“Yeah. The innkeeper’s wife was very grateful for our help with Danna last night. I went down for breakfast and she said we could all use their private washroom before we leave. I left my leathers with her to wash.” Kae chuckled. “I hope the water doesn’t turn into too much mud.”
Loren laughed with her, amused at the thought. The princess waited on the edge of the bed for Kae to finish dressing, but she heard a muttered swear from the huntress and almost turned around. “What is it? Are you alright?”
“I thought I had an extra tunic. It must have fallen out at some point.” Kae answered with a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to sit around in a towel until the inkeeper’s wife is done washing my hunting leathers.”
Loren was up and opening her own pack before Kae was finished speaking. Without a word, she pulled out one of her own cotton shirts and handed it to Kae, who at least had packed an extra set of trousers.
“Princess, no, I can’t accept—“ Kae started, but Loren shoved the shirt into her hands.
“Oh just take it!” Loren said with a laugh. “You can keep it. I think we’re roughly the same size anyway.”
Kae smiled gratefully and wrestled the tunic up over her head. The towel fell slightly and Loren looked away a second too late, her cheeks burning. “It fits! Thank you, princess. You really didn’t have to.”
“Well, I wanted to.” Loren mumbled, pretending to busy herself with the things in her pack. “What happened to Cassendir and Ma’trii?” she asked hastily.
“Ma’trii went out to scout and maybe hunt a rabbit.” Kae answered with a shrug. “Oh, Cassendir wanted me to tell you to meet him downstairs once you’ve woken up.”
“Did he say why?”
“No, but I imagine it was important.”
Loren sighed. She knew she should check on the scholar and see what he wanted, but even as she stood and turned towards the door, she hesitated. The princess didn’t want to leave the room. She didn’t want to leave Kae.
“Princess? Are you alright?” Kae asked, seeing Loren standing still and staring forlornly at the ground.
“What?” Loren almost jumped. “I’m sorry, just…. Just lost in thought. I’ll go see Cassendir.”
“Great! If you see Ma’trii, tell him to stay by the road so I can find him when we leave.” The huntress smiled, and Loren left the room.
The princess found the main dining hall of the inn empty. Even the innkeeper and his wife were nowhere to be seen, but Loren assumed they were off doing other duties. She left the inn and found Cassendir by the horse posts, talking to a merchant dressed in similar silks to him.
“A half dozen coins then, and one of my notebooks.” Cassendir said. The scholar held up the amount of gold coins sitting in his palm.
The merchant, a heavily tanned man with brightly colored silks wrapped around his head and face, scoffed. “What use are your notebooks, boy? Will I use them to wipe my ass?”
Cassendir wasn’t deterred. “I’ve written down observations and information regarding the kingdoms of Aldoran and of the Beastmen. If you present this to the Royal Archives in Kespia, it will be worth more than the price of your horse.”
“Information, hmm?” The merchant said. Underneath his head wrappings, he raised an eyebrow in doubt. “Hand it here.”
Cassendir offered the merchant a small notebook from his pack. It was the size of his palm and bound in thin, worn leather. The merchant flipped through the papers and found it full of Cassendir’s scrawled notes in a dark ink. His eyes flicked over the pages, but it was clear that he didn’t understand a word. The scholar let out a soft breath and smiled.
“How much would you say this is worth at the Archives?” the merchant said, sounding unimpressed. He snapped the little notebook shut.
“One hundred gold pieces.” Cassendir answered confidently. “The scholars of the Archives and the Academy only dream of seeing what I have seen here. I’ve been inside the castle of Aldoran, and seen their magic and army. I know what they’re capable of.” Cassendir stepped closer to the merchant and tapped his notebook. He gave the merchant a sly look. “Trust me, this information will be very expensive.”
“Cassendir!” Loren started, approaching the scholar. Selling sensitive information regarding how her kingdom and her allies operate was treason. Betrayal! And he was her friend!
Cassendir turned back to the princess and gave her a subtle wink, while the merchant was stroking his chin and thinking of all the things he could buy with one hundred gold coins. Loren stopped, curiously and cautiously watching the two Kespians. She thought of how she could run down and catch the merchant if he decided to take the notebook.
“Alright, boy! Have it your way.” The merchant said. He snatched the six coins out of Cassendir’s hand and shoved the notebook into a pocket hidden by his silks. The horse is yours.” The merchant motioned dismissively to a young stallion tied to the horse post, before mounting a different horse and setting off down the Imperial Highway.
“Cassendir!” Loren said. “What did you do? You sold secrets of my kingdom? For a horse?”
The scholar laughed and patted the princess’s shoulder. “Of course not! I can’t do that to you. The man was illiterate, didn’t you see? If he could read, he would have seen that notebook had notes about
