by Chandra Ryan
“Okay. I’ll do everything I can to see if the king’s worries have any warrant. If there is a plot, I will discover it. I promise.”
“That’s all I’m asking.” His hand moved ever so slightly and, for one brief moment, she thought he was going to reach out to her. But he didn’t. “Now, get some sleep. We’re going to be riding early to get to Keep Livingston tomorrow. Oh, and Sara…”
“Yes?” She lay down on the soft pallet, trying not to think about that particular keep.
“Shemeek is particularly possessive of Jar.”
“I got that general idea. Don’t worry, I’m not exactly a threat.”
“I know, but you know how crazy women in love can get. They think everything’s a threat.”
She’d never exactly been a stunning beauty and she’d always thought she was okay with that, but it hurt how quickly he dismissed her. “I could be a threat if I wanted to.”
“Trust me, no one knows that better than I.”
She was about to turn back to him, but the swish of the material at the front of her tent told her he’d already gone.
What had he meant by that? Did he see her as a threat?
It was a nice though, one that was sure to bring her interesting dreams, but not a very realistic one. More likely, he still saw her as that little girl who followed him around like a lost puppy. Besides, she was betting he could have any number of women. Experienced, worldly women with curvy figures and extensive knowledge on how to keep a man happy in the bedroom. She couldn’t compete with that.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to clear the muddled thoughts from her mind. She needed sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Tomorrow they would be headed to Keep Livingston. And, thinking back to the way she’d left things there six years ago, she had the feeling she was going to need to be on guard. She was sure to have left a lasting impression on the lord and lady there.
Chapter Three
Anneleissa grimaced as another courtier bowed gracefully in front of her. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t see her face through the black veil she wore.
“May the blessings of the gods be with you.” The words came out stiffly, but he wouldn’t care. She doubted he was even listening to her. Not really. He was here out of tradition and obligation, just as she was. Some days she couldn’t believe it’d been three hundred years since she’d been sentenced to this life, but today wasn’t one of those days. Today she felt every second of the past eight lives—even if only four counted toward her sentence.
Silently cursing, she glanced back at the man who was kneeling in front of her and mumbling to the floor. Six more lives left. She still had six more lifetimes of this to live. And that was only if her plan worked. If not, she could very well be playing Oracle for the humans for an eternity.
She had no one to blame but herself. It was hard to believe how young and naïve she’d been only three lifetimes ago. If she had it to do again, she would change everything in a heartbeat. But, unfortunately, one can’t change the past. She couldn’t go back and un-tell the humans how to keep her trapped forever.
No, what was done was done.
The future, however, could be molded. And she knew how to do just that. Now that enough time had passed that she was most likely no more than a long-forgotten tale of consequence to the dragons, and she wouldn’t have to worry about them interfering, she could finally break the damned cycle the current ruling house had her trapped in.
She was a full-blooded dragon. None of the royals could match her blood strength. And since succession was based on purity, none would be able to challenge her child. With her child in power, she’d finally be able to finish her sentence in peace.
When she had suggested the policy for succession all those years ago, challenging for the crown hadn’t been an agenda. And she had honestly thought she’d never have another child with a human. Fortunately for her, her agenda was flexible and the rules of succession were not.
She moved her hand to cover her abdomen. But her fingertips had barely brushed against the soft fabric of her gown before she silently swore at her own stupidity and brought them back to her side.
She couldn’t let the king find out. She had to keep this a secret at all costs. If he knew her children were guaranteed the crown, he would exploit it. There wasn’t anything his family wouldn’t do to keep the crown on their heads. Being forced to commit suicide for the past three lives had taught her that.
Under the gauzy material of her veil, her mouth twisted in despair. Repeatedly killing herself had actually taught her several lessons. The most important being she was capable of doing unacceptable, unforgivable things given the right motivation. And this baby’s safety was all the motivation she needed.
Silence brought her attention back to the man kneeling in front of her. She could only assume he had finished his confession. “May the gods favor you,” she said softly. The man stood at the dismissal and quickly left. A ripple went through the line at the man’s departure, causing it to move forward like a great snake.
“My heart,” the man’s whisper was only loud enough to reach her ears as he knelt before her.
Despite her best efforts, a smile bloomed at the voice. She didn’t want his voice to break past the dreariness of the day. She didn’t want his presence to make her stomach flutter and heart race. And she most definitely didn’t want to feel suddenly comforted, even optimistic. It reminded her of how much power this one human had over her.
But when had the gods ever stopped to ask her what she wanted? She certainly couldn’t expect them to now.
She could, however, make sure that he never knew what affect he had on her. “You cannot offer what you do not have, Elleum.” Not wanting to be heard by any other, she made sure to keep her words as low as his when she spoke. “Or maybe it was not an offer but a request? If so, I am sorry, but not even I can grant that.”
“It was meant as a term of endearment.” His voice was now bland, even a little put off.
“A term of endearment?” She chucked softly. “I’m not one for poetry and you’re not one for confession, so why don’t we skip the niceties and you tell me why you’re here.”
“I’ve missed you.” The hushed words were harsh and accusatory. Not that she expected anything else. There was no whining for the Lord Quince. “I cannot even glance up at your window without one of your novices accosting me.”
Staring down at his white-blond hair, she wished he’d look up at her now, wished she could see what emotion was housed in his blue eyes, but he kept them trained on the floor in front of him—like any good devotee would. “My people do have very strict orders.”
“You can’t do this to me.”
She smiled at the pain in his voice. He’d suffered as much as she had by their separation. And, as twisted as it was, she found that comforting. “I’ve met my end of our bargain, as long as my actions do not threaten the child I carry, I can do whatever I wish.”
“And is this your wish? Tell me it is and I’ll go back to my keep, marry a young royal girl, and never look upon your face again.”
White-hot jealousy filled her. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” There was a steely confidence to his voice she didn’t like.
“We have a deal, Elleum,” she said, forcing her voice to return to normal. “One you’ve yet to fulfill.”
“You haven’t even told me what my end of it is.”
“I cannot be blamed for your lack of negotiating skills. But rest assured, when the time comes, I will tell you what it is you owe and you will pay the debt.”
“What guarantees do you have that, after the birth, I won’t take the child and leave?”
“I have your blood,” she growled. “Don’t trifle with magic you do not know.”
“My silence wasn’t part of the blood pact.”
Her heart froze at the loophole. What was it with humans and their damned loopholes? They were never satisfied with what was given freel
y. “What do you want?”
“I want to renegotiate.”
Of course he did. He had her, but it could’ve been much worse. He hadn’t already gone to the king with the information, which meant he was probably bluffing. It was a small hope, but it was all she had. “Fine, but not until your agents have taken care of the Raven girl.” If that girl made it to the keep with her gift intact it didn’t matter what Elleum bargained for, the Raven child would tell the king everything and the baby would never make it to term. The king would make sure of that.
“They’ll come through. I’ve no doubts. I’ve even managed to turn one of the Right Hunter’s own guards.”
It was an impressive feat. Kavin Hunter inspired fierce loyalty in his guards. But still, she wasn’t going to breathe easy until it was done. “I can’t stress the importance of this enough, Elleum. If she reaches this keep with her gift intact, this was all for nothing. You might as well return to Keep Quince and take another as your bride because you’ll never see me again.” At least, not in this incarnation, she added to herself.
“I will make sure it’s taken care of, by my own hand if necessary. But not if you continue to treat me as if I’m nothing more than a convenience.”
The confidence in the declaration sent a shiver of desire up her spine. She’d always had a weakness for confident males. It was a fault she couldn’t seem to overcome. Even after being so bitterly disillusioned by them. “In that case, I’ll expect you in my quarters for dinner this evening.”
“Blessed be the forgiveness of the gods,” he said softly.
Leissa smiled at the sarcasm in his voice. “May the gods favor you.”
“I think that might be asking too much.” He rose and turned smoothly to leave.
He was right. She, herself, found no favor in this. She actually liked the Ravens. Liked them more than most of the royal families, that is. But one did what they had to survive. Or to die. Whichever the case may be.
Chapter Four
Sara woke at first light amazed at how refreshed she was despite having her sleep interrupted by Kavin’s visit. Humming, she pulled her hair back into its bun before getting dressed and wrapping herself in her warm riding cloak. She was relieved to find the rest of the camp was still sleeping as she stepped out into the chill of the early morning. It allowed her time to bask in the peace of dawn.
Kavin had ordered there be no fire the night before, but surely it’d be safe to start one now. No one would be able to see the flames and, even if they saw the smoke, the others would be awake soon, so there was no real threat of surprise attack.
It only took her a moment to find some flint hiding under the dried leaves that littered the ground and the steel she needed was with her supplies in her tent. All that remained was to pile some dead wood and gather some dry moss before she could strike the flint against the steel to make the necessary sparks. And soon she was sitting in front of a warming fire, contemplating the new direction her life was headed.
“You’re up early,” Kavin said, walking up behind her. “Nice fire.”
“So are you.” Still uncertain how to take his comment from the night before, she resisted the urge to turn and find him. She could tell though by the soft metallic clatter he was preparing one of the pots to go over the fire. “And I hope you don’t mind. I thought it’d be safe enough since it’s daytime.”
“I’m a morning person. And it was a good idea.” He hung a large pot of water on a hook and secured it over the fire. “Would you like some tea?”
“I would love some.” She watched as he crushed the fragrant leaves into five cups before continuing. “So, what’s going to happen now?”
“As soon as everyone’s up and about, we break camp and start off for Keep Livingston.”
Sara rolled her eyes at the mention of the keep, but he was too busy preparing their tea leaves to notice. Lifting the pot off the hook, he carefully poured hot water in the mugs, then handed her one. After dropping several eggs into the remaining water, he put the pot back over the fire.
“Kavin?”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“That sounds serious.”
“It is. I didn’t leave Keep Livingston under the best of circumstances six years ago.”
“I know you’ve got a history there, Sara. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She smiled at the misunderstanding. He always believed someone, somewhere needed his help. “Thank you, but that’s not exactly what I meant.” She paused to take a deep breath. “You might hear things about me when we get there.” There was no way around it—justified or not, holding a royal at knife point was bound to merit some gossip. “And I just wanted the chance to explain what happened to you first.”
He studied her for a moment before his face lit up with amusement and a sinful smile formed on his lips. “Sounds scandalous.”
“It wouldn’t make for good gossip if it wasn’t,” she answered dryly.
“I’m sure it’s—”
But whatever else he was about to say was interrupted by Shemeek poking her head out of the tent she shared with Jar. “Is there any more tea?”
Sara waited as he stared at her for a second more, but he then turned toward the tent, calling back, “Isn’t there always?”
“Good. I’ll be right out.”
Sara really couldn’t blame the woman for interrupting a conversation she had no idea was taking place. Or, at the very least, she probably shouldn’t. But she did.
“And bring Jar with you,” Kavin yelled as Shemeek ducked back into the tent.
Turning back to her, he shrugged as he picked up his own tea mug. “I guess your story will have to wait. Unless you want to share it with the entire group?”
Damn it. He wasn’t taking her seriously. She could’ve sworn she saw another smile as he turned his attention back to the boiling eggs.
“This isn’t a joke.”
“It’s gossip, Sara. How can I treat it as anything but? Or do you honestly think me so dimwitted that I believe everything I hear?”
Of course he didn’t believe everything he heard. She wasn’t trying to belittle him or his intelligence. It had been her experience, though, that stories that came with scars were often given more credence than the run-of-the-mill gossip. But before she could reply, they were joined by Shemeek and Jar.
Scooting over on the log, she expected Jar to sit next to her, but he just nodded stiffly as he walked over to Kavin. Shemeek, however, took the offered seat with more relish than Sara was comfortable with.
“Good morning.”
Sara barely heard the other woman. Her attention was focused on Jar and Kavin, who were talking in hushed tones on the other side of the fire. Jar’s posture was too rigid for ordinary conversation and his hands were moving in sharp quick motions, punctuating whatever he was saying. He wasn’t happy about something.
“I said, good morning,” Shemeek repeated, this time poking Sara gently with her elbow.
Sara really wanted to know what was going on with the men, but a childhood of lectures on manners prevented her from ignoring the woman a second time. “Good morning.”
“You slept well, did you not?”
There was something in the other woman’s tone that had Sara on edge. “I slept,” she answered cautiously. “But that’s as far as I’d go.”
“Really?” A slow smile formed on her lips. “If Kavin were visiting my tent late at night, I would have slept very well. I assure you.”
At the statement both Kavin and Jar stopped arguing, their attention now focused on her. Not knowing what to do, she looked slowly from Shemeek to Kavin, but the only advice she got from him was a barely perceptible shrug. He was leaving this entirely to her.
Fine. If that’s how he wanted to play it. Her life as a servant had taught her everything she needed to pull this off.
She hoped.
“What a waste.” Sara put on her m
ost nonchalant smile and shrugged. “Sleeping, I mean. I can think of better things to do when a man visits my tent.” It wasn’t a lie. She’d had all kinds of creative ideas about what to do with Kavin in her tent. But still, she couldn’t believe the words had made it out. She was glad they had when Kavin’s jaw dropped in shock, though.
Shemeek, on the other hand, doubled over in a torrent of laughter, stopping only to wipe a tear from her eye. “Too true, too true!” Then, turning to Jar, she stuck out her tongue teasingly. “And you worried your precious princess wouldn’t fit in.” She turned back to Sara and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “He did everything he could to get out of the assignment. Said you would be a big baby and he didn’t feel like babysitting.”
That more than stung. Jar was family to her. That he only thought of her as an inconvenience hurt. “Jar?”
He openly glared at Kavin and Shemeek in turn before stomping off in the direction of the woods. “I’m going to find some water.” He grabbed a bucket off the ground as he walked past. It would’ve been an admirable exit if the toe of his boot hadn’t gotten caught on a root. He managed to stay up, but the stumble started another round of laughter, this time with Kavin’s rich timbre accompanying Shemeek’s.
“What’s wrong with him?” Kemah grabbed a cup of steaming tea before sitting down across from them.
Shemeek still shook with laughter, but did her best to answer. “He’s…throwing a fit because…Kavin and Sara shared a late night visit.”
“Really?” The look of barely veiled disgust he shot Sara made her cringe.
“Really.” All joviality was gone from Kavin’s voice. He actually looked like he was about to throw a fit of his own. But instead he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I’ve made some eggs; I suggest we get busy. Keep Livingston isn’t far and I, for one, would like to eat a decent meal this evening.”