“Yes.” He pushed up the glasses on his nose, his eyes filling with determination. “No one will get past me, and he will not be alone.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find the queen.”
Olwen strode from the room out into a much calmer corridor. Flyka was already working her magic. He paused by her side as she spoke in a low tone with two warriors. He eyed the men. “No one leaves this hallway. We cannot afford rumors running about the palace with our king in such a compromised position.”
They nodded, but their eyes slid to Flyka.
“It’s already been taken care of,” she murmured. Her eyes narrowed when he continued walking past her. “Where are you going?”
“To find our queen. If she dies, the humans will wage war.” They could not afford a war. Not with the humans, not with the Northerners who had been coveting the throne for a hundred years.
Flyka’s gaze turned frosty. “Please do.”
Olwen’s brows pinched at her tone, and he paused, turning to face her. “What do you know?”
Flyka dismissed the men and glided toward him, all violence and grace. “Only that our queen disappeared, and within a half hour, a healer found Neve nonresponsive in bed, half dressed.”
A chill ran down his spine. “What are you suggesting?”
“That our littlesaloespoisoned our king.”
Chapter Five
Dahlia
“I won’t takeyou.”The large frost giant glared down at Dahlia from his sled, the caribou prancing in place. His black gaze turned to Loshika. “I will take you.”
Lia swallowed hard, her legs aching from all the mad trekking of the last two weeks. They’d sold the horses and continued. The regal beasts drew too much attention in the outer reaches of Loriia. And Serenity was hard enough to hide. Slogging through snow drifts took its toll. Dahlia was half frozen and one stiff breeze from blowing over. She dug deep. They had to reach her mother before the queen and her cronies.
She opened her lips to beg or even bribe when Loshika stepped in front of Dahlia. The giantess stood to her full height. “You would have me leave my servant behind in this weather?” Loshika gestured to the black clouds quickly rolling toward them from the North. “It would be a waste of flesh to leave her behind.”
Lia dropped her gaze to the snow, keeping her expression blank. The further they ventured southwest, the deeper theprejudice grew against humans. Not that she blamed them. These people had suffered the ravages of war worse than anyone. Many times already, the healer had played the part of a lady with a lowlysaloesservant.
It was a part Dahlia had no problem playing. Despite her marriage to the king, she was no lady. Just a humble bard trying to survive the games royals and nobles played.
And a murderer. You murdered the one you love.
She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to take a slow breath. Since her escape from the palace, Lia’s spells of shortened breath, panicked thoughts, and dizziness had increased. Her whole being was on edge—like she didn’t even belong in her own skin.
“Be that as it may, she’ll taint my sled. My mate won’t like it.”
“Imagine having them inside your home.” Loshika sighed, ruffling the scarf covering the bottom half of her face. “I need to return to my mate immediately, and he won’t appreciate it if I leave his property behind.” She reached into her cloak and then held out a pouch of coins to the giant perched above them. “Please take this as a token of my appreciation. I’m sure your mate would appreciate this gift.”
Lia peeked up from beneath her lashes and spotted a glimmer of excitement in the giant’s gaze. Gold and silver almost always soothed even the worst kind of bigot.
“What my mate doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?” he mumbled to himself, as if mulling over the proposition. “Alright. Get in the back.” He held out his hand.
Loshika dropped the coins into his palm and then trudged to the back of the sled, Lia following silently. She clambered up into the rough wooden cart, sitting in the hay next to the healer. The frost giant clicked his tongue, and the sled jerked forward as the caribou trotted ahead.
Tucking her hands into her armpits, Dahlia stared toward the rolling black clouds. They seemed to mirror her emotions. Dark, uncontrollable, and dangerous.
“We’ll be there soon,” Loshika murmured in her ear.
“But will we bring death with us?” she whispered. Or had it already arrived?
