A Posse of Princesses Read Online Free

through the treacherous mountains—if the
weather held. If the weather turned truly severe, as it sometimes
did, she could be held up a week or more.
    She wished that she could travel about by
magic, as Sidal and her mother did. But people other than mages
seldom traveled by magic, because apparently it was dangerous, and
sometimes had nasty effects. And you could only go one at a time,
to specially designated destinations—either a place, or, more
rarely, a person.
    Rhis looked down at her ring. Would it be
dangerous for Sidal to transfer directly to Rhis, wherever she
might be? Rhis considered her sister, who had professed not to like
dangerous circumstances—but who was obviously ready to face them if
necessary.
    People are surprising , she thought,
settling back in the cold coach, and pulling a soft woolen quilt up
around her chin. Even the ones you think you know .
    oOo
    A long series of days followed, each much
alike, as the coach made its way steadily northward. The journey
out of Nym did not take weeks, for the weather stayed relatively
mild. They descended steadily through the fir-dotted heights, down
into pine forest, then at last reached the Common Road along the
coast of Arpalon. They sped along the rolling hills, under a
variety of trees Rhis had only seen pictures of. The roads were
paved and smooth, and the journey seemed less arduous. Though still
quite long.
    The inns they stayed at were comfortable, but
after the first exciting night of sleeping away from home, they
blended into a series of big wooden buildings with nice beds and
fine meals, supervised by the quiet, efficient staff that Elda had
sent to protect Rhis. These servants also kept her from talking to
anybody on the road, nor did they tell anyone who she was. The days
when Nym’s royalty were routinely kidnapped for fabulous ransoms if
they left the protection of the mountains were not all that long in the past.
    Rhis knew these things, but she still found
traveling to be very dull. She caught glimpses of people who looked
interesting, from far-away places, as she was conducted straight to
her room at night—and then to her carriage in the morning, after
her lonely breakfast.
    She had begun the journey resenting the fact
that Elda had arranged for her to meet her younger sister, Princess
Shera of Gensam, at the border. By the time Rhis had made her way
north without speaking to a single person except the quiet Keris,
she was looking forward to Shera, in spite of how boring her
letters had been.
    Shera was a year older than Rhis. When Rhis
turned six, not long after Elda married Gavan, Elda had insisted
that it would be seemly for the two princesses to start a
correspondence. She had supervised each of Rhis’s letters, saying,
“It’s as well you learn early how royalty carry on a
correspondence, for you never know when you might need it.”
    So Rhis had had to write, in her very best
handwriting, formally phrased letters describing her studies—and
not much else. Just once she’d said something about her favorite
ballads, but Elda had been horrified. “You have to remember that to
the rest of the world, Nym is a country full of wild people. No one
in those old songs was the least bit civilized.” So Rhis had had to
recopy the letter, leaving out her favorite subject.
    The letters she received back were neatly
written, and very, very uninteresting. Elda had obviously told the
truth: civilized princesses really did just brag about their
studies, and proper interests, like growing flowers. Rhis was
always glad when winter came, preventing messengers from getting
through too often, which slowed down the tedious exchange.
    When at last they neared the border of
Arpalon and Gensam, Rhis was so looking forward to seeing Shera she
felt she could talk about roses and starflowers all day, if only
she could talk .
    They were to meet at the ancient Royal Inn on
the border, where many treaties and royal marriages had been
negotiated in the turbulent