by Frost Kay
Warmth suffused her back as two hands reached around her to hold Peg.
“Get back, Sage. It’s okay. I got it.”
She blinked at the anger in Gav’s voice. Why was he so angry? Peg was still getting used to her.
“This is dangerous,” he growled, elbowing her out of the way.
Her eyes narrowed on him, and she pushed the hood from her head to scowl at her friend. What was wrong with him? She hadn’t done anything wrong. It was natural for a horse to be afraid of a predator. Plus, it was her responsibility to care for her mount, and Peg needed to learn to trust her.
Sage ducked underneath Gav’s arms and curled her fingers around the mare’s cheek piece once again. “She’s mine. Now, move.”
“Why are you so bloody stubborn?” his voice raised.
Peg jerked again. Gav was making it worse. His agitation was affecting her horse. Sage let go of the cheek piece and pulled on the reins. “You’re frightening her. Calm down and back away,” she growled.
He gritted his teeth and glared at her. “No. It’s not safe.”
His words penetrated her confusion. She’d never seen him lose his temper, and he certainly had never spoken to her in such a manner. It was the horses. The horses set him on edge, because of his wife. Sage moved her hand to his arm and squeezed, her heart going out to him.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I’m okay. I’m not going to get hurt.”
Gav squeezed his eyes, a tremble moving through his body.
“I’ve got her,” she said.
He nodded and slowly released her horse. Gav stormed to his dapple-gray mount and swung up into the saddle. Sage watched his hands clench and unclench on the reins. She glanced at Tehl, who was staring at his cousin with sympathy. The poor man.
Sage turned to Peg and ran her hands along the mare’s neck. “You’re okay, sweet girl. Are you ready to go on a ride?” she whispered. The horse’s ears flicked forward at the word ‘ride.’ “That’s right. We’re going on a long ride.” She gathered the reins in her left hand, placed her left foot in the stirrup, and climbed into the saddle without a fuss. She leaned forward and patted the mare’s neck. “Good girl. Now let’s ride.”
The wind whipped Sage’s hair around her face, and she grinned, wanting to whoop with joy. Riding Pegasus was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was true freedom. The moon painted the road and surrounding trees in soft whites, like the world had been gilded in silver.
The thundering of Peg’s hooves kept pace with her heartbeat, almost as if they were one creature. Rafe reined in his mount and slowed ahead of her. The ride had gone too quickly. Peg’s sides heaved as they slowed and took another offshoot from the road. The trees grew in arches over the path, like they were bowing to the heavens above them.
The men closed around Marq, and Sage shivered as the path darkened, only to be broken up by small puddles of moonlight. She scanned the area around them and froze as something dark darted through the trees. Her hand crept to the dagger at her waist. A flash of golden eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and she glared at the darkened forest. “Bloody cat,” she whispered.
“What was that, my dear?” the king asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Nali.”
A huff. “She’s quite the protector.”
“That she is,” she murmured, focusing on their surroundings again, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge. She had the feeling she was being watched. Sage tipped her head back and scanned above them thinking of the snake that had almost killed them in Scythia. They were too confined.
Her left hand clenched around the pommel of her saddle, and she focused on her breathing while squeezing the reins in her right. Panicking would do no one any good. She counted down her breaths from one hundred and sighed when the pathway opened to a small meadow with what looked like a rundown cottage.
Rafe paused and slid off his horse. “We leave the horses here.”
“Here?” Zachael asked, his salt-and-pepper brows furrowing.
“You will thank me for it.”
Rafe met Sage’s gaze, his amber eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. What was he trying to tell her? She stared at the stone cottage. It wasn’t small by any stretch of the imagination, but there was something off about it. It looked to be abandoned, and yet… the roof was in fine condition, as was the masonry. This place was used often.
She nodded to Rafe and swung off of Peg. Why did he want her to know it was in use? And what about the horses? Was there something that would spook them? She froze, the reins hanging limply from her fingers. What sort of predators did the Methians bring with them? At that moment she was beyond thankful that Nali had accompanied them. There wasn’t a thing that feline couldn’t detect.
Brushing the hair from her face, she pulled her hood up, shielding her face. It would be best to disguise the fact she was a woman. Not all men appreciated an outspoken woman.
Tehl stood to her right, his arm brushing her shoulder, and Gav to her left. Rafe scanned their group and nodded before striding out into the meadow confidently. Her lips twitched. The man wore arrogance well. Many would see it as stupidity, but she knew his capabilities. He’d catalogued every potential danger before his feet had even touched the ground.
Nali stalked from the trees and pushed in between Sage and Gav, her lips pulled back and the hair along her spine slightly on end. Gav missed a step and moved to make more room. Sage studied her feline companion, and then scanned the trees. There was clearly something Nali didn’t like out there.
Rafe stopped in the middle of the meadow, allowing them to catch up. Sage paused, her cloak swishing around her boots as a group of tall, cloaked figures emerged from the other side of the clearing.
She placed a hand on Nali’s head as a chilling growl rumbled in the feline’s throat, never taking her eyes from the hooded warriors. And that’s what they were. Warriors. Sage still remembered the first time she met Rafe. Each move he had made was fluid, calculated, predatorial. These men moved the same way.
They halted several strides away, and the whole forest seemed to hold its breath.
Marq stepped forward and pushed his hood back, his head held high. “Well met, my brothers.”
“Well met, my brothers,” the tallest warrior said. “I have to say, I’m surprised that you risk yourself.” It wasn’t a taunt, but a simple statement.
“Times are dangerous, and my people need me. I’ll do whatever is necessary to help them. As is my duty.”
The shortest warrior stepped around the warrior who spoke first and pushed back her hood. Sage’s breath caught in her throat as one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen stepped forward. Her long hair was deep-wine in color, streaked with silver, and braided into an intricate rope that draped over her shoulder. Lines bracketed her mouth, and her eyes said she laughed often, but it was the color of her eyes that struck Sage the most.
They were amber. The exact shade of Rafe’s.
The tall warrior pushed back his hood, revealing himself to also bear a striking resemblance to Rafe. He indicated the woman with a quick movement of his hands. “My mother, Queen Osir.”
Sage’s fingers curled into fists. That lying weasel. Rafe had kept more secrets. She stared at his hood, and Rafe slowly glanced in her direction as if he felt her gaze. He pushed back his hood, not glancing away from her. There was an apology lurking in his gaze. She puffed out a breath and looked away from him. They would be having words later. The bastard was royal. A damn royal spy.
Marq stepped forward and held his hand out. Queen Osir scanned him from head to toe, her shrewd eyes missing nothing. It was an examination, and, by her smile, she hadn’t found him wanting.
She stepped forward and placed her hand in his. “My lord,” she murmured.
“My lady.” He placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand and straightened. The two royals stared as if sizing each other up.
The Methian queen swept her arm out tow
ard the cottage. “Shall we?”
King Marq dipped his chin. “After you.”
The queen’s lips twitched, a ghost of a smile. “So polite,” she murmured. Sweeping aside her cloak, she strode purposefully toward the cottage.
“Brave,” Gav said under his breath. “To turn her back.”
“I am among friends, no?” she called, pausing several strides ahead.
Gav’s eyes widened.
Marq strolled by her side. “Indeed, my lady.”
She huffed a small laugh as both Aermian and Methian men circled them. “Uneasy friends.”
“New friends.”
Sage stayed put and ran a hand over Nali’s fur. Apparently, Rafe had inherited his acute hearing from his mother. Curious.
Tehl paused, waiting for Sage to catch up. She rolled her shoulders and followed the group.
Here went nothing.
Thirty-Six
Sage
Sage stepped to the door, and Nali darted in front of her, blocking the way. Tehl paused just inside the threshold, watching. Gav moved closer to her side, and scanned the darkened forest.
“What is it?” she whispered. Something had set off the feline.
Nali sniffed the air, and her ears laid flat against her head. She back-pedaled and nudged Sage from behind. Sage cast one last look around the meadow and allowed Nali to herd her inside. Her hand crept to the dagger at her waist as she entered the cottage. Whatever the danger was, it was outside.
Sage shuffled to the side to make room for Gav as Nali pressed against her leg, her hackles still raised. She brushed her hand along the leren’s neck, and surveyed the room from beneath her lashes.
Her suspicions had been right. Someone had been using this house for quite some time, though it looked rundown from the outside. Furs covered the stone floor, and a fire roared in the hearth. Large comfy chairs were set in a rough circle around the room.
Sage’s people spread out as one of the Methian men yanked the heavy, tan draperies closed and took the cloak from the queen.
Queen Osir placed her hands on the back of a large, brown leather, winged-back chair. Long scars ran down her arms in crisscross patterns that made Sage shudder. They looked painful. What had done that to her?
The queen scanned the group and then paused on Sage, before sliding to Nali. “A bonded couple,” she murmured. “It’s a pleasure to see a leren. It’s been so many years.”
Sage sank her fingers into Nali’s fur, as the queen rounded the chair and approached them slowly. The leren growled softly and bared her fangs. “Easy,” she whispered. It wouldn’t do to have her feline attack a potential ally.
The queen paused. “I mean neither of you harm. I’m partial to felines. They hold a special place in my heart.” Her piercing amber gaze wandered back to Sage. “There’s no need to hide what you are. You won’t find enemies here because of your sex.”
Sage pushed her hood from her head and met the queen’s probing gaze. “Not everyone has those ideals.”
A sharp smile touched the queen’s mouth. “Then they are stupid, indeed.”
An answering smile tugged on Sage’s lips. She liked the queen already. “As you say.”
“I’ve heard much about you, Sage Ramses. Since you’ve entered the fray, you’ve changed much in Aermia.” The queen drew in a deep breath, her expression turning grave. “I’ve also heard of your trials in Scythia. I am most sorry for what you’ve suffered.”
Sage’s throat tightened, and she swallowed down the grief and anger that always seemed to hover just at the edge of her control. “It’s in the past.”
“No, experiences like that are never in the past. They may fade, but we carry them for the rest of our lives. They shape who we are. Who are you?”
“Whatever the Crown needs me to be.”
A ghost of a smile followed from the queen. “You have many names. The Rebel’s Blade, Crown’s Shield, Enemy’s Queen.” That one made Sage wince. “King’s Warrior. But I don’t think just one of those names could encompass who you truly are.”
“And who do you think I am?” she asked warily.
“You, my sweet, are the end of our worlds.”
She jerked back as if slapped, and Nali snarled. She’d done everything in her power to avoid that exact thing.
“It’s not a bad thing. It’s exactly what we need.”
“The world needs shaking up,” Marq commented, casting Sage an unreadable look. He gestured toward the chairs. “Shall we begin?”
“Yes. Time is against us.” The queen nodded to Sage and took her seat, followed by Marq.
Tehl brushed his fingers along her knuckles, raising an eyebrow as if to say, ‘Are you okay?’ She nodded and trailed behind him to take a seat to his right. Nali placed herself on Sage’s other side and leaned into her leg.
“We’d like to thank you for meeting with us on such short notice,” Marq said.
The Methian queen waved a hand at him. “There’s no need to mince words. War is upon us, and we’ll fight beside you.”
Sage blinked and peeked at Tehl who stared, his brow furrowed. That was blunt, and she wasn’t the only one to notice, but her king just smiled, completely composed.
“I’m glad to hear that. I, myself, hate to skirt around an issue. Aermia is grateful for your assistance.”
“We’re always willing to help a neighbor, but in this case, it also helps Methi.”
The king cocked his head, studying Queen Osir. “If Aermia falls to the warlord, so does the world.”
“True, and that’s why we will defend it like it is our own home.”
“I wish everyone had your views,” Tehl commented.
The queen’s eyes narrowed. “They are fools. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve grown older, it’s that older doesn’t always mean wiser. Many years of life breeds apathy.”
“True.” The king crossed his arms. “I can see what you stand to gain with this alliance, but what I truly want to know is what you’ll want in exchange.”
The queen grinned at him, her eyes twinkling. “That’s always the question, isn’t it?”
“It’s the way of the world. No one does anything for free, especially those who rule. We can’t.”
“Spoken like a true king.” She tipped her chin up and tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. “We want access to the seas around Aermia. The schools have migrated from the Maekin Sea to your part of the world.”
“We will allow you access to our waters at certain times of the year when the fish population is high. If we over-fish, then we both will be in the same boat.” The king cracked a smile. “Pun intended.”
The queen chuckled and shook her head. “Agreed, and you are not what I expected.”
“My wife said the same thing when she met me.”
“I was sorry to hear of her death.” She placed a hand over Marq’s. “I, too, have lost a mate. So I understand your suffering.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry for your loss as well. No one should have to experience that type of pain.”
She nodded and pulled her hand back. “We have one more condition, and I’m afraid it’s non-negotiable.” Queen Osir’s face turned to stone. “You seem like a good man, but even good men are prone to envy. I am about to show you something the Methian people have guarded with their lives. I warn you now, if you hurt those we love, we’ll kill you.”
Marq’s brows rose. “I think there was a compliment somewhere among the threats. Clearly, our alliance puts someone you love in danger, so I’ll ignore the threats. What is it that you want?”
She blew out a breath and glanced to her son, who’d stood like a stone statue at her side. “It’ll be easier to show you. Raziel?” She held her hand out, and her son helped her from the chair, as the men around the room stood. She eyed the group. “If you attack, we will. You have been warned.”
Marq glanced at Tehl and Sage. “I assure you, my men will keep control of themselves.”
“As
you say.”
Queen Osir swept from the room, disappearing into the darkness outside. Gav, Zachael, and William surrounded the king.
Rafe stopped halfway to the door and turned toward the Aermian group. “Don’t be afraid. This is not a trap.”
“Says the son of the Methian queen,” Sage growled, glaring at Rafe.
“I’ll explain later.”
“Yes, you will,” Tehl said softly. Sage glanced at her husband. She wasn’t the only one stung by Rafe’s secrets if she went by his expression.
Marq stared at Rafe and then exited the home, his men encircling him. Sage followed, Nali on her left, Tehl on her right.
“You run if it’s dangerous,” Tehl whispered.
She shot him a sharp look. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The crown prince stared at her. “Bloody stubborn woman.”
Sage grinned, and stepped out into the moonlit glen, her eyes immediately searching for danger. Nali’s ears flattened, and the hair along her spine stood on edge again. “What is it, girl?”
Nali pressed closer to her thigh as the queen whistled, the sound piercing the air. For a moment, there was complete silence, and then, it was as if the forest had exploded. Sage’s breath froze in her lungs, as huge winged creatures burst through the trees, and landed in the glen between the Methians and Aermians.
“Wicked hell,” Tehl whispered.
Sage placed her hand on Nali’s head as the feline snarled at the menacing interlopers.
“They will not hurt you,” Queen Osir called.
Sage would’ve retorted if she could have spoken at all. It wasn’t possible to turn away from the spectacle even had she wanted to.
The creature in front of them crouched and growled at Nali, its tail, white with black speckles, whipping back and forth as its brethren pressed closer to its side. A name came unbidden to Sage’s mind. Fiilee. Felines as huge as horses with leathery wings. A creature from story books. Was every myth rooted in truth?