“Yes.” I glanced behind, but he tugged me onward, my legs barely able to keep up with his long strides.
“And you know them well.”
“Yes,” I panted.
“But you haven’t forgiven them for binding you into their deal?”
I kept my eyes fixed on the straight road, the gate barely visible in the distance. “No.”
He veered left, towing me behind him down zigzagging alleyways. Ice glistened between the cobbles. My feet slipped as they skimmed the ground, barely able to land before Clement urged me onward.
Finally, the glow of the stable lights emerged around a bend.
“Who are they?” He halted, still tucked inside the alley. He poked his head out, whipping it back and forth across the street before searching the sky above.
“My parents.” I doubled over, my hands on my hips, trying to wheeze silently.
Clement froze. He bent down and scooped my chin in his palm, making me straighten. He wagged a finger in my face. “We’ll talk about that later.”
I groaned.
“Come on. Quietly.”
I rolled my eyes. Quietly.
The stables were silent. Torches guttered along the aisle, casting dancing shadows into the stalls. The wind screamed outside, tearing around the sturdy walls, unable to find a way in.
“My horse has been turned out. I need to go find her.” I shoved my hands under my armpits, biting back a shiver.
“No, she’s not. She’s in here.” He nudged me forward, leading me to the end stall. “I had her brought in and tacked.” He undid the heavy chain, gently lowering it to the straw so as not to make a sound. “And I prepared these.” He hauled two stuffed saddlebags from the corner. “It’s all the stuff you tried to collect. Clothes, food, and a few added items.” A faint blush rose on his cheeks, and my throat tightened.
He extracted my cloak and boots, throwing them toward me, before turning and attaching the bags to the saddle. He handed me the reins.
“Thank you.” I swallowed. The horse nudged my neck, her muzzle velvety soft against my frozen skin.
Clement backed against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. He nodded, eyes falling to the floor.
I led the horse down the aisle, her feet clopping in the stillness. As I reached the street outside, I turned. “Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up, grab a horse and elope with me.”
He threw back his head and barked a laugh, diving into the adjoining stall to pull out an already tacked black gelding. He joined me, grinning. “I was waiting for you to ask nicely.”
“You’d have been waiting a while.” I grinned back, my heart expanding.
We led the horses quickly toward the gates, hugging the shadows. Clement positioned himself on the outside, sandwiching me against the stone wall. His gaze never stilled, flitting between the skies and the surrounding houses.
“Are we going to get through the gates?” I whispered.
“I thought you knew everyone in the queendom?”
The woman at the gates sat perched on her three-legged stool, half-hidden in the gloom. Her hand rested on the lever with the gates open beside her just wide enough to slip through. She kept her attention on the long street before her, eyes focused on the castle churning in the distance. She didn’t say a word as we crept past.
We slipped through the gate, and it immediately creaked shut behind us. We mounted our horses and faced the expansive moorland beyond. The chill air tore through my hair, reawakening my body, purging the lingering scent of roses and refreshing my soul.
“Where to?” he asked.
I tugged out the compass and watched the needle adjust. “South.” I urged my horse onward; her hoof falls light on the frozen grass. “To rescue your sister.”
Hope flashed across his face, followed by fear, then pain. He let out a shaky breath and my chest squeezed. “Why?”
“Because I love you.” Even as I uttered the words foreign to my tongue, I knew I meant it. I’d do anything for this man, even if it meant I’d never be free.
He smiled at me, his dark eyes bright, and I grinned back.
We urged our horses into a gallop, tearing into the rising night.
