“In my entire life.”
“Really?” He says nothing for a moment. “That’s not entirely surprising. I guess I was too young before we left Valourian to think much about how narrow the scope of a servant’s life must be. If … if I ever have a chance to change that, I will.”
“Not just a servant,” I say quietly, surprised at the amount of bitterness in my voice. Surprised, too, that I’m willing to confide in someone whose life has been so vastly different from mine—so vastlyabovemine. But it will be an endless trip if we make it in silence.
“Anindenturedservant. The Sisters only allowed me off the library grounds four times a year, on festival days. That’s when I met Trick.” I smile briefly at the memory. “But I could lose the privilege for the least infraction.”
Kaelen’s arm tightens around me, and his voice is rough when he replies. “They starved you, kept you prisoner, and treated you cruelly. All that, plus the scars on your back—no, I didn’t forget about those. When we get back, the Sisters will have much to answer for.”
Whenwe get back.
I can hear the king Kaelen would have been in his conviction. “Valourian was lucky in her prince.”
“That’s kind of you to say, but I was lucky in my family. My parents were kind and strong and worked hard to protect their people. I learned at their sides from the time I was a small child. Not just swordplay. Governing and strategy and law. And more, how to treat people—all people, not just the rich—with respect and fairness.”
“Respect and fairness. Doesn’t seem to be a lot of that in King Pallan’s court,” I say after a few minutes.
“No. There isn’t.”
We ride along in silence for a while, the dust from the horses’ hooves spinning around us like tumbleweeds on the banks of the Burning River, until we reach a spot where a stream runs parallel to the path. Sergeant Neville calls a halt, and we dismount to wash off the blood and change into more respectable clothing, so as not to draw undue attention to ourselves.
After I duck behind the wagon to change my shirt—my leather pants miraculously wiped clean—I walk back around to join the group, just in time to see Kaelen pull his bloody shirt over his head.
And I stop breathing.
The man’s back is sculpted in lines and curves of pure muscle. A thin strip of light-amber skin hovers just above the waist of his pants, a contrast to the golden-brown expanse that must see the sun regularly—probably from those training sessions in the sun he and the guards mentioned. When he glances over his shoulder and notices me looking, my skin catches fire with the heat of my blush. I whirl around to face the other way before I have to see what is undoubtedly Altarra’s most enticing male chest and embarrass myself even more by drooling.
Or jumping on him.
I swallow a groan and drink some water, glad to feel my cheeks cool as my blush fades. The redhead’s curse—my emotions paint themselves across my skin with a palette anyone can read.
Elianna climbs down from the wagon slowly, a certain tenderness in her gait. I’m about to ask her how she’s feeling, but one glance between me and Kaelen has her rolling her eyes. Thankfully, she doesn’t comment. “Here.”
She hands me the bandolier full of poisons and powders—the one I packed into the valise back in the palace. There’s also a sheath that must be designed to wrap around my thigh, from the size of it.
“I meant to give you the sheath before you left, back when I wasn’t going, and we had three days, and none of this was a mad rush to escape the Zhagarn,” she says with more than a little bitterness. “It’s part of your … costume? To present yourself as a poisoner. All the best poisoners carry these, I understand.”
“I—thank you.” I awkwardly pull the bandolier over my head and one arm. Elianna steps closer to adjust the fit. Then I fasten the thigh sheath and put my knife in it, feeling like either a warrior or a complete imposter—it’s hard to tell which.
“You look dangerous,” Kaelen says approvingly, approaching us. I don’t know whether I’m relieved or disappointed that he’s wearing a shirt.
Not that it matters. Now that I know what his muscular body looks like beneath his clothes, I’ll have to fight to not think about it.
When we ride that horse together.
My hips tucked between his big, hard thighs …
I close my eyes and wish Captain Wavedancer had a favorite saying for banishing lustful thoughts. The books were a series originally meant for kids, though, so probably not.
“Ifeeldangerous,” I blurt when I open my eyes and realize they’re both staring at me.
“Okay, Lady Dangerous,” Kaelen says, holding out a hand. “Let’s ride.”
The land just outside the city is cultivated into fields of food crops, and small farmhouses dot the landscape. Harvest is in full swing, and we trot past half-cleared fields to see farmers swarming out to their work as soon as dawn gives enough light to see by.
I sigh. “I was looking forward to Harvest Fest.”
“To buy sweets and ribbons?”
