Messenger in the Mist. Aubrie Dionne

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СКАЧАТЬ her messenger code, her lips remained sealed like the secret letter he held in his hands.

      “And the payment?”

      “To be paid by the recipient.”

      She considered his request, weighing the unlikely possibility Zetta would pay for any letter from him. But it wasn’t in her authority to inquire. If Zetta refused to pay for it, the letter would be shredded and discarded. She could not bend the rule of the Interkingdom Carriers. Taking it from his hands, Star slipped the letter into her carrier bag and turned away.

      He called after her, a comical lilt to his tone. “It’s a little late for a messenger to be gallivanting around, isn’t it?”

      Star turned back, her hair whipping around her face in a shining veil. “I can take care of myself.” His eyes flared as if he found her bold retort appealing. Feeling a little awkward, she mounted Windracer and rode away.

      * * * *

      When Star returned to the Overflow Tavern, most of the booths were empty. Hilda had stacked mugs in toppling array on the bar and wiped the tabletops with a rag and soapy water. Dinner had ended long ago.

      “Long day?” Hilda asked as Star plopped herself down into a booth by the windowsill. She was grateful to have a warmly lit place to return to, but somehow the glow of firelight couldn’t quite shake the haunting images of the night’s rambles out of her head. At least her bag was empty.

      “You could say that, yes.”

      Hilda grinned wide. “Let me get you our special tonight. It will make it all worth it. I hope you got a substantial reward for returning that bunnyfly.”

      The barmaid’s comment reminded Star of Valen’s gift. Digging in her coat, she brought the gilded box into the lantern light, and it sparkled as though a chip of the rising sun had fallen into her hands. Star immediately held it down, afraid to draw attention, as two men sauntered in from the night and sat in the booth behind her. One was older, almost her father’s age, and the other was not much older than herself.

      As she smoothed her fingertips over the lid, she overheard their conversation waft up from the wooden stalls.

      “More and more these days, there’s talk of war.”

      “It’s a good thing that mist is holding back Evenspark’s army,” the younger man grumbled. “The Queen of Evenspark’s been raving mad ever since our king took that silly nobody as his bride.”

      “Ha. He passed her up many years ago for a barmaid, a young girl, nonetheless.”

      “She’s a nobody.”

      “But she’s beautiful, and from what I hear, Evenspark’s queen isn’t exactly a swan, you know.”

      “What have you heard?”

      The older man’s voice fell to a whisper. “I heard she’s got some hideous disease, skin all puckered up with pus and blood.”

      Star shook her head in disgust of the gossip. The rumors of Evenspark’s disfigured queen had spun out of control ever since her birth. The queen was a reclusive sort, sequestering herself in the castle and only showing her veiled face at royal ceremonies. But it was no reason for Ravencliff’s ruffians to create pernicious lies.

      She’d had enough of their ridiculous talk and took a quick breath of air, ready to intrude when the younger man responded in exasperation. “Naw. That’s only a story meant to scare tots into eating their vegetables. No one’s actually seen her face. She’s always wearing some veil or another.”

      “What with the Elyndra, you’d think they have enough scary stories for the little ’uns. No, I think there’s some truth in it. Why else would she hide her face?”

      Star braced herself for a fight, but the younger man brushed it off. “Suit yourself, it’s a moot point anyway. He married the girl nobody and now they have Bellanina.”

      “Yes, but the king doesn’t need another heir. Prince Valen is quite enough to keep the kingdom going.”

      “And dual heirs always stir up trouble.”

      Star hunched down. The conversation grew increasingly intriguing. If they caught her eavesdropping, their tongues would not wag any further.

      “Let us hope Valen can smooth over any quarrels.”

      “Yeah, there’s Princess Vespa, the queen’s niece over in Evenspark. There are rumors Valen’s betrothed to her already.”

      The word betrothed assaulted her ears and Star’s heart felt like it tore into two halves. The door to her hopes slammed with a rude thud. She couldn’t help but keep listening, like one captivated by a hunter’s arrow as it rode the wind to strike a deer.

      “Let’s hope he doesn’t mess it up like his father.”

      “Yeah, choose some beautiful girl nobody and make everyone angry.”

      Star looked at the gilded box guiltily. She couldn’t possibly be the one to steal Valen’s heart. Slowly, her fingernails pried open the latch and she raised the lid.

      Inside laid a jeweled necklace with a ruby, bigger than her eye, chipped into the unmistakable shape of a heart.

      Chapter 5

      Special Delivery

      A rolling mass of clouds filled the sky as Star prepared for her journey back to Evenspark. Ravencliff’s crimson flags stretched taut in the wind gushing from the east. A storm brewed just beyond the mountains clustered around the city’s edge. If Star was lucky, she could outrun it, but it was unlikely. She would have to deal with mist, dangerous flying beasts and torrents of rain.

      Despite the urgency of the moment, Star couldn’t help but feel a nonsensical urge to remain at Ravencliff. She had tossed in her sweat-drenched sheets all night, her limbs filled with agitation and her heart at odds with reason. Did she intend to take down a kingdom with an infatuation? Actually, the best thing she could do was stay far away from Valen and let fate spin its course unhindered.

      After stuffing the last batch of outgoing letters into her carrier bag, Star mounted Windracer and turned to the lead guard on duty. “Throw down the drawbridge. I am ready to depart.”

      Draft horses, as tough as dragons, heaved and the wheels of the gate turned. The metal chains clinked, slowly at first then increasing speed until a rhythmic percussion of chinks filled the air. Star felt Windracer gearing up, her front hoof stomping the ground in anticipation.

      Then a horn blew, wailing like the complaint of a suffering banshee. A guard calmed the horses and the wheels rumbled to a halt. The drawbridge hovered in midair, a slim crack between wood and stone revealing a misted slate of endless pewter. Frustrated, Star turned around in her saddle.

      The cause of the delay appeared to be a hooded figure riding a stallion. The horse dashed toward her, past the guards of the courtyard, stirring up dust in its wake.

      Star’s anger caught fire. Not only was the rider interfering with her schedule, but he also put her at odds with the upcoming storm. She needed to get back as СКАЧАТЬ