Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms Novel)(6)
“You look murderous.” Gillian spins around, her skirts swishing against the stone.
“I am.”
A blink. “You don’t like the dresses?”
“Really? You’ve been living with me for a month.”
“Right. So they’re not your usual choice, but there’s a variety. Something different from brown trousers.”
“They’re for the Royal Winter Feast Ball. He wants to sprinkle royal dust on me and make me noble.”
Gillian presses her hands to her cheeks and pretends to swoon.
“Stop it,” I snap.
She flounces into the bedroom and lifts a rose dress from the bed. That grin. Seeds. She’s as mad as the king.
The pull to the king, still taut in my chest, halves my attention from her squealing prattle. I press my palm to my sternum. I’d give anything to be free of him. To be able to live in peace on Papa’s land. But I don’t know how to break the bond.
If Enat were still alive—the thought flattens me—she’d know what to do. She’d tell me how to free myself from King Aodren. He’s been gone for five minutes, and I can still pick out his location in the Ever Woods.
I pound my fist on the door. I have to figure out a way to rid myself of the bond. I have to.
Gillian jerks to a stop. “It’s not the end of the world.”
I start to respond, but an answering rush of something strange and shuddery slips under the surface of my skin. I lurch, cradling my suddenly clammy hand, eyeing Gillian, then the door with growing alarm. Unease spreads from the top of my head to my heels, a drop of poison fanning through a jar of ale.
I’ve felt this way before.
“What is it?” Gillian’s fists crinkle a rose-colored gown.
Breath suddenly short, I yank the door open and stare deep into the Evers. The breeze’s icy fingers caress my face. There’s nothing to see, but something is very wrong.
“The king.”
Chapter
3
Cohen
“GO ON, TELL US,” FINN BLURTS.
I shoot Finn a look. He tucks his lips in and leans back against the barn.
Scratching my scar, I give the girl a once-over. She’s Britta’s age, give or take a year. Though she’s a tad shorter than Britt, her shoulders square in the same confident, seasoned way. She’s been trained to fight. Her grip on the sword’s hilt, loose but sure, is a sign she knows how to wield the weapon. This girl makes the ache of missing my girl swell.
Finn whispers something awestruck about this girl being the Archtraitor’s daughter. I ignore him and turn back to Lirra. “How can we trust you?”
Her smile creeps up. “You got any other options?” Her Shaerdanian accent makes the words sound like a song.
“We could leave.”
“And go where? Word’s probably spread to the coast about you two. Any Shaerdanian who figures out where you’re from will bludgeon you before they talk to you.”
“I’ve friends.”
“Not here.” She sheathes her sword.
I crack my knuckles against my dagger. That’s the truth.
“What do you propose? You give me information. Then what?”
Finn pops up at my side before she answers. “I’m Cohen’s brother.” He thrusts out his hand.
“Finn,” I warn.
After their handshake, he gives me a sheepish smile. He deserves a chewing out for letting his guard down so easily. I bite my tongue for now. It’ll come after we ditch her.
“Last I saw you was in Celize. What are you doing this far south?” I ask.
Her gaze slants down and to the left. “Looking for you.”
I don’t need to have Britta’s Spiriter ability to know she’s hiding something. “That so?”
She shrugs.
There’s no time for this. I’m bloody tired of games. If I have to knock on every door in Rasimere Crossing and fight every kinsman who thinks I’m a spy or a kidnapper, I’ll do it. “Give your pa my regards. Let’s go, Finn.” I walk along the shadowed edge of the barn, eyeing the patch of forest for Siron.
“Where are you going?” the Archtraitor’s daughter calls after me.
Finn rushes to my side, throwing a glance over his shoulder, confusion wrinkling his forehead. “Cohen, what if she can help?”
“Then she’d be helping. Not pestering.”
Lirra scrambles around us and thrusts out her hand to touch the barn slats, barricading me.
“I’m looking for someone, as well. Two weeks ago, my friend Orli was taken. I’ve been trying to figure out where.”
“By whom?”
“Obviously, I don’t know. Thus, our conversation.” Her hand flicks between us.
This girl’s got the prickles of a cactus.
“Perhaps she left. Wanted to go somewhere else.”
“Girls just don’t go missing.”
“Seems like they do lately.”
Her nose scrunches up. “Are you always this difficult? I know you’ve heard the rumors.” When my brows shoot up, she smirks. “I could teach you a thing or two about stealth.”
Finn laughs, and I glare at him before turning the same look on Lirra.