“All of you?” Itolas asked in amazement. “For long periods oftime?”
Tariel nodded. “It is one of the few things I can do very well with mymagic.”
“That is incredible,” Itolas said. “You must be a very strong mage indeed.” He cleared his throat. “I would be honored to join your harem, your band, if you will haveme.”
Tariel grinned at him. “Welcome, then,” she said, patting the ground in front of her. “Now come sit, and tell me what you discovered in this investigation ofyours.”
The three of them sat in silence as Itolas recounted his visit with Prince Raglar. Tariel, in turn, told him what she had learned from the queen, and the two comparednotes.
“If I had to guess,” Calrain said after they were finished, “I would say that Princess Allia is your mother, and that you are Princess Tariel, daughter to the king’s brother and the Maroyan empress’sniece.”
Itolas nodded. “I concur. It is the only logicalexplanation.”
Riann shook his head, amazed. “Who knew we’ve been traveling with royalty this entire time?” He could hardly believe it was true, and yet the way Tariel carried herself, and the strong magic she possessed, was undeniable. That, combined with the fact that Princess Allia’s mother-in-law , Queen Relissa, was also Tariel’s warden, made for far too much of acoincidence.
But Tariel bit her lip, uncertain. “You are forgetting that Prince Raglar is six months younger than me,” she protested. “How could I be his older sister, with such a small gap between ourages?”
“That is a good point,” Riann said. “Perhaps we are missing a piece of thepuzzle.”
“There is no denying the resemblance between you and Raglar, now that I have met you both,” Itolas said. He leaned in, cupping Tariel’s chin. “You have the same eyes, and very similarjawlines.”
Riann tensed as he felt the spark of passion between the two, and he sensed Calrain stiffen beside him. An irrational fear that Tariel would lose interest in him and Calrain rose up, but Tariel squeezed his hand, sending a pulse of reassurance down thebond.
Riann smiled, squeezing her hand back as he relaxed. Whatever happened, no matter who came into their lives, Tariel would always be his. And he,hers.
29
Three dayslater
“Well, that business is over and done,” Yarim said as they left the ranch. They had rid themselves of the additional horse, and their purse, combined with Yarim’s, was significantly fatter. “We should definitely have enough coin to get us to thecapital.”
“And from there, we should be able to hire a ship to the Empire,” Tariel said, feeling hopeful for the first time in more than a week. The weather in Carliss was significantly warmer than in Fjordland, and when they had stopped at an inn for the night, they had learned the Virian Sea was not frozen this far south. The passage to the Empire was clear fromhere.
Yarim smiled, his violet eyes sparkling. “Soon enough, you will be standing on Maroyan soil. I cannot wait until you get your first taste of the Empire. The food, the language, the people…it is like nothing you have ever experiencedbefore.”
Tariel smiled. “I am certain I will love it,” she said, reaching for his hand. She squeezed it, and a little thrill of desire rushed through her when he squeezed back, his thumb brushing the sensitive spot on the inside of herwrist.
She had not bedded Yarim yet. Even though she had declared him a member of the harem, she wanted to give Riann and Calrain time to get used to him. She had felt their insecurities the night Yarim had joined them, but had also felt their resolve to do whatever was necessary to protect and make her happy, and that had warmed her heart more than any flowery words or praises could have. Over the past few nights, she had given them both equal attention in bed, but now…perhaps it was time to turn her attention elsewhere and properly bring Yarim into thefold.
“Tariel,” Riann said urgently, distracting her from her lustful thoughts. “There are riders coming ourway.”
Tariel tore her gaze from Yarim and back to the road. They were on an incline, so she did not see anything, but her sensitive ears heard the thunder of hooves, and her skin prickled. Her horse pranced nervously beneath her as she instinctively tightened the reins, her gut telling her that whoever was coming was notfriendly.
“Let’s get off the road,” she said, urging her horse to theleft.
Her men followed her lead, forming a protective circle around Tariel. The sound grew louder, and within minutes, a group of ten men crested the hill. Their mounts were on the lean side, they wore black cloths with red stripes over the lower halves of their faces, and at their waists hung strange, thin-bladedswords.
“Bandits,” Calrain muttered under his breath. “Of course they’re bloodybandits.”
“Well, well, well.” One of the men approached, his dark eyes glittering from beneath the brim of his hat as he looked at Tariel. “Looks like you boys have brought us a gift. Why don’t you leave her with us, along with whatever coin you’ve got, and we’ll be on ourway?”
“Or, you can be on your way, and escape with your lives,” Riann said calmly, his gauntleted hand resting on the hilt of hissword.
The bandits laughed, forming a tight circle around their group. But when Tariel lifted her hand, they flinched back as a ball of glowing magic pulsed from the center of herpalm.
“A witch!” several of the bandits shrieked, yanking back on the reins of their mounts. The horses let out distressed cries as they backed away. “I’m not fighting a witch!” one of themshouted.
“Bloody hell,” the bandit leader groused. He tried to turn his horse about, but Tariel wasn’t having it. She let the ball of magic fly, and the bandit cried out as it slammed into him and knocked him off thehorse.
