I want to ask the king to slow the pace—but maybe that’s unreasonable. The tension among the soldiers is like a silent companion on our journey. We all heard Roman’s comment about potential assassins waiting ahead. Every time we catch sight of a town, we veer away, giving it a wide berth. I wonder if it’s making the ride longer than it should be.
As we get farther from Perriden, the harsh weather seems to lessen. By the time we stop near a stream to eat and rest the horses, I haven’t seen a snowflake in at least an hour, and the wind has slowed as we’ve traveled south. Charlotte and I make use of a small copse of bushes for privacy, but then she tells me that she’d like a few extra minutes to herself. I don’t need any more explanation than that, so I join Ky near the banks to refill my canteen. The water isn’t iced over at all, and in some spots along the banks, the sun has melted the snow down to the earth.
I wonder if this is an indication that we’ve reached the outer limit of Father’s power.
I hope it’s not an indication that his power has begun to fail.
The king and I have hardly spoken since last night. After everything Asher and I said to each other, I’ve been waiting for tension to form between me and Ky, but...it hasn’t.
Beside me, Ky has pushed back the hood of his cloak, and when he glances over, his golden-brown eyes are warm.
But then I see flecks of blood in his hair, plus a streak of dried blood along his hairline. There are more streaks along the black leather of his armor, too.
It’s a stark reminder of what happened, and I jerk my gaze back to the water. Asher offered me a way out of the palace, and I thrilled at the chance for adventure. The king called meformidable, and I believed him.
Now that I see the faults in my kingdom, all I feel is naive and unprepared.
I haven’t said a word, and the king looks over. “Princess?”
I have to shake myself. “You still have blood on your face.”
He pulls off a glove to swipe at the wrong side of his face, then looks at his hand.
“Here. Let me.” I uncap the canteen, pour a little water on the corner of my own cloak, then reach for his face.
His eyes flare in surprise, but he holds still. I dab the damp fabric along his skin, very aware of his closeness. Hiswarmth, which is so unexpected when the day has been so cold. The bruises and rope burns along his neck are stark against his skin, first from Asher, and then from the man who attacked him.
Breath fogs between us. I want to speak, because the silence has grown too intense, and the bloodstains on his face are too stubborn, making this take longer than I expected.
To my surprise, he’s the one who speaks into our silence. “Who taught you to fight?” he says.
Warmth crawls up my cheeks, and I wish I could will it away. “I don’t really know how to fight.”
He touches his temple, where there’s still a scrape from where I got him with a hairpin. “Your aim would suggest otherwise. And I saw you throw a punch.”
That warmth turns into a flare of heat. “Well.” But then I’m not sure what to say about that. “Dane has allowed a few sessions with the man-at-arms. But that was more...desperation.”
“Your desperation serves you well.”
I don’t know what to say about that either. I dab more water from the canteen onto the corner of my cloak, then reach for his face again. But as I swipe at the blood, my eyes flick past him, looking toward the tether line. Asher is standing near his horse, and he doesn’t seem to be looking over here, but I feel the weight of his focus all the same.
I frown.
“You seem unsettled,” Ky says.
My gaze snaps back to his. “No. I’m fine.”
“Are you worried about the Hunters? We’ve had no sign of anyone atour back. Admittedly, they could follow our trail in the snow, but if they are, they’re keeping their distance.”
That’s a bit chilling. But I shake my head.
His eyes search mine. “You’re troubled by Asher,” he guesses.
“What? Oh. No. I—” He sees far too much. My flush deepens. “He’s so angry at me.”
“It’s not anger,” he says quietly. “Give it time.”
He says that with such certainty—and with such care. It’s coolly reassuring, and it reminds me of the way he put a hand on Asher’s neck and said,Breathe.
