The thin wall of fury and will to survive that had held me together tore, and I cried. Angry, violent sobs rocked me. My body spasmed and hurt. The pain was everywhere, in my bones, in my joints, in every cell. I clung to him, and I cried and cried, shuddering.
He shifted, molding his body to mine, shielding me with his arm from the hard wall of the carriage. I pressed my face against his chest and cried harder. I couldn’t stop.
He stroked my back and held me.
Finally, the last of the panic and rage leaked out of me. I fell silent.
He was still rubbing my back, gently, lightly, his touch bringing me back to reality. My head rested on his chest.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s as dead as any corpse I’ve ever seen.”
“So we can’t question him?”
“Maggie, he doesn’t have a face anymore.”
“Oh.”
The carriage slowed.
“Conqueror checkpoint ahead,” Will announced through a small window in the front wall. “Do you want me to turn back?”
“No. Stay the course,” Everard said.
If they checked the carriage, they would find Everard. He would have to fight. I tried to push away from him. He shook his head and hugged me to him.
We stopped. Heavy footsteps approached.
Dark smoke coiled about Everard, slipping over the arm I had wrapped around him, curling from him to the floor of the carriage. His eyes turned a bright, murderous green.
A knock resonated through the carriage.
“The Order of the Conqueror, inspecting all carriages by demand of the king!” a deep voice growled.
I froze. I didn’t know what to do.
The door swung open. A man in armor peered in at us. His eyes widened.
“Close the door,” Everard ordered, his voice like ice.
The knight shut the door and called out, “All clear!”
“Who is in there?” a woman asked.
“No one we want to find. Move along!”
A hand slapped the carriage, and we started forward.
I sagged against Everard.
“Everything will be fine,” he promised. “We’re almost home.”
For once, I believed every word.
