Queen in Exile

by Donna Hatch

  To save Braygo’s strength, Kai walked, leading the duocorn. He glanced back at the princess astride the animal. She stared absently at the river, looking as though she might collapse. She was thin and pale. Even though she insisted on training with him each evening as they stopped to camp, she had trouble concentrating and fatigued quickly. He didn’t know how much longer she would last. She was so tiny and fragile that he could hardly believe she’d had the resiliency to survive this long.

  He wished he could put her back in silks and jewels, dine with her on the finest foods. He missed her smile, her laughter, the playful gleam in her eyes when she teased him. He wanted to make her feel safe and warm, burrow his face into her fragrant hair, gaze forever into those endless eyes . . .

  His boot slipped on the ice. He snapped his attention to his footing but his feet were growing numb and he could barely feel the ground.

  The princess slid off Braygo and began walking to get warm, her head lowered against the wind as they followed the almostfrozen river running sluggishly beside them. Kai peered ahead and thought he saw a small building just ahead. He squinted into the onslaught of snow. There was indeed a tiny structure on their side of a bridge spanning the river. A bridge house, perhaps.

  “Shelter.”

  Princess Jeniah raised her head.

  Kai quickened his steps as he led Braygo forward toward the

  small building. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind hit him with such force that it threw him off balance. His foot slipped and he fell to his knees. He grabbed the reins to keep his balance, but Braygo stumbled and fell against the princess. With a cry, Jeniah clutched Braygo’s mane but teetered at the edge of the river. Wild fear leaped into her eyes. Kai reached for her, but, as one, they slid down the steep banks, then landed hard on the ice at the water’s edge.

  Kai’s ribs flared in pain, and he lay in stunned silence. Then, a sickening crunch echoed in his ears as all around them the ice cracked. It gave way under Braygo’s weight first and the duocorn fell in. The rift widened, crumbling underneath the princess, who lay nearest the duocorn. She screamed, clawing at the ice. Kai lurched to his knees and made a desperate grab for her.

  His fingers barely brushed against hers but he couldn’t get a grip. She screamed again as she slid into the churning water, drifting away from him. His heart leaped into his throat and almost strangled him. No! He couldn’t lose her—not now, not like this.

  The ice collapsed beneath Kai and he plunged into a world of silence. His limbs flailed desperately as he fought against the current that pulled him further down from the light. Weakly, he battled his way upward, and finally his head broke through the water’s surface. Gasping, he groped for something solid to hold on to but his hands only slid off jagged ice. The current pulled at him, but his strength failed and he slid back into the icy water. Over his head was only solid ice.

  He was trapped. His pulse hammered and a roaring noise built until it deafened him. Blind panic overtook him. He barely registered a dark shape nearby. Numbly, his fingers intertwined with long, flowing hair. A force pulled him upward toward the light. He broke through the surface, gasping as his head came above the water. Coughing, he struggled to open his eyes as he was pulled out of the water. Numb and shaking, he scrambled on the ice, something dragging him along, until he finally felt solid ground.

  Kai opened his eyes. He lay on the steep riverbank, his hands twisted around the golden mane of a wet creature that clambered up onto the bank, clawing footholds into the ice, pulling Kai until they were both safely off the river’s edge. Kai blinked up at the large golden muzzle of a chayim. The princess’s chayim.

  The golden shape released him and leaped back into the river. Kai looked around wildly. He was alone.

  “Jeniah!” he screamed, but his voice sounded choked.

  Silence was his only reply. He’d lost her.

  “No. No, no, no!”

  The chayim’s head burst through the river’s surface downriver with a struggling, dark-headed form that clutched beast’s mane.

  “Jeniah!”

  She called to him, breathlessly. She was alive.

  The chayim hauled her coughing form to Kai. He crawled to her, slipping on the ice, and pulled her into a crushing hug. “By the moons, I thought I’d lost you . . .”

  She wrapped her arms around him, shivering violently. The snow fell harder now and the wind blew in fierce gusts. From above Kai’s head, standing firmly on the riverbank, the chayim shook the water off her hide, sending droplets of water in all directions. She snorted before she turned and vanished into the forest. That was three times the magical beast had saved Kai’s life, all after he killed her mate.

  Braygo nudged his master and nickered. How the duocorn had gotten out of the river, Kai couldn’t guess. Astonished that all three of them had survived, he twisted his hand through the hanging reins and looped his other arm around Jeniah.

  “Braygo, pull us up,” Kai commanded.

  They slipped and scrambled but with Braygo steadily pulling them, they managed to climb up the bank and onto level ground.

  “There,” Kai said as he pointed to the bridge house he had spotted earlier.

  Jeniah mumbled something unintelligible.

  With one arm around Braygo’s neck and the other around Jeniah, Kai stumbled toward the bridge house. The door was locked, but he kicked it open, sending shock waves through his numbing legs. Jeniah was barely conscious when he pulled her inside. With Braygo safely in with them, Kai pushed the door closed, but he had broken the bolt when he kicked it open, so the wind kept slamming the door open.

  They were in a room furnished only with a pallet, a table, a chair, and a cupboard. A thick layer of dust lay over everything, and the air was stale. A fireplace stood in one corner, however, and the walls were solid enough to keep out the wind and blowing snow. The previous occupant had left a generous supply of firewood stacked neatly beside the fireplace. Kai pulled the chair in front of the door to keep it closed.

  With numb, shaking hands, he clumsily built a fire and turned to rouse Jeniah. “We need to get out of these clothes.”

  The fire roared to life, but Kai felt no warmth. Jeniah faded in and out of consciousness while he tried to peel her stiff, frozen clothes off her. Though she whimpered and pushed at him, he spoke to her reassuringly as he patiently worked to get her undressed. Her skin was a sickly blue. He pulled a blanket out of a saddlebag that had miraculously stayed dry and wrapped her in it, then laid her next to the fire.

  His stiff fingers fumbled to strip off his own clothes. He wrapped up in the only other dry blanket, and with Jeniah snugly against him in spoon position, he huddled close to the fire. Braygo curled up behind Kai with his hooves delicately folded under him. Kai leaned back against the duocorn, but hardly felt any warmth from Braygo’s body. Jeniah mumbled incoherently, her skin still frightfully cold. He had to do something to warm her.

  He laid her against Braygo and climbed stiffly to his feet. After melting snow over the fire, he tested it first to make sure it wasn’t too hot. The heat slipped comfortingly down his throat. He held Jeniah’s head and pressed the cup to her lips. “Jeniah, drink.”

  She roused enough to obey but murmured something unintelligible. When he pressed the cup against her lips, she drank again. The fire crackled and the hut gradually warmed. Kai worried that the smoke would draw unwelcome attention, but the immediate danger was freezing to death.

  He built up the fire until it roared in the hearth. With the warm water in his belly and a fire at his feet, the numbness left, but pain came on its heels. Eventually, his limbs quit hurting and he grew warm and comfortable.

  Jeniah still shivered and her hands and feet were icy. Kai urged to her drink more warm water and began rubbing her limbs gently.

  She woke disoriented. “What happened?”

  “We fell in the river, but we’re safe now.”

  She nodded and snuggled up to him before falling asleep again. He wrapped his
arms around her and held her close. At the edge of his consciousness, he remembered only one other woman who had felt so right in his arms.

  Kai woke tired and cold. The shutters of the small window let in a faint glimmer of gray sky, as well as a fair amount of wind. Without disentangling himself from Jeniah, he reached for the woodpile and tossed a few more logs onto the dying fire. He looked down at the beauty asleep in his arms, curled contentedly against him. He indulged himself as he let his eyes travel slowly over her slender body. The blanket had slipped down enough to show the graceful curve of one shoulder. He became acutely aware of the nearness of her body.

  He touched that inviting shoulder and slid his hand along her creamy skin. She sighed and opened her eyes. Warmth and tenderness shone in her face. He traced the soft curve of her shoulder, down her arm, and back up to the ivory column of her neck. He craved her like a man in the desert craves water. Seeking the warmth and sweetness of her mouth, he leaned in. Her lips parted in invitation.

  Out of nowhere, his conscience woke up and gave him a swift kick. She wasn’t his.

  With a groan, he leaped to his feet, holding his blanket firmly around himself. He picked up their clothes that he had laid out in front of the fire and shook them out with more vigor than necessary. Without looking at her, he tossed hers at her.

  “Our clothes are dry. We need to move on. I’ll step outside so you can dress.”

  Outside, the snow had stopped falling but the wind still whistled. With chattering teeth, Kai dressed hurriedly.

  What kind of a man was he? Even when he was at his worst as a youth and had earned the rakish reputation that still followed him, he had never pressed his advantage upon a young woman as pure as she. And worse, she was the future queen of Arden. He had sworn to protect her. Where was his honor?

  Besides, if he broke down now, he might lose control of his heart, and that he could not abide. He wanted to run out into the forest and yell in frustration. Instead, he gulped the cold air until his head cleared, and firmly shut down his yearnings.

  Jeniah watched Kai as they broke camp and prepared for travel, but he refused to meet her eyes.

  “At least the wind has stopped,” she ventured after uncomfortable silence.

  “The snow has, too.”

  They said nothing else for some time as they traveled. Finally, the forest ended and they crossed through a valley with nothing but bleak, stark whiteness. They rode Braygo, who struggled through snow so deep it nearly reached his belly.

  Self-doubt tugged at Jeniah. Was Kai so protective of her virtue, or did he resist because he truly did not want her?

  He had seemed to want her, at least for a moment. She should be grateful he was so honorable.

  By dusk, Jeniah had grown so hungry and disheartened that she wondered if they would survive the journey. Snow fell heavily again, and her only relief from the cold and hunger was Kai’s reassuring presence.

  As he set up the tent, Jeniah helped him automatically, lashing the poles together like a seasoned outdoorsman. Her hands had become chapped and calloused, her nails ragged, but she had ceased to care about her appearance.

  Grumpy and weary, Jeniah glared at the snowfall. “How long did it take you to get to Arden from Darbor?”

  “About three weeks, but I came by the main highways with a caravan. And the weather was good. Going across country like this, dodging soldiers, and in harsh weather, takes much longer.”

  Jeniah heaved a sigh. “How close do you think we are now?”

  Kai paused and gazed at her in sympathy. “About three days.”

  Three days. Jeniah nodded. She could survive another three days.

  Normally when royalty traveled, an army of servants accompanied them and they brought a mountain of baggage containing every possible comfort. This trip had been nothing like that. Jeniah stole a glance at Kai. It had been a unique journey in many ways. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so bad.

  After Kai made his usual perimeter check and ensured that the chayim was standing guard, he returned to Jeniah inside the tent. As he pulled the blankets over them both, he glanced at her. “I know this has been hard on you, but you’ve borne it remarkably well.”

  “I hope I haven’t been a burden.”

  “Not at all.”

  Her eyes traced the lines of his chiseled, handsome face. His hair was a little longer and the stubble on his normally smoothshaven face had grown into a short beard. The scar that ran up his forehead into his hairline had faded to a thin, pink line. It did not detract from his raw handsomeness.

  “I haven’t checked your wounds in days.”

  He shrugged. “They’ve healed over.”

  “Let me take a look.”

  Humor curved Kai’s mouth as he removed his tunic and shirt and allowed her to inspect him. Goose bumps appeared on his skin. Large, ragged scars and faint, yellowed bruises were all that remained of his near fatal wounds. Jeniah traced the scars, thinking how close she had come to losing him.

  “There’s still a lot of bruising,” she murmured in sympathy.

  “It’s of no consequence.”

  When he picked up his shirt, she noticed a wide, white scar on his forearm. “Another battle scar?” she asked as she gestured toward it.

  “No. I got that sparring with a friend. I lost my focus. If we hadn’t been using blunted blades, he might have taken my arm off.” He looked at her with a wry smile. “I never lost my focus again.” He pulled his shirt over his head.

  “I’m sure you didn’t,” she replied soberly. “With as many battles as you have fought, I’m surprised you aren’t covered with scars.”

  He pulled on his tunic over his shirt, keeping his eyes averted from her inquiring gaze. “I never took a blow in battle before,” he confessed quietly.

  Jeniah stared at him in astonishment. “Never?”

  He shook his head soberly. “The king once claimed I was untouchable, that no battle I fought would ever be lost.” He made a sound of disgust. “I guess I proved him wrong.”

  She laid a hand on his back. “I’m sorry that the only time you were ever hurt was defending my country. It wasn’t even your fight.”

  “The undefeatable, untouchable Kai Darkwood.” His tone was bitter. “A failure in Arden.” He lowered his head and raked his hands through his hair.

  “No!” Horrified that he saw himself so, and that she had caused him to reopen that inner wound, she threw her arms around him, not even sure if he would accept her comfort. “No, not a failure. The entire country was not in your hands alone. No one expected you to do more than you did. You were wounded and yet you still had the determination to find me and take me away from harm. Without you, I would have been executed with my family. Because of you, there’s still hope for Arden.”

  To her surprise, Kai didn’t resist her. He leaned against her, his head resting on her shoulder. She tightened her arms as he shuddered, the muscles of his back quivering underneath her hands. Jeniah held him as he struggled in a rare display of emotion that nearly broke her heart.

  And then she knew that this man was far more than her protector. She’d do anything, risk anything, sacrifice anything. For him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As they emerged from the mountain pass that marked the southwestern border of Darbor, sunset spread its glow across the sky, turning the clouds amber and red. Confident that the Hanorans would not dare to cross the border into Darbor, Kai cantered along the main highway. As darkness grew, turning the blue sky indigo, Kai scouted for a place to camp.

  “We’ll be there before nightfall tomorrow,” Kai assured the princess as they dismounted.

  Hope lit her face. “I look forward to staying in one place for a while. And sleeping in a bed. All night, not just a few hours.”

  Kai glanced at her.

  “I know you get up several times every night to walk the camp. You must be exhausted, never sleeping all the way through the night.”

  He shrugged. “It’s an old cam
paign trick. But I admit I’d like to get a decent night’s rest.” Even with the chayim standing watch, he’d awoken regularly to circle the camp and ensure for himself they were safe. He had always prided himself on being quite capable of sleeping on his sword through a rainstorm, but he, too, grew weary of the lack of comforts.

  They had just finished eating a fowl Kai had killed when the dreaded call of a wyrwolf reached their ears. Wide-eyed, Jeniah turned to him, her hand moving to rest upon his arm. They waited, listening. The howl echoed again, raising the hackles on Kai’s neck. Noiselessly, he handed his longest dagger to Jeniah. They waited, back to back, poised for battle. She stood so near him that her back almost touched his. All his senses alert, he waited.

  He whirled around as the wyrwolves charged from behind, their huge, shaggy bodies lunging from the darkness. He let his daggers fly, each one finding its mark. Still, their pale, eerily human-like faces came at them, snapping their dreadful jaws. His daggers had no effect. Kai drew his sword.

  Jeniah pressed against his back, her frightened breathing drowned out by the wyrwolves’ snarling. Kai thrust and sliced, but the furry bodies always managed to stay barely outside of the reach of his sword. The soft moonlight illuminated their eyes, making them glow yellow in the darkness. Snapping and growling, they bared their wicked, curved fangs. They circled and charged as a pack, trying to get to Kai’s back, but he kept his blade moving.

  Jeniah’s cry warned him when one of the jaws caught the hem of her cloak. She stabbed at the beast with her dagger but the creature jumped out of her reach and fell back with its brothers. Kai’s sword found its mark in the advancing wyrwolf. He plunged the sword in deep. Yelping, it staggered, went down, and lay lifeless. Jeniah moved with him as he continued to spin, their blades flashing in the pale moonlight.

  As one, the bloodthirsty monsters charged. Kai’s blade plowed into their bodies, wounding some, killing others as their howls rose to deafening levels. He fell into a rhythm of striking and turning, all senses alert to any wyrwolf that might be ahead of his blade’s pass. He found a state of calm where he could read their strategy and anticipate their moves. Constantly pivoting, and fully aware of the princess, he battled on. For each wolf that fell, another took its place. His newly healing shoulder and side felt the exertion but Kai kept up his battle. Gradually, the enemy’s numbers decreased.