One More Step

by Colleen Hoover

  Laying her palm against the crack in the wooden door of Eirik’s one-room house, she paused, letting her breathing even. “I have not been the only one keeping secrets, Eirik.”

  She pushed through the door, releasing a ragged breath as it closed behind her, cutting her off from the one man who’d made her feel safe in a foreign kingdom where people killed for sport.

  At least now she could go home.

  That thought broke something inside her, releasing the tears she’d held back. As she hurried down the bright street, shoving through crowds at the marketplace, she couldn’t stop the wrenching agony.

  My men will hunt you down.

  She pressed a hand to her chest where the blade had made its mark, feeling the warm blood stick to her shirt. The months of standing by Eirik’s side flashed through her mind. Every time they fought, they made up, passionately. Nothing had come easy for them. Their connection built slowly, like a trickling stream that opened up into a rushing river.

  And now…they’d spread out into the fathomless sea with an unsurmountable distance between them.

  “I need you,” she whispered. “Now.”

  Like her people in Bela, Ara’s magic allowed her one power. She could speak to people at great distances. It had no use in hand to hand combat, but it made her the perfect spy, relaying her messages to the queen directly rather than sending information on journeys across the sea.

  And now? It brought her closer to the one ally she had left.

  TWO

  NEVER TRUST A warlord.

  That was the advice Ara’s brothers gave her before she accepted this mission. Their father died of illness, leaving her brothers his estate in Gaule, the army she’d once led as their general.

  Because she wasn’t one of them. She never had been. Unlike their mother, her own mother wasn’t of Gaule. She came from Bela, the land of magic, and had the ancient power in her blood, transferring it to Ara and marking her for persecution by the people of Gaule.

  All that was in the past, but did one ever truly escape their old lives? Would she ever stop missing the safety her father created for her as a child?

  Cana was the opposite of safe, but the queen had told her if she stuck to her mission, she’d survive the savage land. No one could know what she was.

  Cana’s unforgiving warriors would stop at nothing to destroy their enemies. They couldn’t be trusted to keep their allegiances, but their skill, that was never in doubt.

  Never trust a warlord.

  Wasn’t that what she’d done? She’d told herself that by keeping her secrets from Eirik, she was safe from him.

  Now, as the pieces of her scattered along the dusty road at her back, she knew safety for what it was: an illusion, a lie.

  The searing heat of the sun beat down on the stones underneath her feet. She wiped sweat, or maybe tears, from her face as she wound her way through the small town that served as the capital of the plains province of Cana.

  Cana had no king. Instead, the land was carved and divided between the six warlords who controlled the assassin academies.

  In a way, it was a much more primitive land than the surrounding kingdoms. They did not build large palaces or great cities.

  Instead, small towns of stone and wood dotted the landscape all the way to the mountains.

  Ara ducked out of the way as the tavern door slammed open, and the petite Astrid stepped through, broom in hand. Astrid was the only woman in Cana who didn’t look to Ara and her peculiar silver hair with scorn and suspicion.

  But this wasn’t the day for idle chatter, so she stepped into the alleyway between the tavern and butcher shop. It ran the length of the buildings before pouring out onto a mostly deserted street behind the town center.

  Ara glanced both ways before pressing herself up against the building and sliding down to sit on the ground, pulling her knees into her chest as her back shook.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there before another voice entered her sanctuary.

  “This doesn’t look like the Ara I know.”

  She lifted her face to find Edmund Kent staring down at her, and something in her chest eased. “I screwed up.”

  He gave her a slow smile and sat next to her. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  Her shoulders dropped, and she buried her face in her hands. “I’ve been so alone here, Edmund.”

  Until the delegation arrived from Bela a week ago, she’d been on her own in Cana with no allies, no one who’d have her back if it came to a fight. Such was the life of a spy.

  And then Edmund appeared like an angel out of her darkness. He led a delegation comprising of both Belaens and Madrans who wished to broker a peace treaty for all the Six Kingdoms. It was the wish of the queen of Bela as well as the queen of Madra.

  “Just tell me, Ara, is this mistake you made going to get all of us killed?”

  She lifted her face to meet his kind gaze, far kinder than she deserved. “When I spoke to you with my magic this morning, Eirik heard me.”

  His jaw ticked, but he otherwise showed no reaction. “You mean the warlord you’re supposed to be watching? And how, dearest Ara, did he hear you use your power?”

  Her face heated as he nodded, understanding without words.

  A sigh rattled through his chest. “I know a little something of falling in love with someone I’m not supposed to get closed to.”

  “I didn’t say I loved him.”

  Edmund raised a brow. “What else would make Ara Caron cry?” He stood and extended a hand down to her. “Come. It seems you will be joining us on the road tomorrow when we set off for Madra and eventually sail home to Bela.”

  “You’re not angry?”

  “I’ll leave the anger to our lovely queen. Soon, I’ll be home with my husband. Getting there is all that matters right now. Our talks with the warlords have already failed, and I’m ready to face the consequences of that, but I’d really like to get you out of Cana alive.”

  She slid her hand into his and let him pull her up. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “If you were going to reveal your betrayal to the most dangerous man in Cana, at least you did it when we were here.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

  With Edmund by her side, Ara’s tears dried. Soon, she’d return home where she wouldn’t risk her life every single day, where the people wouldn’t look to her with suspicion in their eyes.

  Bela, with its rolling green hills, white-faced cliffs, and beautiful sandy beaches had been like a dream for four years as she fought for everything she’d gained in the harsher Cana.

  Now, that dream would become her life once more.

  It should have brought her joy. It should have stolen the grief from her mind.

  But she couldn’t shake the feeling that the dream had changed, and now she wasn’t running toward it.

  She was leaving it behind.

  • • •

  The mood in the small home where the delegation gathered could only be described as somber. Over the last few days, the Madrans and Belaens who traveled to towns controlled by other warlords returned with similar reports. Talks were getting nowhere. In Cana, the leaders wouldn’t even ally themselves with each other, let alone foreign rulers.

  “Well.” Edmund leaned back in his chair. “There’s some good knowledge that has come of this. Cana will not attack surrounding kingdoms if they’re fractured.”

  Ara sighed. “A fact I told the queen months before she sent you.”

  Prince Quinn drummed his fingers on the table. He’d come to represent Madran interests along with a few of his people. “Who is this?” He gestured to Ara. The Madra prince wasn’t unkind, only exhausted, as were they all.

  Still, she bristled at his insinuation that she didn’t belong. Ara stood and approached the long wooden table the delegation surrounded. “My name is Ara Caron. Who the hell are you?” She knew the answer, but still, she enjoyed seeing the surprise fla
sh across his face.

  Edmund chuckled. “Back down. Both of you. Quinn, Ara has been stationed in this town for four years.”

  “A spy?” He narrowed his eyes. “What is she doing here?”

  Before Ara could answer, Edmund’s words had her stepping back. “She blew her cover. Eirik Anger now wants her dead, and I very much don’t want him to get his wish. She will leave with us.” He pinned her with a stare. “And until then, she will not leave this house.”

  A grimace flashed across her face, but she knew he was right.

  Edmund surveyed the table. “If Eirik knows there was a spy in his midst, there’s a chance he wants us all dead. I am the only one who will go speak to him.”

  “You can’t.” Fear stole the air from Ara’s lungs. If something happened to Edmund because of her, she’d never forgive herself. He was the most beloved man in Bela, the best among them.

  His brow scrunched. “I will do as I please, Ara.” He stood and looked to Quinn. “Make sure she stays here.”

  Without another word, he walked from the room. Most of the delegates trickled out until Ara sat alone with Quinn.

  “You aren’t really going to keep me here, are you?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  He didn’t meet her eyes. “Edmund is right. It’s too dangerous for you out there. Eirik has probably sent his warriors looking for you.”

  She dropped into a chair. He was wrong, but she couldn’t explain that. Eirik would give her time to leave before hunting her down. He didn’t truly want to kill her, she had to believe that, to believe in the words he’d spoken each night as they wrapped around each other, taking comfort in this comfortless kingdom.

  But she’d fooled herself into thinking it wouldn’t end like this. The moment he realized she had magic, he’d known her for what she was.

  His betrayer.

  “Eirik won’t hesitate to kill him.” Ara used her magic to wrap the words around the room, echoing off every surface. “Edmund is in danger.”

  Quinn sent her a cutting look, but there was something more behind it. Worry. If the Madrans and Belaens didn’t leave Cana safely, the two hot-headed queens wouldn’t hesitate to come in after them, setting off a war unlike any the Six Kingdoms had ever seen.

  This wouldn’t be Bela fighting Dracon or civil war in Madra. No, this time, every kingdom would be forced to pick a side.

  Cana’s next actions would decide its fate.

  “He told us to stay here.” Quinn sighed and dropped his elbows to the table.

  “And you always do as he says? I thought you were a prince…sure, Madra is a second-rate kingdom compared to Bela, but don’t royal titles give you more authority than a queen’s errand boy?”

  She knew exactly what she was doing as red crept up Quinn’s neck, so she didn’t stop.

  “Or has the Madran queen, your sister, stripped you of all your power? Is that why you were sent with this delegation on a futile mission?”

  “Watch your words, girl.”

  “Cana was never going to join the rest of the Six Kingdoms in this treaty.”

  “I don’t need to listen to a spy.” The scorn in his voice hit her as it sank in.

  She knew what people thought of those like her. After the war with Dracon, she no longer had warriors to lead or a mission she desperately needed. Being sent to Cana was a lifeline she’d gripped with both hands.

  And now, it would end her life. But not only hers.

  “Let me go after him.” She turned to face Quinn. “Please. He needs my help.” She didn’t mention that if Eirik saw her again, he’d likely kill her. That didn’t matter when Edmund was walking into his darkness.

  She knew Eirik. If he felt a half of what she was feeling, he’d want someone to run his sword through, consequences be damned.

  Before Quinn could give her an answer, the door slammed open, and a red-faced Madran ran in, thick black curls bouncing with her steps.

  “Your highness,” she panted. “I…I…”

  Quinn stood and approached her. “Ekho.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”

  “We need to get out of this town before it explodes.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ara rounded the table to join them.

  Ekho looked from her to Quinn. “There are men… Audun Orr.”

  The name struck fear in most citizens of Cana, but Ara had never let Audun intimidate her. He was Eirik’s right-hand man, the leader of his armies. “What did Audun do?”

  She knew what the man was capable of.

  Ekho sucked in a breath. “It’s what he’s going to do. I was in the tavern. I’d gone to speak with Astrid since she’s been feeding us information. She said Audun is planning something, some kind of betrayal, and that it’s bound to throw the entire region into chaos.”

  A betrayal.

  A string of curses flew from Ara’s mouth. Betrayal usually meant one thing in the land of assassins. Death.

  Audun already had the loyalty of Eirik’s warriors, all he needed was the warlord’s death to take complete control.

  “We can’t let this happen.” Ara ran across the room to where the delegation’s belongings rested against the wall. She rummaged through them, looking for discarded weapons, but finding none.

  “We need to intercept Edmund.” Quinn crossed the room and grabbed Ara’s arm to slow her movements. “And then we must leave. I need your magic. Get word to each of our delegates. We’ll meet on the road outside town before dusk and make our way to the Madran border where those from Bela can take ship.”

  Ara shook her head and ripped her arm free. “You just want to leave?” And let Eirik’s own men kill him.

  She no longer cared that he wanted her dead or that his sense of betrayal overrode anything he might have felt for her. She couldn’t live in a world where he didn’t exist. Someone had to warn him.

  “The affairs of Cana aren’t our business. Our duty is to our people.”

  Her eyes caught on the sword hanging at his waist. She pulled it free before he could stop her and held it angled between her and Quinn. “I’m not leaving him to die.” She shouldered past Ekho on her way out the door.

  As she burst out into the blasted sun, she whispered words into the atmosphere. “Meet on the road outside town at dusk.” Her power directed her voice to the Madrans and Belaens in town, but she didn’t know if she’d be with them at dusk.

  Because in that moment she wasn’t a spy for Bela.

  She had a new mission.

  Keep the man she loved, the man who hated her, alive.

  THREE

  CANA HAD NONE of the beauty most sought. Instead of springy green grass and blossoming flowers, the land held only dirt and rock. Instead of the beautiful arching architecture of Madra or the simpler clean lines of Bela, squat buildings of wood and shale lined the narrow roads, looking like they’d crumble into dust with the approaching storm.

  The weather, much harsher and more volatile than any in the Six Kingdoms could change quickly, violently. Just like today.

  Ara searched the skies for the brilliant blue she’d woken to that morning before she knew the heartbreak this day would bring. She needed to feel the sun beating its searing heat down against her skin.

  Instead, all she found was gloom. Dark clouds moved in, cutting Cana off from the light and casting deeper shadows into the already desperate streets. There was a reason many Canans trained as assassins, warriors sent to the far reaches of the Six Kingdoms. There was little else for them.

  And yet, in her years among the resilient people, fighting the land that tried to defeat her again and again, she’d fallen in love with Cana. Not in the way one fell in love with Bela and its magic, its beauty. Nor in the way one respected Madra and everything its leaders had accomplished in recent years.

  No, this love was about the strength it took not to run home. The will she’d found in her mission for the queen. She’d given up everything to come here, her family, her former life. I
n the process, she’d found herself.

  But her time in Cana was at an end now that Eirik knew of her magic.

  Once she made sure he’d live to see the back of her.

  She crept along an alleyway as the first raindrop hit her cheek. And then another. Before long, the skies unleashed their fervor after gracing them with the sun only hours before.

  Ara’s stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything this morning. But there were worse things than hunger.

  Rain streamed through the silver threads of her hair, and she flipped it out of her face as she crept onto the street. She had yet to see Edmund, but he’d have heard her message. If she was lucky, he’d already be heading out of town.

  But who was she kidding? Edmund Kent wasn’t a man to leave before trying to complete his task one last time. Failure wouldn’t sit well with the man who’d been by the queen’s side since she was nothing more than an outlaw.

  She searched the road in front of Eirik’s home, finding it deserted. A single candle flickered inside, its tiny light a beacon drawing her forth. She wasn’t too late. Her chest inflated as she could breathe fully again.

  Eirik was still alive.

  She lifted a hand to push open the door, ready to face whatever consequences there were for showing up again after he’d almost killed her.

  As she gathered courage within herself, a hand clamped down on her mouth, so tightly her scream only echoed in the spaces of her mind.

  • • •

  Ara bucked against her captor as she tried to clamp her teeth down on his hand. Still, he didn’t release her. He lifted her off her feet and carried her backward around the side of the small house.

  If only she could get to her sword…

  As if reading her thoughts, the man holding her ripped the sword from the scabbard at her waist and held it in one hand while keeping the other around her to drag her back.

  “Let me go,” she growled. “You don’t know who I am. Lord Eirik will kill you if you harm me.” She didn’t know if that was true, not anymore.