The inquisitor nodded his thanks, then turned to his stallion to verify its saddle. “Do not take it the wrong way,” he said, “but you are not a good enough rider to make the trip on your own horse. You will ride with me, and Maldoza will take the other horse. We cannot afford any delay.”
She’d have protested had their trip to the city-state of Castereina not taken twice as long because of her.
“That’s really unwise,” Themas said, frowning. “A horse cannot take the weight of two riders for such a long trip.”
Estevan threw Semras a pointed look. “In your expert opinion, can Pagan carry both of us with ease?”
She raised an eyebrow, then surveyed the stallion’s broad shoulders and thick muscles. “Obviously.”
Kelpies were unnaturally strong and sturdy. They had to be, to carry as many travellers as they could to their watery graves.
The thought made her shiver, and she added, “I bet the three of us would be no problem for him, either.”
The inquisitor made a face. “I will only take you. Maldoza, you can follow on your own horse.” He gestured to Semras to approach. Once she did, he rested his hands around her waist. “My apologies for offending your lover.”
“He’s not—”
Estevan lifted her onto the stallion, then slid behind her into the saddle. “Lover’s spat?” he drawled next to her ear, making her shiver. “I hope I was not its cause.”
Beside them, Themas mounted the chestnut horse. “May I know what we are after, my lord? You spoke of following a lead.”
“Stop meddling,” Semras whispered back. “If you have to know, I rejected him.”
Estevan slowly grinned. “Poor man. I would not want to be in his shoes. I feel sorry for him.”
“No, you don’t. You hate him.”
Themas walked his horse to their side. “Inquisitor?” he called out.
“I admit I did, once.” Estevan slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “But no longer. Now I only feel sorry for him.”
Semras elbowed him, and he laughed.
When he answered his knight at long last, he was all smiles. “We ride to find the poison’s supplier.”
A truth hidden in a lie, Semras felt grateful for it.
They departed right after, reins prompting the horses into a trot through the black metal gate and down the cobblestone streets of Castereina.
She might have—somewhere deep within her heart, where secrets and desires and things that cannot be spoken of were kept secret—have missedthattoo. Their banter, their touches, their smiles and teases …
It made the festering wound between them throb painfully in her heart.
The Seven And the Three
III
Chapter 29
Adaylater,theyreached the point of no return.
After trudging through a sea of white birch trees and dried red leaves for more than an hour, Semras and Estevan were now approaching the coven grounds. As planned, Themas had stayed behind, preparing camp while they ‘scouted’ the Vedwoods ahead.
It feltwrong, leading an inquisitor to her sisters—even if it was to prevent a war. Visions of warwitches prowling the Coven’s sacred grounds, ready to unleash their violence at the first call of a battle horn, plagued her mind. She couldn’t even decide if the fearsome witches would be there as a result of Callum’s purge plans … or because she and Estevan had been caught trying to stop them.
But theyhadto try, at any cost. And right now, it meant bearing the guilt and shame weighing on her conscience.
“What is going on in that head of yours now?” Estevan asked.
