Come have an ale with me, he said, pointing to it. He called out to his companions, because he had no intention of that being an ale alone with Finnal. They might have to actually talk if they were alone. I spy a tavern, men! I think weve hunted enough for one day, so let us celebrate our successes!

He rode for it, wishing he could be riding to his sisters side instead, but shed asked him to take the time to get to know Finnal, and he was going to do that, even if he had to down a taverns worth of ale to manage it. She would be fine out on her journey. After all, she had Varss men to guard her.

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

Lenore found herself looking around for her brother as her carriage trundled down to the crossroads and past it. The roads were muddy here, paved only in places and with clumps of vegetation on either side.

Vars was supposed to meet us somewhere here, wasnt he? she called out to one of the half-dozen guards with her.

Im sure the prince will meet us in due course, the man replied, although he sounded as surprised as Lenore felt that Vars had not done so already.

Should we stop and wait for him? Lenore asked. Probably, though, as the princess, she should have been giving the orders. The soldier seemed to think so too.

If it pleases you, your highness, he said.

Weve still a long way to go today, one of her maids pointed out. She gave a disgusted look out of the carriage window. And if we wait here, well be doing it in the mud. We could at least wait for the prince at the next comfortable inn.

Lenore sighed. Her maid had a point. More to the point, it was likely that Vars was there already. Probably hed decided that he had no more interest than the maid in waiting out in the mud, and the thought of beer or wine had drawn him on.

Then there was the thought of the cargo they carried. They only had the gifts from Royalsport and the nearest villages so far, but even so, it seemed like too much to be sitting out in the open with. Better to press on and wait surrounded by whatever walls the inn had.

Well keep going, Lenore called to the driver.

The carriage continued to bump its way down the road, while Lenore looked out and tried to find something different in the landscape. Probably Nerra could have told her the name of every tree, pointing out the differences as they went, but she wasnt here. Lenore hoped her sister was all right, and that Rodry had been able to find her.