“No, they won’t,” I cut him off with a glare. “You will not disrespect the clan that protected me by asking such a thing. Hold your tongue, Ahmad.”
Ahmad didn’t look pleased at my insistence, but Mother lifted a hand to stop his protest, her demeanor calm and steady. “He’s right. We would not ask such a thing. Perhaps we need to have a discussion. I feel as though we only have part of the story.” She cupped my cheek, giving me that affectionate smile that made all her children give into her whims to please her. “Will you translate for me, son of mine? I want to meet the people who protected my heart.”
Uttin snorted behind me, and I whipped around, gaping at him. “What’s so funny?”
He lifted a shoulder, more at ease now that the tension had begun to settle. “You are much like your mother. That look works on me as well.”
Horror made my eyes widen. If he’d said it in his tongue, I might have gotten away with keeping my parents ignorant. But he’d said it in our language. All the hope that I’d had in keeping my interests a secret fled out the window faster than the mare who’d helped me protect Uttin.
Twenty-Two
UTTIN
Ihad never been more terrified than when I’d seen Zakai running toward the enemy. Whether he was running to stop them or running away from the clan, it didn’t matter to me. He was in danger, and I couldn’t stop myself from going after him. Even when arrows were pointed in my direction and the battalion moved forward, I couldn’t stop. I had to get to him.
I hadn’t expected things to go as well as they did.
After things settled and proper introductions were made, we moved to the receiving tent where food and tea were delivered. The king and queen’s attendants brought pillows for them to sit on that were fancier than ours, as well as a rug to put them upon. Queen Raiza waved that off, sitting beside her son and holding his hand, her smile relieved as she petted his hair and touched his cheek. Zakai took her attentions indulgently, but he looked afraid. He had ever since I mentioned how much he reminded me of his mother. I got the feeling I’d said something wrong.
Simon begrudgingly sat beside Orthorr and Bren, ready to translate if I could not. He never quite got along with Orthorr, despite saving his life. Simon wasn’t big on authority figures.He only listened when he wished to. Or when Feigrind asked him to be nice. Since Feigrind stood only a few feet behind his bondmate, I assumed it was his request that led Simon to join us.
Orthorr cleared his throat, putting his fist across his chest and bowing his head toward the monarchs. “King Zohaib, Queen Raiza. It is an honor to meet you. I am Orthorr, leader of the Northern clan. And this is Bren, leader of Clan Urthazrak, our allies who came to visit just before you arrived.”
King Zohaib looked suspicious, but Queen Raiza greeted Orthorr with a polite smile. “It is nice to meet you, clan leader. Tell me, how did my son end up in your care? And why was he not returned to us?”
Zakai flinched, and I could tell he didn’t want to share the details with his parents. He’d confessed to me once that he was embarrassed by how easily he was duped by his guard and the advisor. Admitting to his parents that he trusted the wrong people wouldn’t be easy for him.
Reaching for him, I squeezed the opposite hand to the one his mother held. Once again, a flash of horror crossed his expression, but he smothered it, giving me a tight smile before speaking up to explain what happened to his parents.
“It was Hameed. He and the advisor we were meeting with tricked me, forcing me to sign the trade agreement with a knife to my throat.” His voice quieted as he admitted, “I thought they would release me once I did, which was foolish now that I think about it. Instead, they had me handed off to the barbarians as a tribute. Since we shared no languages, it took a while before a translator was found and my identity revealed.”
“We would have brought him home right away,” Orthorr added through Simon. “But we were hit with a storm, and it was unsafe to move him until after it passed. He had a series of misfortunes that dragged out his time here, and just thismorning we made the decision to wait until the weather warmed to avoid him being cold on the journey.”
Zakai flinched again, his expression sheepish when his mother turned slowly to look at him. “You would have dragged out my suffering, worried you were dead, because you didn’t want to be chilled?” she asked in a deadly tone.
He gave an awkward laugh, releasing my hand to rub at the back of his neck. “It was more than chilled, Mother. The snow was so high, the tents were half buried. I was told it was possible another storm would pass before we were far enough south to avoid it. I figured waiting was better than truly winding up dead.”
Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously, but she seemed to accept his words. I didn’t. I knew better. But I also knew better than to expose his lies to his parents.
“They did not hurt you?” King Zohaib demanded.
I could tell Orthorr held his breath, but Zakai immediately shook his head. “No. They have been kind to me since I arrived. The rumors about the clans are falsehoods. They are not bad people.”
He shot an accusing look at one of the king’s guards who rolled his eyes and ignored him. I questioned the interaction but kept quiet for now. I would ask Zakai later what it was about. If I had the chance, that was.
Realization hit me hard. If Zakai’s family was here, they would take him with them when they left. They could choose to leave tonight and there was nothing I or anyone else could do to stop them. My heart that I’d tried to carefully guard the longer I spent with Zakai broke at the thought, and my lungs froze in my chest.
“Well, we thank you for protecting our son and providing him hospitality. If you’ll allow us one night to rest, we will leave in the morning to bring our son home.”
Orthorr nodded, oblivious to my turmoil. “We would be honored to host you for the evening. A feast will be prepared for all. For now, we will give you time to speak with your son.”
I felt disconnected as I rose to my feet, giving the royals a warrior’s bow before following the two clan leaders out of the receiving tent to give them privacy. Orthorr let out a breath of relief, but I couldn’t focus on his words. It felt as though my heart was torn and a piece of it would be leaving when Zakai walked away. I should have stayed away from him. I’d done this to myself.
“Uttin!”
My mother’s voice broke through the stupor, and I forced myself to look up at her. Her brow furrowed as she came close, tipping her head to study me. “I was going to ask before, but… is everything alright?”
Aware that Orthorr stood nearby, I didn’t answer her. Not until she dragged me to my tent where my father waited to speak with me privately.
