“Some might have survived.”
Was that supposed to make me feel better? “Even one dead is too many.”
His people had done this. I had no doubt his uncle had fired the first shot. And deep down he knew as well. Acadia would not have charged into war irrationally. Desperate to understand, I looked at Mak. At his silky hair which was longer than it had been a year ago. At his brilliant green eyes that I swore glowed in the night and when he was angry. I looked at his stiff, regal figure, and I tried to see the enemy. I couldn’t. No matter how awkward things were, he was merely Mak. My Makaiden. At least mine in my imagination.
“Go,” I whispered.
He quirked a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Go. You’ve helped me find my way back here, now go. Be with your people, before it’s too late for you.” I shoved my hands against his chest. “Go. To the mountains. To Queen Iduna, wherever you want.”
He grabbed my wrists, looking me fully into the eyes. I could tell it was the last thing he’d expected me to say, but once the words were out, I felt some relief, as little as it was. Suddenly, I understood the reason for the anxiety that had been nudging at the edges of my sanity the closer we got to civilization. I was worried. About him. Despite everything he’d done, despite all that had happened, I cared about the idiot.
“Why would I do that?” he finally asked.
I jerked free of him. “It’s your people against mine. It’s me against you. It was always going to end with, at the worst, one of us dead, or, at the best, going our separate ways.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected him to say, but I knew what I wanted to hear. The impossible. I wanted him to join us. To take Acadia’s side. But I wasn’t even sure which side I was on anymore.
“That’s it then?” He stepped closer, the tips of his boots touching the tips of my ratty slippers. His warm breath stirred my hair, brushed across my skin like a caress. “We leave each other?”
Was that amusement in his eyes? I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, and feeling vulnerable in a way I didn’t like. A white dog appeared on the outskirts of town, startling me. She tilted her head left, then yelped. Oddly, she had the same glow as that unicorn, only not as intense. The glow Mak couldn’t see.
Unthinkingly, I held out my hand. The mutt came running over, desperate for affection. “What do you suggest?”
The dog paused at my hand, wagging her tail. The animal had one blue eye and one brown, and reeked of anxiety and relief. She licked my fingers, then rubbed up against my leg like we were the best of friends. She had survived, at least. Although now she had no owner. No one to feed her. To pamper her.
The wind whipped across the town, stirring ash, and tangling Mak’s silky locks. “I suggest we ask the lovely people who are spying on us from the forest for an update on the war, then we decide what to do.”
I stiffened, but didn’t move; didn’t dare look back at the trees. The stillness, the unease, it all made sense now. They’d been watching us since we’d arrived. I didn’t miss the way the dog went alert, as if she sensed my unease. “How many?”
Mak shrugged and glanced around casually. “I spotted two hiding when we first entered. Three more are behind you in the trees. But there are more. I can sense them.”
The dog stepped closer and lifted her lips, a low growl vibrating around us. A warning? This dog, at least, seemed to be on my side. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you show your emotions on your face, and it would be obvious you were nervous.”
Of course I was nervous. They were either his people and they’d kill me, or they were my people and they’d kill Mak. “What should we do?”
He laughed softly. “They’re your subjects, Princess. You decide.”
My subjects.
That fact should have made me feel better. It didn’t. He knew as well as I, that I had no experience leading anyone. How would I talk them out of killing Mak if they recognized him? But I didn’t have a choice. I tilted my chin stubbornly high. “Fine. First of all, you’re not going to tell them your real name. You’ll pretend to be one of my soldiers, got it?”
He clucked his tongue. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were worried about me.”
I bit back my denial. No more games. There was no point. “Yes. I am.”
He didn’t respond, but I could tell my honesty made him uneasy. Because he didn’t feel for me the same way I felt for him? Or because he felt too much? Dare I believe he cared about me?
I swallowed hard. “Next, you’re going to stay quiet while I talk to them. Not a word. Not a charming quip. Not a sarcastic reply. Understood?”
He grinned. “Understood.”
I wanted to be angry that he found this all so amusing, I couldn’t. I’d rather have this charming rake, than serious and dour Prince Makaiden any day. I took in a deep breath. “We can do this, if we stay calm. Collected.”
“Can you stay calm and collected?”
“Shut up,” I snapped, right before I turned to face the woods. “Hello? Anyone there?”
I thought I saw some movement near an oak tree, but couldn’t be sure. It was too hard to decipher shadow from shadow. Mak was right, they were there. I could sense them. How had I not realized right away? The mutt growled again. I rested my hand atop her head, trying to calm the animal.
“We are not here to harm anyone,” I added quickly. “We’ve been traveling the mountains and come searching for news of the war.”
I had no idea if what I said had any impact, or if I sounded like a complete moron. Never in my life had I felt more like a child pretending to be an adult. And by the amusement in Mak’s gaze, he thought the same thing.
Just when I was going to admit my identity and demand they show themselves, a gangly older man morphed from the trees. He gripped a long branch like it was a baseball bat, and wore a look that flashed between anxiety, weariness and stubbornness. Between his age and weapon of choice, he was no match for us. Was this old man the best they had to offer?
“In which kingdom do you reside?” he demanded.
How many hid in those woods? I took a chance and answered honestly. “Acadia. We’ve been traveling for about a year.”
He took off his cap and scratched his bald head. Although there was still a wariness in his gaze, his face softened, his shoulders slumping. He should be retired, sitting by a fire, drinking coffee, not out defending his home. “Then you’ve missed much.”
An older woman with gray hair stepped into the clearing. Her face was streaked with ash and tears. How many family members had she lost? “Most of the fighting is west. However, upon occasion they have reached farther east. We weren’t expecting them. Some believe their sorcerer used a cloaking spell.”
“Doubtful,” Mak muttered beside me. “Since he’s pathetic.”
“Shhh,” I warned him.
There was a soft rattle of branches, and a few more people came out of the trees. All looked tired, worn, dirty, and gray. The old and the young. One woman held a baby. Another had two children clinging to her skirts. As relieved as I was to see the kids, I knew that in reality some children must have died.
“We sent a missive to the castle, asking for protection,” the old man muttered. “But they said we were being paranoid. They said Cashel would not reach us.”
A bolt of guilt shot through me.
“Acadia didn’t care about a small town that barely produced any profit,” the woman added, her face puckered with bitterness. “What are we to Acadia, but ignorant fools who offer little to the kingdom?”
I could feel the heat racing up to my face. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
This wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all. If they found out I was the princess, would they retaliate? My gaze flickered toward Mak. He gave a curt shake of his head. In other words, keep my identity quiet.
“What happened?” I asked. “Tell us everything.”
The old man sighed. “Come, sit. We don’t have
much, but we can at least offer you a meal.”
We followed the small group toward the trees where they’d made a camp in the shadows of the forest. There were more people within the woods, hiding in its depths. How many? It was hard to tell. Perhaps twenty. Mostly women, which meant the men had been murdered. Their hallow gazes watched us unblinkingly. They seemed like ghosts. Not really here, lost in their pain, the horrors of life.
“It was a surprise attack,” the old man continued. “We knew they were warring out west, but never before had they come this far east. They claimed we killed their prince and we would pay.”
I glanced at Mak, but his attention was on the woods in front of us. By the clench of his jaw, I knew he’d heard. And by the way his hands curled into fists, I knew it upset him.
We settled on logs around a small campfire. A large iron pot was boiling in the middle of the hearth. The scent of potatoes and meat rose with the steam and made my stomach tighten in anticipation. The older woman started to fill the few bowls they had retained.
“They attacked in the north first,” she said. “Killed an entire village. Every man, woman, child was slaughtered. Every single one.”
The entire area went silent, as if they’d been swept back in time to that fateful moment, lost in the memory. Mak sat there quietly. So healthy, so strong…the enemy. He gazed unblinkingly as he listened. I could read nothing on his features. It was as if he’d turned into a robot. Only the flicker of the flames, and the hiss of the boiling pot broke the stillness.
“When did we start torturing children?” the older woman whispered, her eyes full of unshed tears. “We’ve never done that before. Neither side. They took them, even children as young as two. They took them, tore them from their mother’s arms, loaded those children in cages like they were animals, and took them. Who does that?”
The old man rested his hand on her knee, giving her what comfort he could. “It all happened so quickly. There were signs, I suppose. There were clues that they were going to attack, but how were we to know our entire kingdom could fall so easily?”
“It hasn’t fallen yet,” the woman offered. “There’s still time.”
But the old man looked less than optimistic.
“Acadia did not retaliate at first,” the older woman said. “They claimed we were better than that. They tried to send officials to talk with Cashel. They wouldn’t listen. Cashel killed some of the officials, took others hostage.”
“Who?” I whispered, fearing the worst. I hadn’t been in this kingdom long, but I’d made friends I cared about. “Who was killed?”
They shook their heads. “We don’t know.”
Bryn would have been sent to the fronts. I knew that. Even if they hadn’t wanted to send him, he would have gone. Stupid, honorable idiot. “What happened next?”
“Acadia had no choice but to go to war.”
“They should have done it sooner,” the old man muttered. “We were too nice, by the gods. We’re always too nice.”
“When were you attacked?” Mak asked.
Was it hard for him to sit there and listen to them talk about his kingdom? Did he believe them, or would he defend his people the moment we were alone? I wasn’t sure if I could stand to listen to him make excuses.
“Three days ago.” The old man raked his hands over his face. “They came in the middle of the night. Sunny Hollow was attacked first, just over the hill. They managed to send a man to warn us. But his injuries were so severe, he died immediately after. And moments later, Cashel followed.”
“They did not attack for revenge, or as warning, they attacked to kill. To exterminate us,” the young woman holding a baby at her hip whispered.
Dark circles marred the area under her eyes. Her mauve dress was tattered and stained. These people needed help immediately. Where was Acadia? Why hadn’t they brought supplies to the needy? Where the hell was magic when we needed it?
“We weren’t fighting,” another woman said. Her red hair looked dull, lifeless, much like her face. “We were just farming. They had no reason to attack us.”
Mak dropped his gaze to the ground, staring hard at the dirt. I imagined he wanted to protest, to defend his family, his people. He didn’t. How could he? Still, we were only getting one side; maybe they exaggerated. Maybe they didn’t know the truth, only rumors. I wanted to believe there was a misunderstanding. I wanted to because of him. Because I couldn’t stand to admit that he could come from such a dark, evil family. Couldn’t stand the idea that he might defend them.
“How far south have they gotten?” Mak asked.
“To Alesund. The River Dromoland.”
“Is it far?” I asked, wishing I wasn’t so damn ignorant about my own kingdom.
“It’s about halfway to the castle,” Mak said, meeting my gaze.
For one long moment we didn’t speak. I could see the worry in his eyes, the apology. He believed them. The realization shook me to my core. He wasn’t going to try and defend his kingdom, because he knew the truth. His uncle was a monster.
He tore his gaze from me and focused on the people. “To get that far that quickly, he had to have spies, traitors in Acadia.”
The older couple went pale, their eyes wide in disbelief. Such a thing hadn’t even crossed their minds. They were truly innocent. Too innocent. “Surely not.”
“Yes.”
“The princess,” a young man snarled from the trees, startling me. “She disappeared. Even before the war started. No body was found. There were rumors she wasn’t even one of us.”
Part of me wanted to sink into the shadows, hide from their anger. The other half wanted to stand up, speak the truth, and defend myself from their wrath. I felt the warmth of Mak’s hand on my back, calming me. His message was clear: stand down.
“Don’t say that,” the older woman hissed. “It’s treason.”
“It’s not treason if it’s true!”
“We’re a peaceful people,” the old man interrupted, staring into the flames, completely oblivious to the argument brewing around him. “We don’t force anyone to do anything they don’t want; we don’t force our beliefs on the realm. We let people be. Why couldn’t they let us be too?”
“Power, money, greed,” Mak said. “It’s easy to become addicted.”
“At the expense of lives?
“At the expense of everything.”
They looked at him strangely, as if they were trying to understand who he was, how he knew such things. It was as if they only just realized they might be missing something. I shifted, growing uneasy. If they uncovered Mak’s identity, if they realized mine…
“Helen’s back,” someone called out.
The group collectively turned as a young woman stepped into the woods, a pack on her back, men’s clothing covering her curvy body. A tingle of awareness spread down my spine. Even in men’s clothing, with her red hair tucked up under her cap, even with the smudges of dirt that marred her round face, I knew her instantly.
Helen.
My Helen.
When she stepped into the light of the fire, and her familiar face flashed before me, it was all I could do not to jump to my feet and throw my arms around her. But excitement immediately turned to fear. If she recognized me…
Too late.
Her gaze went to mine. Clashed. Held. Those familiar eyes blinked once, twice, then widened in surprise. “Princess, is that you?”
Chapter Seventeen
Makaiden
They had grown wary since realizing Shay’s identity. Even now they were deep in discussion, standing so close their voices were mere whispers in the wind. They didn’t trust her, that was obvious. But she was also the princess, and to speak aloud their distrust could be deadly. Would they try to hurt her? Doubtful. I didn’t sense any extremists within the group, although even I could be wrong. And that worried me. I wasn’t used to doubting my own instincts.
Which is why I wouldn’t rest until we were on our way. As much as I hated to a
dmit it, I wanted Brynjar’s opinion. I knew I could trust him to protect her. Even from me, if need be.
“They’re angry,” she whispered.
We were sitting on the fallen tree, so close, our sides pressed together. To them I was her servant, her soldier. Thank the gods her companion Helen hadn’t recognized me. Still, Shay sat closer than she should and it would warrant suspicion. Sooner rather than later, they would uncover the truth. So why didn’t I move? I told myself I was merely offering her comfort. Truth was her presence calmed me.
Every time I wanted to push her away, to place distance between us, she said something ridiculous, something endearing, something only she would say and she pulled me back in. I was helpless. Pathetic.
I shifted, my wound stinging. My hands curled as I resisted the urge to touch it. I could feel the heat radiating from my side, and knew the cut was infected. If I’d been completely human, no doubt I’d be incapacitated by now. I needed fairy balm and fast, or I’d be worthless. But I knew better than to ask these people for medication. They would have used it all by now.
“They won’t harm you,” I said softly, so we were not overheard. “These are simple people, who only want to live in peace. They don’t know how to fight.”
She bent the small twig she was holding, forming a triangle. “Simple people know how to fight, believe me. We’re not as gullible and innocent as rich people like to think.”
I’d offended her, although I wasn’t sure why or how.
She sighed and reached down to pet the white dog that had become attached to her in the mere hour since we’d arrived. “I was supposed to save them. That’s what the myth said, right? That’s what everyone believes. Even your kingdom believes it, or your uncle wouldn’t want me dead.”
I shrugged, feeling uneasy in so many ways. “Myths aren’t facts, Princess. Mere…beliefs.” I nudged her with my shoulder. “Besides, you never know what will happen. Perhaps you will save them.”
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