Trouble with Kings by Sherwood Smith

say, and I knew I wasn’t strong enough to fight him, so I pretended to go to sleep. Even tried to snore.”
    A whoop escaped Jewel.
    “Well, your brother was laughing too, the stinker. But then we both yelped when we were thrown violently to one side. The coach had gotten outside the city by then, and as you’d expect on the side roads, hit a pothole and a wheel came off. As we picked our way out, Jaim was cursing and muttering about wanting to return it because he’d had to leave some ruby ring as insurance. He hadn’t stolen the coach, then, he’d gotten it legally, so as not to raise the hue-and-cry. I told him—with great enjoyment—that only an idiot would take a city vehicle out on those cow paths.”
    Jewel mopped her eyes with her skirt.
    “So Jaim told me to hold the horses—unless I was afraid of them—while he and that driver wrestled with the wheel, which hadn’t broken, it had only come unbolted. We exchanged insults while he labored with the wheel, and while he was busy I was busy as well. I got one of the horses unhitched. Or almost unhitched. I was undoing the traces on the side away from him as I vented my opinions. I’d just gotten out a good one about how he was far worse than Garian when, to my dismay, he dropped what he was doing and came toward me.”
    Jewel snorted. “To snarl back at you?”
    “He actually had the gall to warn me. He said, ‘Take my advice and have nothing to do with him . ’”
    “Well, he was right, wasn’t he?”
    “Of course he was, but still, the sheer bare-faced audacity of an abductor warning me about someone else almost caused me to ruin my escape. But I said ever so sweetly that I thanked him, and he and the driver—who was one of your gang, I guess—were in the middle of lifting the coach to slide the wheel back onto the axle when I got the other horse unhitched. Then I hopped up and rode off, leading the second horse.”
    Jewel snickered. “No wonder he never told me about that. Graveled!”
    “So I rode straight home and found that Maxl had dispatched the guard to try to track us on all the east roads. Even he laughed when I told him about the invisible knife and the wheel. Anyway I was so angry I went straight to Papa and said I would accept Garian’s invitation and visit Drath.”
    Jewel’s laughter died. “Oh no.”
    “Oh yes, I said I’d go, and I did. I walked into that mess all by myself. And though I am thoroughly ashamed of myself, I am also angry, because I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for your brother and his idiot plans.”
    Jewel wrinkled her nose. “Yes, I can see why you’re angry with him. And so Garian had my other brother there, and what, they tried to make you agree to marry one of them?”
    “Jason wasn’t there at first. It was just the two of us—and of course an army of servants and guards. I should have been suspicious when we didn’t go to Ennath, which is apparently a very nice palace on a lake. That’s where Garian entertains and does his public governing. We went straight to Surtan-Abrig, which is a fortress on a mountain. His personal lair.”
    Jewel grinned. “Which is why Jaim picked the hideout he did, for proximity. Go on.”
    “Not much more. Garian tried to flatter me into marrying him so we could expand Drath, but it seemed to me his hints all pointed to getting rid of Maxl. I refused as nicely as I could. So then he changed tactics. He no longer courted me for himself. Instead he now wanted me to meet Jason in order to negotiate a marriage, and I refused that too. He locked me in the room alone for a week, and when that didn’t make me any more amenable he tried sarcasm, and by the time Jason arrived, he had begun the bullying.”
    “I suppose Jason enjoyed slapping you too?”
    “He never touched me. He was scarcely ever around. I suspect he found the whole matter tiresome, because he spent most of his time out riding.”
    “Looking for Jaim’s hideout here, I dare swear.”
    “Ah! That