I let the ice steal back over my heart.
“Will we make it to our destination any time soon, or will I be a prisoner chained to your side forever?” My cold gaze met Harkin’s, and if he noticed my change in demeanor he did not show it.
He nodded thoughtfully. “We will arrive by nightfall. I could tell you more about our journey and plans as we travel, if you like.”
“I can think of nothing that I would enjoy less than hearing you talk. I am not interested in your plans.” I waited for him to react, but he didn’t. I seethed, wishing he would hate me as I hated him. “Yousevered my connection with the Guardians. You made me an enemy of my own people. You forced me to flee from the life I had built, and if you hadn’t had a horse, I would not be here. You are a means to an end that I plan to be rid of very soon.”
I turned in the saddle, facing forward once more as Quin cleared the stream and pushed further into the overgrowth. The forest grew denser and darker the deeper we traveled.
“I am employed by Prince Claudian of the royal family of Acsilla.” He continued, unbothered. “He hired me to find you and to help you train your mágik. When the prince discovered you had been lost as a baby and raised in Ordelés, he vowed to right the wrong that had been committed against you. Claudian wants you to be welcomed back into your true family and to harness the abilities you were born to wield.”
“Stopfuckingtalking,” I demanded. My jaw clenched and my knuckles turned white with the pressure of my balled fists. My heart sped its pounding pace.
Harkin pretended not to hear me and pressed on. “You have a gift. Perhaps you’ve had an inkling throughout the years, or maybe the truth has been hidden deep within you. Regardless, it is time for you to claim what is rightfully yours. I would like to help you, if you’ll let me.”
I thought of the water which had clung to my fingers in the wash basin, alive and willing. I remembered the feeling of the rainstorm jumping to my call. My throat swelled tight, thighs squeezing involuntarily as my muscles clenched, and earning me a disgruntled snort from Quin. I patted the horse’s neck in apology. “I have no desire to make a heathen of myself.”
“Unfortunately, you are stuck with me for the foreseeable future, and we will be training your abilities, but come the winter solstice, you will be rid of me. The prince will facilitate the details of your new life in Acsilla.” Harkin’s tone was gentle and kind, vastly different from the teasing barbs he had stung me with in the training grounds.
My head spun with wonder and irritation in equal measure. The man at my back was a mystery I desperately hoped I would not solve.
“I do not want a new life in your kingdom. I despise the Rázuri, I despiseyou, and if you force me to the palace gates, I will burn it to the ground. Do with that what you will and consider this conversation finished.” My voice held a note of furious finality. The words echoed through the darkening forest around us.
Chapter fifteen
Seren
Asmall cottage rested at the edge of the rising treeline to the east. It was built of uneven stone with a wide, wooden door inlaid with iron. A chimney rose from the gabled roof, blackened with the soot of fires long past.
Wooden stables—hardly large enough for Quin and her tack—sat beside the cottage, and Harkin urged the mare toward it. We dismounted, bumping into each other in the crowded dark. Harkin muttered an apology, but I brushed him off, shoving past him.
I emerged into the clearing, having left Harkin to manage his horse while I admired the scenery surrounding me.
The trees were tall and thick—as I had grown accustomed to since entering the Varázis Erva—but their bark painted a vivid picture of browns and reds and whites. Some had leaves of green and gold while others shimmered dark red in the setting sun. I had never seen such an abundance of tree species, let alone in a single grove. I had never seen anything so beautiful in Ordelés.
Plush grass softened my steps as I meandered, and I had half a mind to discard my boots, to feel the softness against my bare feet.
Harkin interrupted my quiet perusal as he quit the stable. He pushed open the broad front door, motioning me inside the darkcottage. “Come inside, Seren. You’re of no use to me frozen through.”
“I will be of no use to you, regardless, as I am not a thing for you to use,” I hissed, eyes narrowed.
“That was in poor taste. I apologize.” He raised his hands in defeat. “Will you please come inside?”
I complied, cautiously, eyes scanning for anything that might leap at me from the shadows. My heart thundered, overloud. When I was satisfied with my search, I crossed the threshold and moved deeper into the room.
Harkin pulled the door closed behind us, the hinges letting out the barest squeak.
The sun was setting, and the meager light which trickled in through the dust painted windows did little to brighten the space. Harkin made quick work of the candles scattered about, lighting them with a box of matches he retrieved from the hearth.
He loaded the stone fixture with split wood, dry and splintering. Harkin placed kindling in the gaps. As he coaxed the flame to catch, his hand raised—fingers twitching—and he summoned the smallest wisp of air.
Golden-orange bathed the room, glowing as the fire roared to life. Burning candles about the room flickered and flared, driving out the lingering shadows, and I could see my surroundings properly for the first time.
“What is this place?” I asked, inching further from him with every measured breath.
“An old hunting cabin. It’s been vacant for some time now.” Harkin leaned against the settee. It sat in front of the fireplace, pulledclose as if someone had once slept on it beside the comfort of the hearth. It looked dusty with disuse but comfortable enough.
“And, what? Am I the prey now? Snared and brought back for the slaughter?” I turned away from him, unable to watch the flames flicker across his face without wishing I could light him ablaze.
