The Wonder (Queen of Hearts Saga #2)(13)
Comforted by the fact that she didn’t think her father’s army could sneak up on them in the dark—or find them in the dark, for that matter—Dinah let her eyelids flicker closed once, twice, and then she surrendered to her voracious exhaustion. She dreamed of a deck of cards on a glass table, being played by a black glove. The hand was detached from an arm, and tiny flecks of crimson dripped across the faces on the cards as they were revealed. Hearts. Spades. Diamonds. The King. The King. The King. Again and again.
Her eyes wrenched open again in the early dawn and she woke drenched in a feverish sweat, unsure of what had awakened her so suddenly. Then she heard the click of a boot in front of her and felt a cold steel blade pressed firmly against her neck. Trembling, she raised her eyes, her black braid brushing the tip of her sword. A Spade stood before her, his massive frame blocking the sun.
“Morning, Princess.”
Chapter Four
Dinah curled backwards, knocking her spine against an overhanging rock. Picking up a handful of loose dirt, she flung it at the Spade’s face and felt the ground for her sword. The Spade gave an annoyed cough.
“You won’t be finding that now, yer Majesty.” The Spade raised his other hand, which held Wardley’s sword. He had two swords and she had none. “Yeh know, it’s not very princess-like to throw dirt.”
Dinah paused a second before she began slowly inching herself toward the Spade, hoping to scramble over the rock to where Morte lay snoring on the ridge above. Why is he still sleeping? Curse that lazy beast! The blade slid harmlessly over her throat as the Spade pushed against it.
“Don’t be calling that monster of yours. I just want to talk to yeh, that’s all.” Her heart galloped wildly in her chest and Dinah glanced frantically around for the rest of the King’s cavalry.
“Where are the others?”
“Ah, them. I left them behind.” The Spade stepped forward into the light and Dinah gave a loud gasp.
“YOU!” She recognized the Spade instantly—his dark gold eyes, his grizzly gray hair, the tiny black heart tattooed under his right eye—but mostly because of the shallow two-inch scar that ran down his left cheek. “I know you.”
The Spade smiled and drew his sword lightly across the mark. “Yes, yeh know me. You gave me this, you may remember, one day in the palace when I dared to steal a silly wooden toy from yeh.”
“It wasn’t my toy. It was for my brother.”
The Spade grimaced. “He won’t be needing that much now, will he? Wings might have helped more.”
Dinah let out an angry scream before she feigned left, twisting past the sword, and managed to grab the Spade’s black breastplate. He roughly shoved her backward with one hand. She tumbled in the dirt. He was so strong. She flung a rock at him, which bounced off of his armored chest.
“Do not speak of my brother, you filth! Where is the King? If I’m going to die, don’t waste my time with silly banter. Kill me now and deny my father the pleasure.” She paused. “Please, I beg of you. Please. It can’t be him.”
The Spade peered at Dinah with fascination. “Just as spirited as I remember yeh. Now sit down and shut yer yappy mouth and listen to what I say. My arm is weary from holding this sword and I want to put it down, but I’ll need yeh to promise that you won’t try to run, otherwise I might have to give you a matching scar.”
Dinah sat back, her legs collapsing underneath her. She closed her eyes. This is it, isn’t it? This man will deliver me straight to my father, straight to my father’s Heartsword or the Black Towers. Dinah was sure that the rest of the Cards were nestled at the bottom of the valley, just waiting for them. The Spade wiped his face with his sleeve and tossed Wardley’s sword into a nearby bush. He then dropped his sword down to waist level, his keen eyes never leaving Dinah’s face.
“Well, Princess, shall I begin?” He stroked his goatee, peppered black and gray. “Yer father’s Cards won’t be coming along, not if we’re careful. We can’t wander about like fools, which is what you’ve been doing all this time. I’m not here for him, for the King of Hearts. I’m here for my own interests, and yours.”
Dinah narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“I’m here to aid yeh. You can’t make it very much longer, not without my help. Yer father will find yeh, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he will. And when he does….” The Spade pursed his thin lips together and drew his finger across his neck. “Well, yeh know what happens. Your father is a king entirely without honor.” His eyes focused sadly upon the wood behind her.
Dinah stared at him, not understanding what he was saying. He wants to help me? She followed his eyes to the side, giving the impression that she was considering his speech before bolting off to the right. She almost made it past the edge of the boulder and opened her mouth to yell for Morte but the Spade caught her around the waist and flung her roughly to the ground. Dinah’s healing fingers vibrated with pain, and the Spade reached forward and boxed her on her right temple, which left Dinah’s head spinning. Blood seeped into her ear.
“I told yeh, just LISTEN. Oh, fer gods’ sakes….” The Spade picked her up and easily propped her back underneath the rock overhang. “We’ll try again. My name is Sir Gorrann, or Sir Gorr if you must. I’ve been a Spade in the Cards service for thirty or so years, and I am here to help yeh, if you will just settle down and start behaving more like a princess and less like a wild bear, damn yeh.” Dinah was having trouble breathing and the world spun around as her hearing slowly returned. She was unsure of what was happening. Once more she tried to run, but Sir Gorrann delivered a swift punch to her stomach that left her moaning and gasping for breath on the ground. He gave a loud sigh.