s been slowly leading you there.”

“How do you know this? Your father?”

A nod.

Fair enough. The Archtraitor of Malam has a powerful underground of informants.

A wide river snakes across the plains east of Rasimere Crossing. Sighing, I let my gaze rest on the horizon past the water’s curves, wishing the Malamian Mountains that lead to Britta’s home were in sight.

“Cohen, the thing is, I need your help.” Lirra edges closer. “I can track better than my pa. I can read a person in a blink and know half their life story. But I’ve never been into Malam. I wouldn’t know my way. And I’d more than likely get caught.”

I look at her boot moving around in the dirt and recognize the gesture as unease. “What does your father think of you going into Malam after Orli?”

Her mouth tightens. “He doesn’t know. Orli’s in danger. I couldn’t sit around and wait. I’m good at finding out information. All I need is a little muscle on my side.”

Finn clears his throat and puffs up his chest.

I shove his shoulder and Lirra cracks a smile.

Taking the Archtraitor’s daughter into Malam could spell trouble for me later. I don’t like the idea much, but I admire her courage and drive. I let out a breath. “You really think she’s in Malam?”

She nods at the distant hills.

Finn snorts. “No Malamian man would kidnap Shaerdanian girls and take them into Malam. It’s too risky to get them across the border. Besides, we got pretty-enough girls of our own.”

“They’re not taking them to make them their wives.” She rolls her eyes.

“Why, then?”

I don’t hush Finn because I’m curious too.

“Every single girl who’s been taken is some sort of Channeler. They’re stealing them to use their gifts.”

Her words take a beat to sink in. “Magic is outlawed in Malam.” A woman accused of being a Channeler is thrown in the pillory or the dungeon, before eventually being burned. The trail of thoughts puts a rock in my gut.

“Why else would they gather large numbers together?”

“You think the person taking all the girls is making some sort of magical army? To fight against what?” I try not to look at her like she’s scattered her sense in the wind. I fail.