The Secret Princess by Rachelle McCalla Read Free Book Online Page B

without trying to repay the woman for the gift of life she’d given him. He had to try to see her again. He still didn’t know her real name.
    Luke reached the stable door and peered into the darkness inside. The heavy wallsblocked much of the moonlight. Horses shifted on their feet, their shadows looming dark against the walls, each one large enough to hide a man.
    Was he foolish to come here? Luke slipped into the nearest stall and quieted the sleeping mare that startled at his appearance. The horse went back to its slumber.
    Perhaps he was a fool for visiting Fier in the first place, but he’d learned enoughto justify the trouble it had caused him.
    And what of the woman? She’d tried to warn him away from this place, then tried to help him escape. But surely she could get in trouble for helping him. Why would she take such a risk on his account, especially when she was of such lowly status already? Slaves could be brutally punished, even killed, without their masters ever being called into question.Most were unerringly devoted to their masters out of fear.
    The pale-haired woman didn’t seem devoted to King Garren. Whom did she really serve? Could she be trusted?
    Movement near the far door caught his eye, and Luke spotted a flash of silver. Human. The boy? No, he realized with a pounding heart, it was the woman they called Biddy.
    Moonlight splashed in patches across her as shestole down the center aisle. She’d pulled her loose hair back in a tight braid and changed her dress. This garment was a more tattered rag, perhaps a bit too small, even, though it showed more of her slender curves. Luke’s breath caught as he watched her moving cautiously and gracefully in the moonlight.
    She stopped in front of a stall and slipped through the door before Luke realized whatshe was doing. The horse seemed to know her and followed without hesitation as she led him from the stall.
    Where was she going with the horse? The woman had risen early that morning to find valerian roots on foot. She’d worked hard all day and ought to be exhausted by this hour. Surely she didn’t make a habit of going riding at night. With a pang, Luke wondered if perhaps she was going tolook for him.
    No one had stopped her. From what Luke could tell, they were the only two people in the stable. With a prayer for safety, he stepped carefully toward her, not wanting to startle her or the horse. If either of them cried out, he might easily be caught again. And King Garren was unlikely to leave him where he could escape with so little trouble this time.
    The woman led thegelding to the corner where the tack was stacked, and she prepared the horse to ride. Luke followed quietly, debating how best to make his presence known.
    He reached a patch of moonlight when a horse nickered. The woman turned. Her eyes widened when she saw him, but she made no sound.
    Luke rushed to her side.
    “What are you doing here?” she whispered, then raised her hands with anoffering. “I brought you these.”
    Luke recognized the bread but reached eagerly for the flask, parched after a day in the tower. The woman pulled out the stopper and lifted it for him. As he quenched his thirst, Luke wondered again at this female who went out of her way to help him. Why?
    “You must tell me your name,” he nearly begged once he’d drained the flask.
    “Only if you promiseto leave. Why are you still here?”
    “I had to see you again.” He reached for the bread just as she held it out to him. His left hand met the rolls. His right hand touched her arm, held her sleeve and was about to pull her closer to him when he stopped himself, unsure why he felt so drawn to her. Granted, she looked much better now than she had earlier, and smelled far better, as well. Alongwith washing her hair and changing her dress, she’d replaced the stench of pigs with the clean scent of crushed lavender.
    Was he foolish to want to know more about this woman? Perhaps somewhat, but he wouldn’t allow