I’ve been toldthatbefore. “Good to know. Tell me more about them. Who will I be meeting? How can I make sure they’re comfortable with me? Your advisors last night didn’t exactly inspire confidence that this tour would go over well.” I scratched at the inside of my arm, some of my insecurities shining through without meaning to. “I just…want to be ready. I want to make a good impression.”
He rubbed the back of his ear and sighed. “We’ll be meeting the Regent Lord Dion Silenus and his wife, Vespera. The main occupation here is farming, as you’ve probably seen, and the people are very…attuned to the land.”
“What does that mean?” my mother interjected.
“They’re a spiritually-minded group. Constantly praying and sacrificing to the Fates for a good harvest and good weather, that sort of thing. There are several rituals they follow at every season of the year. Even the Harvest Festival we’ll be going to at the end of our stay is deeply rooted in their history.”
“And Dion Silenus?” I prompted. “Wasn’t he one of the regents opposed to my coming here?”
He shrugged, and his nonchalance grated at my nerves. “My advisors say Lord Silenus has been…less than enthusiastic. I can never tell what Dion approves of these days. He’s very difficult to read. You’ll be better off trying to appeal to his wife.”
Alright, now we were getting somewhere. There was always away in with people, always a way to crack open even the toughest of exteriors. You just had to know where to poke. “And why is that?”
“Dion’s first wife died about a decade ago without bearing him an heir, and he remarried shortly after. Vespera is half his age and the crown jewel of the Mid Territory,” Galen said with a slight snort. “Everybody loves her; they merely tolerate him. They have a son now. He’s…” Galen’s nose wrinkled in thought. “Actually, I’m not sure how old he is. He was an answer to many prayers and is doted on like a little prince. If there’s a way into their good graces, it’s through Vespera and her son.”
I smiled, feeling the ghost of my fangs press into my lower lip. “Perfect. That’s all I needed to know.”
He glanced at me with a small grin. The strain in the carriage had lightened throughout our exchange. “I have a feeling you’re going to be just fine here, Clarissa Aris.”
“She usually is,” Mother said with a chuckle. “She’s like her father in that regard. There’s not much she can’t do.”
The look Galen gave me sent a shiver of trepidation down my spine. It was fleeting, but I saw it all the same—one of desperation and longing, but forwhat, I wasn’t sure.
“I’m counting on it,” he said quietly.
The carriage gave a sudden lurch to the side, sending the three of us slamming into the left wall. The sound of scraping metal coming from outside made my skin crawl.
Rubbing my head where a welt was already starting to form, I glanced out the window and cursed. We were riding at a dangerous speed over a bridge, with a river raging beneath us. But the carriage…the carriage was veering to the left.
Toward the low wooden parapet.
“Stop the carriage!” Galen shouted, thumping on the wall separating us from the driver’s box. The horses' hooves pounded on the bridge as we careened farther left. My heart flew into my throat when the side of it grated against the railing. Several plankscame loose, and I held my breath as I watched them splinter off and fall into the churning waters below.
The left side tilted even farther. The bottom of the carriage ground on the bridge as we spun, the back-end colliding with the railing and jolting us forward. Mother let out a sharp gasp, and I clutched her tightly, prepared to shield her body if we were thrown out of the carriage.
We came to an abrupt stop.
The three of us stared at each other with wide eyes, scared to so much as breathe.
The carriage door flew open. Our driver, a tall man with sweat dripping down his pale features, brandished a dagger.
He lunged at me.
The force sent the carriage rocking. I instinctively kicked the man’s chest before he got too close, throwing out an arm to block his wrist. Galen shouted and tried to grab his arm. The driver moved as swift as lightning as he dodged Galen, turned on his heel, and shoved the king right out the carriage door.
“Who are you?” I shouted, keeping my mother at my back. “What do you want?”
“It’s just business,” he said. “Nothing personal.” He flipped the blade in his hand, then charged at me again.
“Sure feels personal,” I muttered. I jumped out of his reach, but there was hardly any space left in the small carriage. He swiped at my stomach, and I knocked his hand to the side with my elbow. The blade missed my midsection but nicked the top of my arm. I hissed at the sharp sting, baring my teeth against the pain.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I snarled.
He gave me a smirk that raised my hackles. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem, Your Majesty.”
This time when he attacked, I grabbed the bar at the top of the carriage with both hands and kicked my legs, connecting with his chest and sending him flying out the door, where Galen still lay crumpled on the ground. I let go and used my momentum to carrymyself forward through the door and landed with a crouch on the bridge.
I almost lost my focus when I saw where we were.
