Messenger in the Mist. Aubrie Dionne
to wait until the next messenger arrives in a few days.”
There was a collective sigh of disappointment Star identified with. She, herself, felt the heavy weight of dejection clinging to her spirits. But it was her own fault. Her expectations were set too high. What had she actually hoped to accomplish?
As Star rode the final steps to the main gate, she heard a resonant tenor voice call after her. “Star Nightengale, you cannot leave until I’ve rewarded the famous messenger who saved my sister’s beloved pet.”
She realized the guards around her stared. Each one straightened a bit taller and the commotion died to silence. Some dashed back to their posts as if she’d caught them loitering.
Star whirled around in her saddle to address the speaker. Valen sat atop a black stallion, his riding cloak fluttering in the gentle breeze. He wore a rough leather tunic that hugged the rounded, smooth muscles of his chest. His face was flushed with exertion as if he’d been involved in sword practice when news came of the bunnyfly’s astonishing savior.
She blinked to make sure he wasn’t a dream. When she opened her eyes and the prince remained, her heart fluttered and sped. Star wondered why the fate of a pet was important enough to warrant an audience with a prince. Fumbling with the reins, her thoughts stuttered as she searched for an appropriate response. Relief flowed over her when her lips found the correct words. “I seek no reward, Your Highness. I’m merely doing my duty.”
The prince gently urged his horse forward and rode up beside her. His voice fell from a full-fledged projection to a conversational tone. “I believe this is above and beyond your duty. You’ve made my sister happy again, which is not an easy task, and I express my deepest appreciation.”
His eyes met her own as if he were shifting through the layers of her job, her duty, to study the soul that lay beneath. Star met his gaze, asking him to find what he sought. It was a bizarre occurrence, having what she wanted handed to her on a platter. Some ironic turn of fate had gleaned amusement by honoring her request. Confronted by her imaginings turning into reality, Star had no idea what to do.
The prince looked away as if he had forgotten himself. He dug into the folds of his cloak and brought out a small, glided box. Extending his arm, he handed it to her. “Here, a token of my gratitude.”
Star took the box, her slender fingers brushing against his. Somehow, all of the exchanges she’d dreamed of were no longer at her disposal. Her head was as empty as the bunnyfly’s. “Thank you.” Star cursed her diminishing vocabulary.
She thought the exchange had run its course, but the prince made no move to leave. “Can I have a moment of your time?”
Star was already hours behind schedule. She suspected she might have to ride out a day later than usual. Not only did she have a bag full of undelivered letters, but she’d spent the entire morning returning a bunnyfly of all things. Zetta would certainly not approve.
But there was no other answer she could give. “Most definitely.” Star closed and secured her carrier’s pack.
Valen smiled, appeased. “Come, let us ride.”
Leaving the vicinity of the guards, Star followed the prince down a grassy slope and into the privacy of the gardens. Windracer picked her way through a bed of blooming hyacinths, their voluptuous petals emanating an intoxicating scent in the air. The moment was surreal, wrapping around her heart and squeezing it until it swelled.
Once they were out of earshot, Valen turned to Star and broke the silence. “The disappearance of the bunnyfly unsettles me. Perhaps, seeing you were the one to find my sister’s pet, you can shed light where there is none.”
Star leaned forward. The overhanging branches cast dappled patches of shade on his face, making his expression difficult to interpret. “Anything I can do, Your Highness.”
“Please, call me Valen.”
“Prince Valen.” Star enjoyed saying his name.
“No, just Valen.”
Star laughed lightly. “I’m sorry, I cannot address you so informally. Prince Valen will have to do.”
The prince relented. “Rightly so. I heard you found the animal in the moors, outside the strong keep.”
“Yes.”
“And it was alone.”
“Yes.”
“Was there anything alongside it, any clue as to who put it there?”
“No, Your Highness. It huddled in the middle of the moors with no food, no shelter and no one to look after it.”
“What type of cruel person would steal such an innocent, inconsequential creature and toss it to certain death? You’d think if they had a tiff with the royal family, they would come directly to me or my father. But instead they insist on terrorizing the pet of a little girl.”
“Prince Valen, I don’t believe anyone stole your sister’s pet.”
The prince crinkled his brow. “Then how do you suppose it got there?”
Star chose her words carefully. “Forgive me, sir, for my boldness, but have you considered the possibility your fortress has a breach?”
“A breach? What do you mean?”
“A hole in the wall. Wide enough, at least, for a bunnyfly. Maybe bigger.”
Valen looked like he’d seen an Elyndra fly right out of the sky. The color drained from his face. “Impossible. This fortress is as sturdy as the mountain itself. Nothing can enter or leave without the king’s permission.”
“I understand your faith and your pride, but what if I am right? The castle may be in danger. The tunnel must stem from the inner rooms itself, leading into hostile territory.” Star felt guilty delivering such dire tidings. It seemed to be her lot in life. “Look, I may be wrong. In fact, let us hope I am. But what if I’m not?”
“Yes, yes.” The prince massaged his chin with his fingers.
“I would check on it.”
He looked back at her with a glint in his dark eyes. “I don’t suppose you will be staying long? I need a rider swift enough to scout the outside perimeter.”
Star weighed the amount of money an assignment at Ravencliff would provide against her message carrying. Although it would probably be worth three or four runs, it was only one assignment, and her carrier job was insured indeterminably. It would put years of steady work in jeopardy. Despite the fact that her heart desired it, her brain reasoned not. “No, I must get back to Evenspark. My job depends on it.”
“Of course.” Valen nodded as if he understood, although his eyes fell momentarily to the knotted reins in his strong hands.
Star wondered why he seemed so disappointed by her refusal. She searched for anything she could do to help him. Her word was the only assurance she could give. “This information is safe with me.”
The prince smiled oddly, as if fate teased him. “Somehow I know I can trust you. It’s almost as if…”
“As if what?” Star had to know.
Valen shook off his last words as if they were meaningless. “Where did you say you grew up?”
The change in conversation startled Star. “I didn’t.”
“That’s right. Forgive my digression.”
“That’s all right.” Star had nothing to hide, although her origins were meager. “I live in Evenspark in the outer districts, on the border of the outskirts.”
“How unfortunate.” Valen seemed surprised. “But look how much you’ve accomplished. You’re a rider of Evenspark, in fact, the head rider of the Interkingdom Carriers. I do read up on Evenspark’s current events, you know.”
Star