“Of course I did,”I replied. “I can make a person fling themselves off a cliff, just to avoid having to hear me play. And the strings make decent garrotes.”
To my surprise, he reached over and tousled my hair.“Come back in one piece, little thief. Our city won’t be the same without you.”
“I will,” I said aloud.
“We’ll hold you to that promise, Ratter,” King Rigol said, walking forward to greet me with Vali on one arm. Holding Vali’s other arm was Dashiell, who nodded sheepishly at me. I winked back and took the king’s offered hand, dipping into a bow.
The queen let go of Dash and took my hand next. She had something in her palm.I took it and slid it into a pocket without missing a beat. “We’re going to miss you so, Ratter. Your Aunt Cilla would come to say goodbye, except?—”
“Her heat,” I said quietly. “Give her a hug for me, and tell her I’ll write.”
“I will.” Leaning forward, she whispered, “That’s from her. Enough to get one like us through at least a half year. Ask our sister Valerie for more if you need.”
I nodded slightly, understanding. It was either contraceptive herbs or the cycle-suppressing ones that were harder to find, and only for Omegas. I tried not to be annoyed that everyone seemed to know what I’d thought was a secret.
Vali’s consorts were all there as well, which surprised me. One of them, General Tarn, had been on a long, tricky diplomatic trip. I winced as he gave me an admonishing look. “Ah, Ratter. The bane of my political existence. The current King of Mirren asked that you be delivered to the Northern capital for immediate execution. I attempted to convince him that banishment was a better alternative. I failed.”
“Current king?” I asked, while Vali hugged me one last time, almost as tearfully as Haven had.
“Well, he called for the death of one of my favorite people in the world,” Tarn said with a predatory smile. “So I made certain our diplomats will have a more intelligent monarch to deal with the next time we reach out.”
“After the damned war,” Vilkurn grumbled, stepping close. “Be careful, apprentice.”
“Yes, Boss,” I replied, my voice raspier than it should be. “When am I not?” He sneered, but I went on. “Thanks for the gift.”
He blinked. “The horse? You’re welcome. Her name’s Rogue, by the way.” He nodded to a small black mare that stood beside the last cart in the line. The ones at the front were starting to head out, and I didn’t have time to figure out why Vilkurn wasn’t acknowledging his gift. He was the only person who could have laid hands on that many poisons. It was the only possibility.
I hugged my dads, Haven, and my crew one last time, then ran to the mare, greeting her before mounting easily. She wasthe perfect size, with a bit of mischief in her eye, too. We were going to get along quite well.
I clicked my teeth, and Rogue broke into a gentle trot. After an hour or so, one brave idiot slowed his mount to join me where I rode, a half mile behind the caravan. He was an Alpha, one I hadn’t seen before. He had the look of a merchant’s third son, his clothing slightly worn and stained with either this morning’s breakfast, or last night’s ale.
“My lady, might I say, this morning is glorious, but you… you are a vision even more divine.”
“You may not,” I replied amiably.
He took it as a challenge. “But I must! Your eyes shine like hammered silver, your skin like the sun has kissed it, though the moon shimmers beneath, lending a mysterious glow. The Goddess favors you, lending you Her beauty on this mortal plane.”
This time, my tone was a promise of death. I was still pissed that She’d done something to make me lose a chunk of time from the night before. “Stop.”
“My admiration cannot be stopped, my lady. Your hair gleams in the morning sunlight like dark obsidian—ahhh!” The dagger to his throat finally did the trick, and he fell from his horse, his head making an unsurprisingly hollow sound when it hit the earth.
Vilkurn would have been proud. I’d promised not to kill any more Alphas in Turino and I’d kept that promise. I hadn’t gone for one of my new poisons, or slit his throat, and when I rode away, he was still breathing.
Well, I was pretty sure he was.
I clicked my teeth, encouraging my mare to catch up to the group. The Alpha hadn’t been wrong. It really was a glorious morning, I thought, as I examined the hilt of my dagger. It wasin perfect condition, though it felt light somehow, the obsidian gems glossy and bright.
Serak hadn’t even noticed when I’d taken it from his belt sheath, and replaced it with one of my own. I didn’t feel guilty at all for taking it back. He was a spy, after all, from a nation no one trusted, especially me. Who knew what he would’ve done with it, if I’d allowed him to take it back to his Alldyns Vug, or whatever he’d called it. Anyway, he’d gotten a good trade for it after all. A kiss from a Goddess.
Maybe someday, when we were older, I’d let him have it back.
Or maybe not.
SERAK
“You will not be allowed in our borders again, young Zellum.”
I froze with one foot in the stirrup of the horse I’d just purchased from the innkeeper. He hadn’t wanted to sell it to me, but I’d given him the rest of the Rimholtian coins I had. I’d been shocked that Ratter hadn’t taken my coin purse when she stole the dagger from my waist. But she was a clever thief; she knew the value of what she wanted.
