Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords #3)(81)
Shard strides beside me, having arrived to meet with the king this morning. He’d met with the bedlam of an army trying to ready itself. Jovan allowed all of two minutes to tell the ex-barracks member of his new position as an advisor and the head of my personal guard for the duration of the battle. Ice and Blizzard jumped on board immediately, not giving Shard any say in the matter. They would keep him humble. The remainder of my guard was made up of Sanjay, Ashawn, and Olandon. I know Olandon is furious not to be named in Shard’s place. To say I am unhappy with having a guard at all is an understatement. It is just one of several disagreements I’ve had with the king of Glacium since leaving. I aim a dirty look at Jovan’s back. The same sharp senses which make him a lethal fighter pick up my attention. He turns from where he gathers a report from Malir and Rhone. He can’t see my glare behind the veil, but I keep it up until he turns back to his men.
“I think you’re lucky to be allowed out of the castle,” Shard says quietly.
I laugh darkly. “Just try to leave me behind,” I say.
He holds up his hands. “Wouldn’t dare. But there were a few minutes where I wondered if he’d lock you in your room.”
Things have been awkward with my barracks friend since he revealed I was his father’s murderer. And why wouldn’t they be? I didn’t even blink before killing those men. There wasn’t one hesitation as I opened their throats with stolen daggers. I didn’t stop to think about their families.
“Shard … I killed your father,” I start. How could he have gone this whole time without telling me? Did he hate me?
He grins at me. “Wondered how long it would take you to bring that up,” he replies. His teasing tone takes me aback.
“You’re not—what do you mean?” I ask.
He shrugs. “You did something I should’ve done years ago. My father did things so heinous I’m still sick when I remember them.”
We fall silent. I know the others are listening in as well. His father was a whorehound. I know women were mistreated in front of Shard, but who knows what awful things were done to my friend?
I sigh heavily. “You’re sure?” I ask. “I’m not going to wake up at night and find you standing over me with one of your cute little daggers?”
He laughs. “I have no desire to die,” he says, then adds, “And they’re not cute, they’re manly.”
Fixing our relationship is a small win considering what we’re marching into, but it does make me feel better. I turn my thoughts back to what Jovan said to make me so angry. “Females stay at home,” I scoff. Olandon laughs softly beside me. He seems to have broken the silent treatment today, though I’m left in no doubt as to his true sentiments. It hurt to know my brother viewed me as a traitor. But I’d had to do what I felt was right. I don’t think my feelings got in the way of that…
“I thought you would end him right there,” Olandon says. I furrow my eyebrows at the glee I hear.
“I don’t think it would have come to that.” Although I secretly wonder if it would have. “I don’t know what got into him,” I say with confusion.
“It’s more what he wants to get into,” says Sanjay cryptically. Blizzard and Ice share a grin.
“In those kinds of situations, our actions often don’t make much sense,” Sanjay continues. Ashawn sniggers and Olandon gives him a quizzical look. I puzzle over it as Shard tugs on my arm to guide me around a large tree.
I focus on weaving through the brown trees in the very slow, grating pace of Jovan’s army. The three rings of Glacium are long behind us, and we’ve entered the wilderness directly beyond the Outer Rings. We’d quickly caught up with the cavalry, though they left last night. The dawdling pace we’ve slowed to, to match the cavalry’s progress, puts me on edge. If we didn’t have to move all the bulky weaponry Glacium used, we could have reached the First Sector in a single day. As it currently was, it would take over two days. Ranks of men drag the equipment over roots, snow, and uneven ground now that we’re in the trees, the smoother ring roads no longer present to aid their transport. The uneven step of several hundred men rumbles behind me. Another five hundred wait at the base of the Oscala. Glacium’s army will greatly outnumber my mother’s. It has always been the way of it. Solati skill pitted against Glacium’s population.
“Why don’t you keep the cavalry close to the First Sector?” I ask, voicing my irritation. I look back over my shoulder to see one of the wagons has just bogged. Occasionally, it still astounds me the ground here can get wet enough to sink into.
“Because then the Solati have access to it.” A deep voice speaks in front of me. I bounce off the solid chest of the king. I moving around him, standing on his foot on purpose.
“Are you glaring at me under there?” he asks. I deign this question unworthy of an answer.
“You’d do better with an apology,” Ashawn stage-whispers to his brother. I hear the thud of fist hitting flesh behind me.
“I won’t hold my breath for one,” I mutter.
“Leave us,” Jovan commands. Blizzard elbows Ice to cut off his snigger. I continue forward, trying to escape the king. It would be easier if my legs were longer. Just once I’d like to outwalk him!
“Olina, I just want to protect you. Why can’t you see that?” he says calmly. I stop suddenly, rubbing my temples.