1
GRAVE
My flight jacket might’ve been able to protect me from the chilly evening air, but it didn’t stand a chance of keeping away the ice Audryn threw my way. I’d expected her to be angry with Ryder, but hadn’t anticipated I would receive the same treatment.
We left Rivale and spent the first half of the trip in silence. Unable to handle the quiet any further, I attempted to chisel away the frozen edge with commentary about our surroundings. But when that tactic didn’t work, I resorted to asking questions. Most of them she answered with a yes or no, while others she left entirely unacknowledged.
“Would you like my jacket?” I leaned in and spoke close to her ear to avoid shouting over the air rushing by. The sun had set, and I could feel her shivering against the front of me. It didn’t help that the wyvern we rode had cold, leathery skin that offered no warmth at all.
“No.” Audryn stared straight ahead.
I blew out a breath. “Seriously?”
“I’d rather freeze.” She scowled.
I chuckled. “Well, thatmightjust happen.”
Audryn cleared her throat. “I can only hope.”
I shook my head and kept my eyes on the lush field in the distance. Even though we’d lost most of the daylight an hour earlier, I knew the area by memory.
“We’re staying over there.” I pointed to the empty field. “Have you been to Rynholm before?”
The kingdom was neutral ground, not only for Kuroden, but for every kingdom in Crofea. Esmond Castle hosted treaty negotiations for as long as I could remember, and the royals remained impartial even in the worst of times.
“Can’t you afford a room?” Audryn scoffed. “Or must I be treated like an animal?”
Though grateful for more than a one-word answer, the implication was vexing. “We can’t leave the wyverns unattended, they need rest.”
I directed Zalzre down to the pasture below that looked more like an abyss. In an emergency, Zalzre and Ralti could fly straight through, but there was no need to push them.
“Are they incapable of being on their own?”
Zalzre whipped his head around and sent a quick burst of air at Audryn. Moisture and drops of snot pelted us. The wyvern trilled, more satisfied by the woman’s gasp than he should’ve been.
“How about we avoid pissing off my mount untilafterwe’ve landed and he’s had time to eat?” Audryn didn’t reply and instead used her shawl to wipe her face clean. “You and Amalee can go into town and eat,” I continued. “My sister knows what I like and will bring something back.”
“No,” she said flatly.
Zalzre quickly descended, and Audryn gripped the hand I’d kept around her stomach. She’d reached for me several other times throughout the trip. I considered forcing Zalzre into a series of dives and turns just to keep her skin gripped against my own, but thought better of it.
“Don’t you want to eat?” I asked.
“I don’t know her, or you for that matter.” Audryn huffed. “Fisher and I will stay with the wyverns.” She dropped my hand the moment Zalzre’s feet hit the ground.
“Amalee and Fisher can go, you and I will stay.” I dismounted and gestured her down. “Should I assume you’ll do this on your own, or would you like help this time?”
She glared, then swung her leg over and slid down the side of Zalzre’s neck. When she lost her footing, I moved to catch her.
“Stop it.” She batted my hands away.
“You were going to fall.”
“Then let me. I’d ask for your assistance if I wanted it.” She stomped over to where Ralti had landed.
Amalee and Fisher dismounted and were arguing about something, their conversation too low for me to hear. Fisher crossed his arms and gave my sister a stony stare. The wyvern watched, looking ready to snap off the guard’s head for merely having to transport him on her back.
“Highly doubt you would,” I said under my breath. Audryn had been pushing me away from the moment I met her and, as far as I could tell, didn’t allow anyone else to get close either, aside from Ryder. I ran a hand over Zalzre’s harness and unhooked the two bags from the clips; hers easily outweighed mine.
