“It’s Mara.” I held my hand out toward him. His hand was much larger than mine, and calluses lined his palms as he held mine.

“Miss Mara has accepted your invitation.” He turned and spoke to the family standing in front of us. The children broke into wide smiles, and their father only nodded his head. “Please lead the way.” He instructed, and the family turned and walked out. I quickly followed.

And right on my heels, so did Kael.

He noticed the glance I threw over my shoulder at him.

“I will be joining as well. You didn’t think I would keep you out of my sight?” he smirked.

I did not smile back; instead, I glared, rather intensely, so that his smile faltered and he offered an apology.

“I am not working with them. I do not know any of the men you spoke of earlier.” He sounded sincere as he added, “And I am sorry that I made you cry.”

My chest felt lighter, but I was still irked. It was clear that they were still acting out their roles.

Surely they weren’t required to do this 24/7?

It was dusk now. The sky was a deep indigo, and a few stars were sparkling above.

As we walked through the makeshift town, I glanced around at all the structures. I hadn’t had a chance when I was brought in, as the ‘jail’ was on the very outskirts, far away from the rest of the buildings.

All around us were simple houses. Actually, cottages would be the best way to describe them. Sturdy, made completely of wood. The streets were of compacted earth, no sidewalks or cars, and there weren’t any power lines crisscrossing the sky anywhere, either. The shadows that danced on the ground before us came from the oil lanterns that hung from every porch.

“What is going on?” Kael muttered low so only I heard.

He was looking beyond me, at something that was ahead of us. A large crowd was gathering in what appeared to be the town plaza. They were all standing close together, craning their necks, looking in the same direction.

As we got nearer, I could make out something in the distance, at what must have been the main entrance to the town.

It looked like a procession. There were two men on horseback in the front, dressed in all white uniforms. The fabric glowed against the darkening sky. Behind them was an ornate carriage, with gold filigree shimmering beautifully.

“How late do you all work?” I whispered to Kael, but he didn’t answer; his gaze was fixed on the incoming procession. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth was in a tight line. He was angry. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined being on the receiving end of that look. He had been serious with me, but this look would have made me break down instantly.

The procession stopped several feet in front of the crowd.

I felt Kael’s hand around my wrist as he pulled me away into a shadowed space between two houses.