Clover would be lying if she said it was terrible. She, Sariah, Ruth, and Amos had found a cozy little inn, spending their days laughing and catching up with Nathaniel and Franny. It had been a while since they’d had time to talk without an agenda to be addressed.
Overhauling a corrupt kingdom wasn’t done overnight. It might never be done in Clover’s lifetime, if ever. Just because the people in charge were making changes didn’t mean the citizens would follow.
The effects of corruption in the Desert Kingdom ran deep, affecting most citizens, especially those society overlooked. Women were just the tip of the iceberg.
What Clover was most excited about was expanding schools and building more so girls could attend too. She would ensure that all lowborn families were given the aid they needed so theirchildren could attend as well. Some lowborns were forced to pull their boys out of school at a young age so that they could work and help provide for the family.
The crown had a sickening amount of money they were meant to use to protect their citizens, not funnel it to the rich while the poor struggled and suffered. The fact that the past kings ignored their people’s needs was inexcusable.
But for a few days, their group put those worries aside and enjoyed each other’s company.
Clover felt Amos’ apprehension as they approached the Mountain Kingdom border. He hadn’t admitted how nervous he was to meet Amelia, but she could feel it anyway.
“Halt,” one of the border guards said, approaching their party. “Names and permits.”
Permits were required to cross all borders, but they weren’t difficult to get. They were free and used to keep track of who came and went across the borders.
Unless you lived in the Desert Kingdom. In the Desert Kingdom, women weren’t permitted to leave without a man to escort them, and the permits were expensive with too many hoops to jump through to obtain one. Because of this, most women and lowborns never left the kingdom.
Amos had obtained permits and false identification documents for Clover and her family years ago, and the Desert border guards nearest Dragon Village were Hydra anyway.
“Amos Stratton, Desert King,” Amos said, handing him his documents.
The guard took the papers and scanned them quickly. “Welcome to the Mountain Kingdom, Your Grace.” He waved their group through, and went back to his post.
They were just outside the Vale border when an arrow zinged past Amos’ head and embedded in a nearby tree. Amos andSariah drew swords from their saddles, while Ruth and Clover drew their daggers.
None of them moved. Was it a stray arrow from a hunter, or an attack?
A small group of rebels appeared from behind the trees, swords raised as they ran at them from both sides. Only one had a bow, and when he took aim at their group, Clover threw her dagger, driving it into his neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that she’d just killed a person for the first time.
Everyone jumped from their horses to meet the rebels head-on. Clover used her other dagger to cut Eddy free from the sling on her chest.
“Protect Clover,” Amos bellowed, and if she hadn’t been distracted by the rebel running at her, Clover would have been hurt and furious in equal measure. After everything they’d been through, he still didn’t believe in her enough to fight beside him.
Ruth and Sariah ignored the new king, not even so much as glancing at Clover as they fought. She could protect herself just as well as they could. Clover wasn’t so prideful that she would refuse help if needed, but the rebels’ skill couldn’t hold a candle to the Hydra, and she was Hydra through and through.
The sound of metal clanging mixed with shouts and grunts and the squelch of blade meeting flesh as the groups battled. It didn’t take long before the rebels littered the ground.
Clover counted the bodies.One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. There were only seven. Why attack with such small numbers? Why would they attack them at all? There was no way they knew who Amos was. The border guards hadn’t even known. She knelt beside the closest rebel to dig through their pockets for a missive or some kind of clue, but Amos appeared at her side to check her over.
Him yelling for the others to protect her surged to the forefront of her mind, and she slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
Amos’ brows bent. “I need to make sure you’re okay. Why does that piss you off?”
“You’re not checking Ruth or Sariah,” she snapped. “You didn’t ask me to protect them either even though I took out the archer.”
Realization hit him and he dropped his arms to his side. “I’m sorry.”
His apology took her off guard. She’d been prepared for him to defend himself or try to reason with her. “Thank you for apologizing.”
He reached for her again, but she moved away. “That doesn’t mean I forgive you. After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t see me as your equal.”
The sound of approaching horses cut off whatever he’d been about to say, and the four of them whirled to face the newcomers.
Clover forced herself not to react when she saw a mountain of a man sitting atop a fae shire horse, his expression severe. He was ruggedly handsome with dark hair, lightly tanned skin, and light eyes that stood out in stark contrast, though from here, she couldn’t tell what color they were. Dark stubble covered his defined jaw, and somehow, Clover knew this was the Mountain King.
Good for you, Amelia, she thought appreciatively. Rennick wasn’t as good looking as Amos, but no one was.
