It would only be another few days of travel until they were low enough in altitude that the snow turned to rain, but every minute felt like eternity as his feet betrayed him. As he tripped and fell, dragged onward by the horse while the piles of snow threatened to smother him.
The tension on his wrists eased and James pushed himself up to find that the grizzled soldier had stopped his horse.
“Deadfall on the trail, sir,” he called back. “We’ll have to clear it.”
Carlo didn’t answer, only continued singing, his voice drifting through the falling snow like a murderous lullaby.
A soldier draped a blanket around James’s shoulders and then shoved a waterskin into his hands. He drank greedily between panted breaths.
“I need to relieve myself.”
James stopped drinking at Ahnna’s voice, the first time he’d heard it in what felt like an eternity.
Carlo made a noise of disgust, then shouted, “One of you take her into the bushes. I want none of this.”
Two soldiers pulled Ahnna off Carlo’s lap and escorted her into the brush. James heard one of them say, “Just tie her to a tree while she does her business,” then a muttered argument.
It was hard to see them through the brush, but James knew their backs were to Ahnna. He tensed, certain she had a plan. Certain he’d see her figure racing away into the trees. But a few moments later, the soldiers returned with Ahnna between them. Her shoulders were slumped, every part of her exuding defeat, and his heart twisted.
Carlo stared at her with disgust, and as the soldiers moved to lift her into the saddle, the Beast drew back his foot and kicked Ahnna in the face.
She screamed and fell to the ground, sobbing in pain.
Despite knowing his reaction was what the man wanted, James hurled himself at them. The ropes binding him went taut, jerking him off his feet, and he screamed threats and profanities, unable to control the rage in his heart.
“You are a joy, James,” Carlo crooned. “You’ll die before you break. Unlikeher.”
He spat on Ahnna’s back, then heeled Dippy forward. “Someone else take the woman. I’ve lost interest.”
Ahnna lay crying in the snow, and she remained limp as the men hauled her up and loaded her onto one of the horses. James tried to catch her eye, certain that this was nothing but a ploy to put distance between her and the Beast. Except when their gazes locked, hers held no hate, only despair. She rested her cheek against the mountain horse’s neck, body shaking with sobs.
“Disappointing, isn’t it?”
James slowly turned to find that the prince had taken hold of his leash and was fastening it to Dippy’s saddle. “You thought she was better than this, yes? Stronger? Yet the truth of her circumstances has entirely destroyed her will to live.” Carlo’s expression held no cheer ashe said, “You deserve better than her, my old friend. I have shown you the truth.”
“What truth is that?”
“That there is a reason the Ithicanians gave their princess to Harendell.” Carlo urged Dippy onward. “Ahnna Kertell is worth nothing.”
She’s worth everything to me.It was the last thought James had on the matter, because a heartbeat later, the rope was dragging him down the trail.
30
Keris
“He murdered my uncle!” Lestarawailed, tears rolling down her cheeks. “He needs to be punished!”
“I did no such thing,” Keris retorted. “Why would I poison a Cardiffian prince? And even if I had a reason to, do you really think me so stupid as to do it while sitting directly across from him?”
“He’s lying!” Lestara shrieked. “He’s trying to harm Cardiff because of his loyalty to Ithicana!”
“Darling, please. It’s not necessary to be so loud.” William pressed his fingers to his temples, the king of Harendell clearly in the early stages of what would be an impressive hangover in a few hours. The stench of far too much wine clung to his breath, and Keris had not failed to notice the sway to William’s step.
“What precisely would murdering Cormac Crehan achieve for Ithicana?” Keris asked, trying to extract his arm from Cavendish’s grip, but the Harendellian lord’s fingers only tightened.
“He was trying to make it look like Harendell’s doing. That’s why he used poison and not a knife in the alley.” Lestara wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her velvet robe. “He’s trying to destroy the peace between Cardiff and Harendell. Don’t let the fact he misjudged how swiftly the poison would work put you off, William. Keris meantto escape the scene and get back into his room so that no one would suspect him.”
It was an entirely plausible explanation. Keris silently cursed, because while he doubted Lestara believed he’d murdered her uncle, she was clever enough to try to use Cormac’s murder to achieve her own goals. Which begged the question ofwhohad arranged for the Cardiffian prince’s death?
