“Hurry,” Xendus says. “We must get out of here, while Surath creates a distraction.”
Zogar lifts me into his arms, and the four of us rush toward the gates. A few of the soldiers are still barring our path. Surath swoops around the courtyard, and fire streams from her mouth, incinerating the banners displaying the symbols of Othrix and Khotor.
“Let us pass.” Zogar’s voice booms through me. “Obey or be turned to ash.”
The guards step aside, Zogar and the others relieve some of the guards of their weapons, and we dash through the gates and run well into the field. Surath lands. Zogar sets me down, but I’m unable to move, full of shock as Zogar and Xendus quickly strip off their clothes. Saxon stuffs their clothes into his bag, then he runs toward Surath to mount.
I snap out of my stupor. I must wait to process all that’s happened. I mount Zogar’s pommel, and his knot expands. Xendus and Surath are already in the air.
Where should we go?he asks.You need time to recover from this shock, and the rest of us need to make a plan.
“Go to the woods on the other side of the river,” I tell him, thinking of the words Nurse mouthed. It’s where I would have chosen anyway. “We can shelter there long enough to make a plan.”
Can we trust this woman you call, Nurse?Zogar asks.
“Yes.” I don’t know that with certainty, but my instincts tell me we can. Nurse was often harsh with me, but I know that she loves me. “Nurse is the woman who raised me.”
CHAPTER 57
Rosomon
The moment we’re both on the ground, Saxon pulls me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, ma chérie.”
The dragons have moved away to shift, and Saxon’s warm embrace provides some comfort. But everything else I’ve been feeling bubbles to the surface. In the distance, a horse drawn cart comes into view. Likely a farmer bringing provisions to the castle. We can’t risk that farmer reporting that he’s seen us.
“Quickly,” I tell Saxon. “Let’s take shelter in the woods.” The dragons have now shifted, and I hope they did it, before the cart’s driver caught a glimpse of them.
Saxon carries me a few dozen spans into the woods, then he sits against the trunk of a large owk, settling me between his outstretched legs.
He turns my chin to face him and looks deeply into my eyes with so much compassion my heart splits open. “I am so sorry for your loss.”
Tears spark the backs of my eyes, but anger floods my grief. At this moment it’s hard to separate one emotion from another. Or even to understand what I’m grieving. Even though I’d accepted that Tynan chose to remain in Khotor with his family, what we just learned proves that Tynan is truly a traitor. He’s worse than a traitor. He killed my family.
“I thought Tynan loved me.” I search Saxon’s eyes, as if they might hold an explanation.
Saxon turns me to sit across his legs so we can look at each other more easily. “I thought so, too.” He shakes his head. “None of this makes sense.”
Tears threaten my eyes and pinch the back of my throat. Tynan betrayed me. Deeply. He did something truly irredeemable this time. I can never forgive him, but I need to focus on the possibility that my brothers are still alive.
Tynan must be taking my brothers to Khotor, or possibly Catha, to face execution. He’s probably doing it to gain favor with the King. Flying, we can reach either place before him.
“Power changes people,” Saxon says. “That marshal called Tynan the Crown Prince, which leads me to believe that Tynan’s father is on the throne.” Saxon shakes his head. “It was my understanding that Tynan had five older brothers.”
“Seven,” I tell him.
Saxon nods. “That means, either all of Tynan’s older brothers are dead, or Tynan made a deal with his father to unseat their positions in the order of succession.” He rakes back his curls, and the golden strands catch dapples of light coming down from the trees.
I’m not sure which of these possible explanations is worse.
“Unhand the boys and prepare to face death!” Zogar’s voice booms through the forest, and a charm of finches flies out of the tree above us.
Saxon leaps to his feet, lifting me with him, and we race back toward the edge of the forest.
My brothers are alive! Alfryd and Olifer are sitting in a cart nearby.
“Rosomon!” Olifer leaps out of the cart, and Alfryd stands defiantly, arms folded over his chest.
Olifer crashes into me. He’s now close to a head taller than I am, but very thin. I pull back to inspect him. “Are you well?”
