"Mor!" Red called out from in front, spotting me instantly. He turned his mare towards me.
"Where is Inanov?"Where is the prince?I actually wanted to ask but refrained.
"He's with the prince right out front. Leading the front line with Akiel and Hulin." I raised an eyebrow. They were already far out ahead.
"Let's catch up then before we get stuck near Colfe's carriage," I joked. Red then gave me a wary look as he brought his mare to catch up to my stallion.
"About that..." He slowly trailed off.
"What?" I asked, annoyed at the hesitance in his voice.
"Inanov has told me direct orders from the prince. He wants you in the carriage—not riding." Red winced slightly and looked elsewhere to not see my reaction.
"What?! Why on Terran?!" I exclaimed. The soldiers in front of me gave me nervous looks.
"I don't know. The prince perhaps thinks it's better to ride in the carriage because of your injury." My mind was clouded in annoyance and disbelief. I moved my horse forward while Red called out. "Wait! Mor, no!" Red tried to catch up to me, but I willed my horse to go forward faster, cutting through the soldiers around me. My leg ached but I ignored it. There was no way I was to be stuffed in a carriage with that old pig. I saved all these fools from their deaths and now they think I am too weak to ride? Perhaps I am. But my stubbornness outweighed my sensibility.And the prince I was meant to protect has been avoiding me.What is it that I have done to have stirred this reaction from him? My shadows seemed to fester in my anger. The hooves of the stallion thumped the ground in quickrhythmic beats, and I slowed down once I finally spotted a golden cape and a white horse.
There he is.
His horse was next to Inanov's who both moved in the same pace as they spoke in hushed quick whispers.
They were arguing.
"Morana."I heard my name in their rough conversation. They seemed to be arguing. Aboutme.
I was intrigued. I didn't want them to stop, I needed to listen without being caught. The onyx hair that went past my breast—almost seemed alive when those thoughts ran through my mind. Answering me and communicating with my shadows. I wasn't aware of it until my stallion let out a hefty breath of steam that was now concealed by shadows. I would have panicked, if I had not heard what Inanov said.
"You ought to keep your distance from your bodyguard," Inanov warned.
The prince chuckled. "Is it not the whole point of a personal bodyguard to be kept very close in order to protect me?" My heart stumbled at Inanov’s warning, and I was a coward to admit that it hurt my feelings, I felt as though we were beginning to understand each other. I had trusted Inanov.
"You know what it is that I mean," Inanov snapped.
The prince sighed. "Yes. I know. I haven't seen her these past two days and even doomed her to the carriage with Colfe. She won't take that lightly." He's right because I am fuming.
"You need to do a better job ofstayingaway. And that means no more flirtationsorthe type of acts I witnessed at the inn. You have a betrothed, a future alliance waiting for you back in the castle."
"Yes, I am more than aware of it." The prince gritted out. "A political alliance is all it is." The prince waved it off.
"Just a political alliance? Is that why you two were always writing love letters to each other?" I frowned at what Inanov revealed. Love letters were very intimate. My heart clenched in a feeling I did not want to acknowledge.
"Courting, Inanov. It is called courting, and I suggest you try it. Also, Izlana is very... docile. Calm. She doesn't make me angry." The prince seemed to think out loud.
"Then why do you flirt with the warrior? Is it just lust?" Inanov spat, completely confused. I didn't blame him. So was I. Was this all just some grand game for the prince? Is this just who he was, uncaring and mischievous? He may not have a lot of fae blood, but he sure did act like the fae. Scheming, playful, filled with half-truths and beautiful.
"The warrior is not docile. She is not calm. She is anything but calm. She makes me angry, so very angry. She makes me lose my wits." Inanov was quiet when he heard the prince's answer. "She makes me want her for all the wrong reasons." I couldn't control the flutter in my stomach or the gasp I had made. Whatever shadows that had concealed me were now gone. I was in the open, right behind them.
"So youmustkeep her away from your heart—" Inanov was cut off by the prince who held a hand up. The prince took in a deep breath in and then chuckled. I stoned my expression and led my horse through theirs.
"Dear warrior, what are you doing here?" The prince graced me with a saccharine smile that I did not return.
Inanov's eyes widened and looked at me in surprise. "When did you get here?"
I decided to answer the prince instead. "I am here to do my duty as your bodyguard." I looked to the distance ahead of us, the hills in the west side of Litara were thankfully less of a maze than the ones in the east, from Viridis Aurum.
"You were told to stay in the carriage." Inanov bit out.
I could feel the heat of his eyes burning holes in the back of my head. "There was no need to," I simply answered without looking at him. Inanov scoffed and then gave a pointed look to the prince.
