His eyes narrowed across at her. “You’re joining the hunt?”
“We’re relieving them. Myself and Lex,” she said as she turned towards the door. “Taking over for the night party. My brother’s men think they can have all the fun. They’re wrong.” She pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head and turned back to him. “Are you coming?”
Draven considered her a moment, and then stuffed his pipe down his vest. “Do you have a horse?”
Lex smirked at him over Aydra’s shoulder. “I think we can help with that.”
The gallop of the horses’ hooves on the stone echoed in the still morning air. The fog licked at their feet and entwined through the streets. The sun was just peeking over the horizon in the east when they reached the beach. Rhaif’s men met them at the bottom.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of the Queen on this morning?” Bard asked her.
“You may take rest, Bard. My Second and I will take it from here,” Aydra told him.
“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Your Majesty,” Bard argued. “The king—”
“Is she not your queen?” Lex interjected.
“Well… Yes, but we have orders specifically from the King to find the beast—”
The deep chuckle from beneath Draven’s hood ceased Bard’s words.
“Beast… again with that word,” he muttered. “If you’re looking for some great beast, you will not find it. The Infi are methodic, manipulative, secretive, and stealthy. You are hunting a ghost man, Belwarks. Not a beast.”
“Then perhapsyoushould have been out here all night,” called one of the other Belwarks.
Draven eyed the guard a moment and huffed in amusement. “Go home, little soldier. The grown ups will take it from here.”
He clicked his tongue twice, and the horse he was on started forward down the beach.
Aydra raised a brow at Bard’s bewildered face.
“Taking orders from the Venari King now, Your Majesty?” he asked her.
“You’ve lived here long enough to know by now that something as rash as this plan is one of mine, Bard. Not his. He’s here because he’s stupid enough to follow me.” Her horse shifted weight under her. “Did you find anything last night? Anything odd?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary to report,” Bard said, his lips pursed.
“You’re sure he couldn’t have snuck past you and into town?” she asked.
“As I said, Your Majesty, there was nothing to report. Nothing at all. Makes me wonder what we are even doing out here,” he replied with a look back at Draven’s disappearing figure.
“You don’t believe him?” she asked.
“I’ll believe him when you’ve the Infi’s head in your hand,” he said with a raised brow.
Aydra exchanged a glance with Lex and then gave Bard a nod. “Go home, Belwarks. Get some rest. I will call when we find him.”
Bard called for his men then, and the throng of thirty men on horses passed them by, each giving Adyra a nod upon their passing. As they left, Lex and Aydra urged their horses forward. Draven was already well ahead of them, scanning the beach in the faint purple light of the sunrise behind the cliffs to their right.
“Do you think Bard has a point?” Lex asked after a while.
Aydra considered it a moment, staring at Draven’s figure down the beach. “I’m aware of the Chronicles’ stories of their betrayal.” She paused a moment and considered the Venari King once more. “But I think if this Venari wanted our kingdom, he would have a better plan than sending the Belwarks on a chase through darkness for a creature that doesn’t exist,” she replied.
A yawn slipped on her face then, and she let go of the reins to stretch her arms over her head.
“Assuming Ash finally learned where things are?” Lex mused.
A huff of amusement left Aydra’s lips. “I can honestly say, I’m not sure,” she answered.
