Giles nodded again with a small smile at Lilac. It was so unnatural. It was… grandfatherly.Paternal. But the man he was behind Garin’s entrancement was anything but.
She swallowed. Lilac wanted him to drive them and nothing more. But as she glared at him, she noticed his face was more sallow than usual,almost gaunt, even for an elderly man. His lips were chapped, and she’d felt his robes. They were thin.
“When was the last time you ate?” She couldn’t help herself.
“Erm,” he answered, and she felt Garin’s questioning eyes on her as she reached into the carriage. “Your witch friend’s soup. The friendly one,” he added, glancing sidelong at Adelaide.
The bag Lorietta had given them was under one corner of her seat; it was a large cloth satchel pieced together with leather—a welcome replacement of hers from the castle. She thought she’d seen a garment there. Lilac climbed into the carriage and felt around until her fingers touched thick cloth. With a tug, a long, woven blanket crafted in fine threads of sunset unfolded. She then quickly grabbed a handful of what she could from the basket under the other bench, emerging with a cheese wedge and bread end.
“Get ready to move,” Garin instructed, leaning against the frame, shielding her. “They’ve noticed us stopped for too long, and two of those guards are paying more attention than I’d like.”
She squinted. It did look like two of the pinpricks of torches in the distance were slightly larger. Lilac hoisted herself all the way in and reached through the window to pass Adelaide the bundled blanket and food, which she reluctantly settled upon Giles.
Lilac caught Adelaide’s irked grimace as Garin settled beside her. “What?” she snapped. “You’re the one who tied him up.”
“I’m not sure how these will work for you.” Adelaide’s hand shot through the open window. There was a small bottle of vibrant blue liquid in her palm. “I don’t sell these to mortals.”
Lilac accepted it. “What is it?”
“An illusory tonic. It will glamor you. Magic folk can dictate what the change will be, but the more complex the change, the more skill required. Sometimes it’s a different hair color, a new wardrobe. Sometimes a new face or gender completely for experienced magic folk.”
“And how do I do that?”
“Heavy concentration, but it doesn’t matter. Your glamor will come at random.”
Lilac turned it over in her hands and made a face. She didn’t know how much she trusted another potion from Adelaide.
“Or don’t take it, I don’t care.”
“They’re discussing coming to investigate to see if we’ve broken down,” Garin said quietly, placing his hand lightly upon Lilac’s knee. “Start the carriage, Giles, or I’ll have to do something about them.”
“You will not.” Adelaide’s eyes glowed yellow and simmered as her head snapped back to them. “Some of uslivehere. We don’t need either of you ruining everything for us again.”
Lilac watched the torches stop, then slowly bob closer. “My parents and our castle guard know I’m supposed to be in town today.”
“Yes, and they’ll helpyou,” Adelaide spat, fixing her hair. “The rest of us will be thrown in the dungeons for kidnapping you. Trust me, it’ll be easier if these people don’t know the queen is in this carriage.” She glanced ahead, where even Lilac could now make out the silhouettes of the guards. “Although at this point, it won’t happen fast enough.” She groaned. “No, better to drink it. Swallow every drop. And don’t look out of the window or open those curtains until it takes effect.”
“Fine, and how long does it last?” Lilac asked, heart hammering.
“It fades the moment you consume food or drink, so don’t do that.”
“And you?”
“They already know me,” Adelaide said, eyeing the guards. “They fear me, and that’s enough.”
Lilac looked down at the bottle in her hand, then at Giles. “No one will notice him, will they?”
“If no one recognized him at your stables, they won’t here.”
Adelaide had a good point. Garin was watching her expectantly, looking a little flustered as he peeked through the front window at the beginnings of Paimpont in the distance.
“Well?” he snapped. “Are you taking it or not?”
The carriage jerked into motion. Lilac popped the cork off and tossed it back. It tasted like burnt blueberry jam. “What about you?” Lilac managed, suddenly feeling selfish. He was probably the last person Adelaide cared about being recognized.
“No one will recognize me,” Garin said quietly. “The last time I was in the area was when we were at the farmhouse. And the time before that, the night of the Raid. I haven’t been back in the years since.” His eyes were trained on the road ahead, but his hand slipped onto her lap and fumbledaround a bit until she placed her free hand in his. He grasped it. “Easy now. We should pass through no problem, then veer off north or south.”
“Or continue straight,” Adelaide optioned. “Into the Low Forest.”
