Cage of Deceit(49)

Jarvik was looking at the ground, his face hard, not revealing any emotions. He waited a minute before going to the doors on the right side of the sitting room, knocking on each one and briefly speaking with the men inside. When done, he rummaged through one of the trunks, pulling out some plain clothes. “I assume you want to scout out the site with me for your meeting tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“You can change into these,” he said, handing them to her. “Then we’ll leave the castle, pretending we’re going into town for a drink. Six of my men are accompanying us. I’ve instructed them to stay close by while on the castle grounds in order to hide your identity. Once we’ve entered the city streets, they will fall back into position.”

She nodded, impressed with his plan. He escorted her to one of the empty rooms and told her she could change in there. Once alone, she laughed. He had no clue. How in the world was she supposed to take her dress off? She couldn’t reach the ties at the back. After awkwardly twisting her arms one way and her torso another, she gave up. Poking her head into the sitting room, she saw Jarvik there with six men all dressed in nondescript clothing.

“Excuse me,” she said, and Jarvik rushed over. “I require some assistance.” She opened the door, and he came inside.

“With what?” he asked.

She needed Mayra, but she knew the squire would never agree. She couldn’t sneak out of the castle with Jarvik if her guards or her ladies-in-waiting knew what she was doing. Sighing, she said, “I can’t remove my dress.”

“Why not?” he asked, confused.

Turning her back to him, she said, “Can you … uh, untie it, please?”

Jarvik didn’t respond. She knew he’d traveled with only men, and there wasn’t a woman here to help her. Peering over her shoulder, she saw him standing there, rapidly blinking.

“Never mind,” she stated. “This plan isn’t going to work.” She went to leave when he stopped her.

“I can assist you,” he said carefully. “You just need me to loosen the ties, correct?”

She nodded. It wasn’t like he had to actually help her out of the dress. She could do that on her own. It was just the ties Mayra had cinched and knotted together that Allyssa couldn’t undo.

He came closer, fumbling with her strings. “These things are really knotted together,” he muttered. After a couple of minutes, she felt the dress loosen. “Done,” he said, stepping quickly away and leaving the room. She didn’t even have a chance to thank him.

After pulling off the outfit, she quickly changed into the clothing he’d given her. The pants were a little big so she rolled them at the waist. She had a dagger already strapped to her thigh so she kept that on, but she really wanted more weapons since they were going into the city.

Exiting the bedchamber, she found Jarvik and six men waiting for her in the sitting room. She was about to ask for a knife when the squire handed her two, instructing her to attach them with the straps sewn into the material of her pants. She thanked him and slid them into the hidden folds like he said. She’d have to have some of these pockets sewn into her own clothes—they were quite handy.

“I informed your guards that you are having a cup of tea with the prince and playing a card game. They are to send word to your ladies-in-waiting you won’t be back to your rooms until quite late.”

“Thank you,” she said, surprised by his prudent planning.

“You still need to do something with your hair,” he said.

Allyssa removed the pins, and her hair cascaded down around her shoulders. Jarvik’s cheeks reddened and he quickly squatted to retie his boots, keeping his eyes cast downward. She combed her hair back with her fingers and hastily braided it. Then she wrapped the braid around her head and used a pin to secure it in place. One of the soldiers offered her his hat. She put it on, concealing her hair completely.

Jarvik stood and went to the servants’ entrance at the back of the sitting room. He explained that it led to the lower level near the kitchen where they could easily slip outside. In order for this plan to work, Allyssa had to pretend to be a man joking and carrying on as they walked together in a group. Rounding her shoulders, she steeled her resolve, ready to play the part of a Fren soldier.



They made into the city without incident. True to Jarvik’s word, the Fren soldiers melted into the shadows, doing a much better job at remaining unseen than her own guards had done the other night. Allyssa walked alongside the squire as if they were friends. Which they weren’t.

“Do you know where the inn is?” he asked.