Panic laced through her when she remembered how he’d looked when he’d departed home with his brother to be tended to by their kingdom’s skilled physicians. The kind of physicians her own kingdom lacked. His cheeks had been so gaunt then, his hair fully white. But she reminded herself hewasalive. Alive and well, and soon he’d come home to her.
Soon he’d marry her.
Soon she could tell him everything she couldn’t say while he’d been healing from his wounds.
Calm warmth seeped into her, lessening some of her dread and anchoring her back in the present moment. She locked that warmth in her chest and poured her focus into her magic, narrowing her attention on the prisoner’s emotions.
“I’ll ask you again,” Captain Alden said. “Does Norun seek retribution on Khero? Is your kingdom planning to invade or attack Khero?”
Cora nearly shuddered at the question.
“I haven’t a clue,” the spy said, and Cora was struck with another tightening of emotion. Another blanket of heaviness.
More lies. Which meant he knew the answer. And if it was an answer he refused to give, that could only mean one thing.
Norunwasplanning some form of retribution. Everyone on the continent knew Norun was famed for its successful war campaigns. In the last decade, they’d conquered two kingdoms—Haldor and Sparda. Would Khero be next?
Cora’s knees threatened to buckle, but she took a steadying breath, fighting past the dank stench of the cell to fill her lungs with air.
The gaoler chuckled from his place against the wall. “Perhaps I can loosen ’is tongue. He’s a bit more talkative than ’e was before we had our private chat. Just think how much more ’e might say after our next rendezvous.”
A flicker of fear shot through the prisoner’s emotions.
“Not yet,” Alden said. “I have one more question.”
The spy turned a contrived look of boredom on the captain.
“Has Norun formally allied with Syrus?” Alden asked.
Surprise ruptured the captive’s emotions, and it briefly colored his expression too. Finally, they’d cracked the spy’s smooth façade. His surprise quickly faded, however, and he regained his air of indifference. “How should I know?”
Alden raised her voice. “Is Norun planning an attack on KherowithSyrus?”
Another stunted shrug. “I know nothing more than what I’ve told you.”
His emotions grew tighter inside Cora, contracting again, but even without her powers it was obvious he was lying. This man was clever, well-spoken, and knew too much.
Captain Alden cast a questioning glance at her queen. Cora gave her a subtle nod, and Alden tipped her head toward the gaoler. “He’s all yours.”
The gaoler pushed off the wall with a cruel grin, cracking his knuckles as he sauntered toward his captive. Cora turned on her heel and exited the cell. As the door closed behind her, the prisoner’s fear lanced her gut, but she breathed it away, banishing the no-longer-needed emotions. She strode down the dimly lit dungeon hall, her steps swift, focusing only on the elements around her—the stale air, the stone beneath her feet, the flickering light from the sparse lamps, the moisture dripping down the walls. Air, earth, fire, water. The substances that fueled her magic. Protected her. Guided her. She drew them closer now, imagining them wrapping around her like a cocoon until she could feel her mental shields snapping into place.
The prisoner’s fear no longer prodded her, and she was left with only her own emotions.
She reached the end of the dungeon hall when she heard the first strike of flesh against flesh. A grunt of pain. She shuddered, knowing a man was getting beaten on her order, but she could only summon the slightest pity. The spy knew too much and was harboring important information. Information she needed. She wouldn’t let herself regret what had to be done.
Cora was a queen to her people.
A witch at her core.
And if it meant protecting her kingdom, she could be a villain to her enemies too.
2
Fatigue weighed heavy on Cora as she ascended the stairwell leading from the dungeon. Taking on another’s emotions did that to her, as did thoughts of war. But there was one thing she could count on to clear her head. Or rather onecreature.
She paused on the next step and closed her eyes, extending her senses outward, seeking a familiar mind. A wordless greeting responded, carrying a warmth as comforting as a hug. Valorre, her unicorn companion and dearest friend, was close enough that she could feel his presence despite the walls between them. She could almost smell the soil of the forest outside the castle, hear the snapping of twigs beneath his hooves, feel the heat of the sun streaming through the canopy of trees. Her lips stretched into a smile. She opened her eyes and raced the rest of the way up the steps.I’m going to try to sneak out, she mentally conveyed.
Even though she was often in the presence of her guards or lady’s maids, she could find an excuse to be alone and use her worldwalking ability to reach the forest in the blink of an eye. All she needed was strong emotion to drive her and a clear destination.
