It had to be me.
Kestra might've been angry, but Trina's fury created a charge in the air that bristled against my skin. The instant the door closed, I stepped between the girls, holding Trina back.
"I'm starving!" Trina said. "She knows that. She did that on purpose."
"It can't be changed," I said, ignoring my own hunger pangs. "The innkeeper will be suspicious."
"He's already suspicious." Kestra's face was flush with color. She started with me first. "What was all that 'my lady' talk? You're my guard, not my chaperone. I'm old enough to speak for myself, you fool." To Trina, she added, "And every gesture you make reeks of irritation, like you're hoping for a fight. Do you think a Dallisor would employ any lady's maid with your attitude? Both of you listen carefully. Sometime tomorrow, we'll arrive at my father's home, where mistakes like these will get you killed, and may get me killed if my father thinks I'm helping you by choice. You will stop with this stupidity, for all our sakes!"
My head was down and I kicked at the floor, keenly aware of how silent the room had become. Much as I hated to admit it, Kestra was right. I had overplayed my role, Trina had trumpeted her anger, and if anyone became suspicious about Kestra, a lot of people would have to die. Including the three of us, no doubt.
I finally looked up, feeling the weight of Kestra's frustrations. I expected to face another challenge from her, but instead, tears had welled in her eyes. She was struggling to fight them back, but one had already spilled onto her cheek. When Trina saw, she would mock Kestra brutally over this. There would be another fight.
I turned to Trina. "Go find the innkeeper and tell him your lady has changed her mind and desires a supper, in private. Wait for it and bring it back here yourself. After our generous payment for this room, he'll prepare a nice meal."
Trina practically danced from the room. As soon as she had gone, Kestra said, "You paid for it with the one gift I had from my mother. All I had left of her."
The hurt that caused her creased every
word. I considered apologizing, but then when she turned away to brush at her tears, her attention fell on the window, remaining there far too long. I grimaced, feeling a pressure building in the back of my head. She was assessing her chances of escape. It would be a long night ahead.
A moment later, Kestra turned back to me, speaking so quickly that she clearly had planned this speech. "Your captain's plan won't work. This idea of a dagger choosing some Infidante to assassinate Lord Endrick is preposterous. It's a myth, a story the Banished hold on to because it's their sole hope of regaining power. Even if it's true, there are no clues to the whereabouts of the missing dagger. Don't you think those dungeons have been searched a thousand times already? And even if we do find something, the Woodcourt gates will not open for me to leave after only four days. It usually takes at least five before my father is fed up with me."
"It'll work. You'll find a way." I sounded more confident than I felt. If anything, I agreed with her. Tenger's plan was insane, and probably based on hope more than reality. It wasn't like the captain to be this careless.
But she wasn't finished. "As you know, Henry Dallisor is not a man of affection." I snorted at her words, but she quickly added, "If he cares for me, I've seen little evidence of it. You must understand that if he suspects me of betraying Lord Endrick, he will dispose of me as quickly as he would any other traitor. Henry Dallisor serves Endrick first, and remembers his daughter last."
"Lord Endrick protects the Dallisors."
"He protects those who serve him. If I'm discovered, nothing I tell him will matter."
Silence fell between us. Fear registered in her eyes and deepened the lines between her furrowed brows. Her family served Lord Endrick, but she was just as afraid of him as most other Antorans. Maybe more.
I stepped closer to her, testing to see how she'd react. "You obviously know how evil Lord Endrick is. How can you support such a man?"
She moved away, obviously uncomfortable. "He's strict, not evil, and he's forced to be so by scum like you." She pressed her lips together in a tight line before adding, "If there were no uprisings, there would be no need for him to respond to regain order."
My jaw clenched. I'd heard these lies many times before, just never from such a beautiful mouth. "Endrick's idea of order is total control, and he'll destroy anything necessary to have that. As an immortal, life has become meaningless to him."
"Your lives are worse than meaningless. You spread fear and chaos, inciting uprisings and violence in your wake, and then you claim it's the Dominion's fault for making you do it."
"The Dominion is crushing this country!"
"You are bees that sting and then complain when Lord Endrick slaps you down. The Corack rebellion and everyone who supports you are destructive. All of you should be hanged!"
I had to contain my temper, or I'd bring that ridiculous innkeeper back here to check on us, but my muscles had tensed and I spoke through gritted teeth. "If you truly believe that, then you are no better than Endrick. Think back, Princess. When did you first decide that some lives were more important than others?"
She blinked hard at that, registering pain from my words. So she could feel. Who knew?
Kestra stepped back farther, trying to recover. "It's irrelevant what you think of me. My point is that you must understand the flaws in your plan. I'm begging you to send word to your people to release my servants. If the Olden Blade does exist, then I'll keep my end of the bargain, but if I fail, they shouldn't be held responsible."
My bitter laugh mocked her, which was my exact intention. "You care for your servants now? Since when?"
"I care about these two. I remember when you served my family, Simon. I remember that day--"
No, we weren't going to talk about that day. If Tenger knew the details of it, he'd never have assigned me to this job. I marched forward, forcing Kestra back until she was against the wall. "Everything you say is a lie! Do you think I'm stupid?"
She smirked. "Stupid is the least of your problems."