~ ZARA ~
Stark and Hildie were right on my heels out of the cottage, but they rushed forward as I stormed up to the lone horse that was there.
When I threatened to punch Hildie because she wouldn't let go of my arm, Stark stepped in.
"We will get you there, Zara. But you must think this through. You can't be seen—can't be recognized. You need a cloak and some kind of weapon. And how are you going to get into the castle itself?"
"I thought the whole city was there!"
"In the Courtyard, but David will be—"
"David is about to marry another woman, Stark! I have to go!"
Hildie, who'd moved to the horse while we argued, tugged a little rolled up parcel free from where it was tied on the saddle, then shook it out. She threw the hooded cloak at me with a muttered, "Wear this."
Then, as I gaped, she turned me around and slipped a thin dagger out of somewhere in her own clothing and shoved into the sheath at my back.