Gently but firmly, I extracted myself from his grasp and uncorked Aspen’s mouth only long enough to plug a cloth between her teeth. That took care of potential lies.
Next, I spun her around, those hazel irises incinerating me like flames from her beloved forge. As though it had been stapled to her skull, the hood stayed in place. Notwithstanding, the woman’s gaze seared through my flesh with the intensity of a brushfire.
With expediency, I assessed the woman for injuries, finding no signs of harm. My respirations eased a fraction, allowing other ferocious inclinations to take precedence.
Matching her glare, I tore a length of rope from the inner flap of my coat and shackled it around her wrists. And that took care of potential violence. This axe-wielder might be blameless, but in her current mood, I’d prefer to keep my head attached to my neck. Moreover, until I ruled out Aspen’s motives for absconding with the Crown’s most sacred family member, the bindings would keep her in check.
The instant I yanked on the knotted cord, a hand landed on my knuckles. Only this time, Nicu’s touch softened.
I paused, and Aspen ceased her thrashing, each of us stalling long enough for my liege to wedge himself between us. He straightened the narrow ramps of his shoulders and spoke as though he stood on a dais.
Authority rang from his lungs like a platinum bell. “I said… Let. Her. Go.”
At minimum, Nicu stood nearly a foot shorter than my frame, yet the young man’s tone did not match his diminutive stature. Rather, he spoke with fervor, doing justice to the man and woman who raised him.
Like a protector. Like a Royal.
Admiration pacified my fury. If only marginally.
I could not overlook his role in this pandemonium, for Nicu possessed a mind of his own, and based on the fall of that elegant coat, the dagger Aspen gifted him was hidden inside one of the lining panels. That aside, the Royal Son’s defiant track record hardly exceeded Aspen’s, much less the likelihood of him pulling a blade on me. Only an unprecedented event would motivate Nicu to draw his weapon on someone.
But as much as I would enjoy bowing to this command, I had sworn an oath to guard him. Therefore, I must be certain.
Turning his way, I inspected Nicu for wounds. Apart from a lattice of scratches across his temple, he appeared unscathed.
Good. Onward.
“Where the fuck are you going?” I gritted out. “Did she put you up to this?”
Insulted, Aspen grumbled around the gag. Impatient, I flung my hand up to silence her. Not that it worked.
Nicu balked, his features scrunching in umbrage. “You know better.”
In one respect, I did. I would stake my life on Aspen’s devotion to Nicu, she would never willingly endanger or manipulate him, and he was clever enough to resist coercion. But with that premonition looming like an apocalypse, looking the other way would be folly. When people encountered peril, sometimes they accidentally mired others in the same jeopardy.
Including people they loved. This, I knew well.
In his artful manner, Nicu provided an abridged version of the tale, from his attempt to locate our unknown spy to his alternative quest for self-purpose in the outer regions of the kingdom.
“We left together,” Nicu concluded. “If you want more answers, you will remove the ribbon and release her.” His eyes glittered like shamrocks. “That’s an order.”
The ribbon. Namely, the rope.
Aspen’s head toggled between us. The woman did not wish to cause a rift. On that account, she and I concurred.
Nicu waited, his demand echoing through the woods. Indeed, he cut a fine Royal figure. Leadership suited him.
I withdrew a broadsword and maneuvered around Nicu. With a single lash, I cleaved through Aspen’s bindings. The female staggered, then pulled herself together as I tugged the gag from her infuriating lips.
Because I still held the sword aloft, she puffed out her ample chest. “I can explain.”
Nicu and I stared at her.
“It’s a good explanation,” she offered lamely.
“Be careful what you say,” I warned.
Her glower could split a cinderblock. Customarily, she spun unsolicited hogwash like yarn. Thus, when it came to Aspen’s half of the story, at best Nicu must have gotten partial information. Nothing beyond that.
