She frowned back. "Coming from someone who's currently threatening my life, you'll forgive me for doubting you."
For a moment, I'd forgotten that we were on opposite sides of this rebellion, and yes, that if anything went wrong with the plan, I had my orders from Tenger. But the first night with Kestra wasn't over, and I'd already begun to wonder if I could fulfill those orders.
Simon led us over a small hill where the brush became too thick to continue. We moved slower now, which helped to soothe everyone's ragged nerves. By the time Simon stopped, both he and Trina seemed as tired as I felt, too weary to argue anymore.
"They won't find us here," Simon said. "I think we're safe to rest and wait out the night." Hopefully he was right.
I ignored Trina's complaints about how she hadn't slept for even an hour back at the inn. Did she think I'd have sympathy, or that I'd care? Thanks to her, I'd barely slept at all. The exhaustion was making me dizzy.
Simon dismounted, and this time I did accept his steadying hands at my waist. That was better than falling onto the ground, which I might've done. But rather than releasing me, his grip tightened. "Give me that knife."
I didn't want to. "A knife is the most basic of weapons," Darrow once taught me. "Learn it first and learn it well."
I pulled my hand free from Simon's and backed away. "What if they come again?"
Neither of them had an answer for that. "No one knows we're here," Trina finally said. "They came to the inn because your servant told them you'd be there. Darrow betrayed you."
"He wouldn't. There must be another explanation."
"He betrayed you, Princess." Simon had begun tying up the horses and barely looked at me as he spoke. "Get used to that. There's nobody you can trust."
"Including you two?"
Trina snorted. "If you ever try a trick like that again, trust me to make your kidnapping seem like a birthday party."
Simon walked up to me, the curl of his lip a clear signal of how little patience he had left. I raised the knife to defend myself, but he grabbed my forearm, pinching until he forced the weapon's release. "Get some sleep, Princess."
"Stop calling me that--you know I'm nothing of the sort." I sat down against a tree and stifled a yawn. "The Lord of the Dominion rules alone."
"As long as you act like a spoiled princess, that's what I'll call you," he said.
I swallowed every retort that would have started yet another fight, then turned away from them both, hoping when I woke up, all of this would have been a dream. Burying myself into the folds of my cloak, I realized this was nothing so simple as dreaming. My life had become a nightmare.
Simon shook me awake before dawn. Instinctively, I flung out a fist, catching his shoulder hard enough to knock him backward. He chuckled as he rolled back to his feet. "Not a morning person, I see."
I reclined again, eager for even a minute or two more of sleep. "Go away."
"It's a five-hour ride to Highwyn. Stand up, or I'll pull you to your feet."
"I've got to figure out an excuse for the slit in my gown and wounds on my wrists. If my father sees me this way, I'll be in serious trouble. Come back in an hour."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a sitting position. I opened my eyes, more irritated than awake. At least he looked as tired as I felt. Trina came into focus behind him, in a yellow dress trimmed with a beaded blue sash. My dress, my sash, both of which had been left behind at the inn. That got my attention, and I stood, pointing at her. "Where did you get that?"
She pointed to a clump of bushes nearby. A blue dress with a patterned skirt and cropped vest had been laid over it, kept off the damp morning ground.
"You went back for these?" I asked.
"Simon did during the night. This blue dress has very long sleeves. We think they'll cover your wrists."
Simon reached into a pocket of his trousers and pulled out a handful of gold coins. "I also found these in your trunk. My payment for having to deal with you."
"The sack that Thorne--one of the Banished--brought to the inn, did you get that too?"
His gaze remained steady. "There was nothing in it of value. Only a lure to draw you out from your hiding place."
"What was it?"
He shook his head. "I already told you. Nothing of value. Get dressed. I'll go water the horses."