“Yes, for certain.” Then I notice who else is riding alongside General Solt, and my heart kicks hard against my ribs. A small part of me has been dreading this moment since the day we rode out of Ironrose, but I’m surprised to find that another part is . . . ?hopeful. Maybe even eager.
It reminds me of when I was younger, when I would do anything to prove myself.
Right now, I resent it.
Either way, I’m instantly wide awake. I cluck to my tired horse and draw up my reins. “Look sharp, Lieutenant. Mount up.”
Malin hears the change in my voice and obeys immediately. “Who else is with them?”
“The king.”
Grey is always stoic, often unreadable, and being woken at this hour doesn’t change that. When he and General Solt reach the gates, the guard scrambles down from the gatehouse to open them this time. They’re flanked by half a dozen members of the Royal Guard, and followed by a dozen soldiers. I’m surprised at the show of force. It’s quite the imposing contingent. Malin and I wait at attention outside the gates while the guards roll them out of the way.
It leaves us facing the king across a span of twenty feet, and for a flicker of time, that familiar tension crackles between us. My chest tightens like we’re on opposing sides of a battlefield, and a cool wind blows through the gates, lifting Mercy’s mane and tugging at my hair.
Magic whispers on the breeze between us, brushing against my senses, and for the first time, I recognize it.Nakiis.
The king rides forward, but he stops at the edge of the gates. Those guards press in close, the soldiers following.
If Grey and I were alone, I’d ignore our conflict and tell him everything that’s happened since we parted ways in Briarlock. Duty has always trumped emotion for us both.
But we’re not alone. The moment feels too charged.
Even Malin is aware of it. I can sense his vigilance, hisreadiness.
Grey’s eyes flick over us, and I watch him take in the uniform I’m wearing, the soldier at my side, and the state of our armor. Mud and blood speckle everything, and I probably still have dirt in my hair.
“Tycho,” he says, and his tone carries an edge. Everyone else might hear it as a thread of anger, but I know him too well. He’swary.
That drives a spike into my heart. I wonder what Grey expected to find that made him bring a contingent of guards.
Whatever it is, I don’t like it. That note in his voice seems to emphasize the fractured trust between us.
All I can offer is an attempt to undo it. Grey normally isn’t one for extreme formality, but I swing down from Mercy, place a hand over my heart, and drop to one knee. “Your Majesty. Prince Rhen ordered me to return. I have urgent news to report.”
There’s absolute silence for a moment. My eyes are down, so I hear more than see the king climb down from his horse.
“Tycho,” he says, and his voice is a little lower, a little quieter. “Get up.”
I rise to standing, and he stops right in front of me. His expression is fierce, his eyes searching mine. There’s so much tension in the air that I half expect him to order me to get back on my horse and go back where I came from.
But he just touches a hand to my shoulder. His voice is quiet. “Are you all right?”
I’m struck by his tone, or maybe the motion. Of anything, I didn’t expect concern. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
His eyes shift to the state of my armor before returning to mine. “Truly?”
I nod quickly. “Truly.”
His hand drops away. “Rhen? Harper?”
I nod again. “They’re well.”
Another breeze blows through the gates, another whisper of Nakiis’s magic in the air. Grey’s eyes widen the slightest bit, and I know he feels it this time. He takes a step back, his eyes flicking to the star-speckled sky.
“But something has happened,” he says. “Or you wouldn’t be here.” Any softness has vanished from his voice.
“I have a written detail from Prince Rhen,” I say. “Lieutenant Malin and I can give you a full report as well.” I pause, thinking of everything that’s transpired. I don’t even know if we can trust the guards who followed the king onto this field. “I recommend that any accounting should be done privately.”
