“I’ve never fought in combat a day in my life.”
Her face softened. “It doesn’t matter. You’re one of the strongest people I know. When—ifyou’re forced to fight, you’llbe ready. But your job will mostly consist of convincing those two not to run straight into a battle they don’t belong in.”
This was not going well. “I’m honored that you trust me so completely, but isn’t there someone else who would be better at this? Someone… someone more prepared?”
She cocked her head to the side, a familiar smile creeping onto her face. “There’s no one more perfect for the job. And I need you, Rummy. Please.”
I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream at her, tell her this was absolutely insane, that I’d rather be strung up in the town center than travel all the way to the eastern kingdom with Jessiah.
But I knew better. After all she’d done for me, I couldn’t say no. She usually had my backno matter what. If she was still pushing for me to go on this journey even though she knew how much I resisted, it must have meant a lot to her.
So, no matter how much I wanted to kill Jessiah, I would do it.
For her.
“Fine,” I said. “But I can’t promise we’ll all come back alive. When are we leaving?”
Chapter 8
Jessiah
One night to prepare wasn’t nearly enough for a long journey, but we made it work. Rummy had no wings, and though Xavier could fly some distances, he wasn’t exactly a professional at using his magic yet, so the trip would have to be on foot.
Through the incredibly dangerous forest.
With a female who had no experience traveling like this.
The sun broke over the horizon, making the dark streets of Scarlata glitter. It was normally my favorite time of day, but Rummy ruined it with her incessant complaining.
“Goddess above, it’s early. We couldn’t have waited until full daylight to leave?”
Wolf strapped the last bag to the back of her horse and stepped back.
I assumed Rummy had never ridden before, but considering I was doing everything in my power to avoid her, I didn’t ask.
Xavier was already geared up and ready to go, sitting atop his horse and looking down on us.
“Wait!” a male voice sliced through the early morning air. “Wait, I want to come with you!”
The male refugee who’d appeared last night stormed into the grassy field just outside the tree line. Someone had released him from the holding cell. He’d freshened up with new clothes, and his shoulder-length hair was pulled back to reveal his pale face.
Huntyr was already shaking her head. “You barely made it here. It’s too soon to risk the journey back. You need time to recover.”
He gulped in air. “I came here for help. Not just for myself, but for the people of our kingdom. Please. Let me come along. I can prepare you for what you’ll find.”
The male looked strong enough, but Huntyr was right. The journey was hard enough to make once, let alone twice, regardless of his condition.
Still, the man stood tall. He pulled his shoulders back and stared Huntyr in the eye.
I knew that look well. This man was coming whether she wanted him to or not.
“Fine,” Huntyr said. “We’ll find you a horse.”
He nodded, a small smile creeping onto his features, and bowed before Huntyr scurried off to the stables.
Rummy was pretending to be interested in her own horse, but I saw her peering at him beneath her lashes. She wasn’t the only one we would have to keep an eye on during this trip.
“What’s your name, mate?” Xavier asked.
