“Though I don’t believe you should devote your whole life to revenge, I don’t doubt your reasoning for why you have. No doubt, I am certain with everything in me that whatever Grawl has done to you, he should pay, and pay with his life, for it.” She pulled a deep breath into her lungs and said, “My sister and I would help you make him pay.”
His hard bark of laughter held no humor as he said through gritted teeth, “Even if I had to crawl across shards of broken glass and blazing fiery coals and I only had one breath left inmy lungs, you wouldn’t even be the last person I’d ask for help because I would never rely on you or any words that come from your lying mouth.” His gaze dropped to her mouth at that moment, and he seemed to contemplate her lips for a second before lifting his hands to cover the bottom of her face with a piece of cloth, tying it at the back of her head, and cutting off any protests she might have had.
“We have much terrain to cross, and I have zero patience remaining, so if you know what’s good for you, don’t give me any trouble. I won’t be as understanding as I’ve been thus far.”
Even through the makeshift gag with every one of her curse words muffled, Liv was able to get her meaning across if his low chuckle were any indication.
“Finally, some fire. If we weren’t on such a tight schedule, I might like to spar with the legendary Liverity Strongwill, but I have plans that won’t wait, and I’m sure your father will be thrilled to have his favorite princess back safe and sound.”
His hardened gaze never left hers as he lifted his fingers to his mouth and gave a piercing whistle. His horse galloped into the small opening and stopped to nuzzle his hand. With quick motions, he looped a rope around the bonds at her hands and connected it to his belt. His hand holding his remaining knife moved so quickly she barely caught a glimpse until her feet were free of the bindings that had been holding them. He pulled her to her feet and turned his back to her as he lifted a pack onto the backend of the horse. With a swift motion, he mounted the horse and clicked his tongue as he picked up the reins. The horse started forward slowly, and she understood quickly that she would be walking behind as the rope between his belt and her hands tightened, pulling her into her first few steps.
“Try to keep up, princess. I don’t think it matters in what shape you arrive, so if I have to drag you the entire way, so be it. But I would think you would prefer to remain upright.”
She would prefer to knock the smug look she imagined he wore right from his handsome face. It wasn’t fair that such a horrible being should look so tempting, but she would clearly look past that when she finally had him at her mercy. And she would have him at her mercy. That, she vowed.
He wanted her to be a worthy opponent. Well, he should be more careful what he wished for because she was going to give him exactly what he was asking for…and more.
3
Riserion Ward turned his gaze slowly around and just as each time before, his prisoner was looking behind her. The wind whistled with stinging sand as he slowly rode his horse, Nick, and she trudged behind them through the desolate, rocky landscape. This was one of the most uninhabitable areas in the entire Umbraland, and if someone were to still be grasping at a glimmer of hope, it wouldn’t be here.
He knew she was watching, and hoping, for a glimpse of her sister, but he also knew her hope was in vain. Her sister wasn’t coming for her because, even if she found the few clues he left behind, she wouldn’t be able to follow him into the pocket dimension in which they currently traveled. But, of course, Liverity Strongwill couldn’t know that because he had always been invisible to her, even when standing in full view.
With a knot of contempt building in his throat, he reluctantly faced forward once more. Even at this glacial pace, she wouldn’t be able to stay on her feet much longer. He glanced into the dusty, brown sky, with the large, round sun sinking fast toward the horizon and the smaller dot of a light from the second sunthat took up space from a further distance. They would have to stop and make camp for the evening anyway. If they continued on, they risked exhaustion, causing a distraction that he didn’t need—not when he was so close to finally getting his revenge.
He steered them toward an overhanging rock with a cave-like recess underneath. It would give them a little shelter tonight and allow him to use the heatbox he had to use in place of a fire. It was a cube of metal in which an ember could burn perpetually. He just had to feed it a small amount of fuel, and it would release enough heat to keep them warm and keep predators away. It was one of a few items he wouldn’t travel without.
He pulled back on the reins and dismounted as soon as Nick came to a halt. As predicted, he felt the tug of the rope on his belt as his captive fell to her knees and collapsed onto her back. Despite how it might seem, he didn’t intend to torture her. That wasn’t really his nature. Yet, he knew that if she even had an ounce of energy, she’d be a handful. Her reputation preceded her. There were few, if any, who could claim to have bested the great wielder of the quickest and deadliest arrows and evilest of curses. She had earned those monikers with her powers of sorcery. He had no intention of giving her the opportunity to show him just how true the labels were.
With a heavy sigh, he approached her prone figure, grabbed her under her shoulders and legs, lifted her and set her in the shade of the rocks until he could manage to secure her otherwise. There was no reason to leave her in the sun and dust while he went about his chores.
He pulled his flask of water from his pack and unscrewed the lid. He pulled the gag from her mouth and lifted the container to her lips. As he poured the cool liquid into her mouth, she guzzled it down and swallowed swiftly, seeming to want more as he pulled the flask back and lifted it to his own mouth.
His gaze never left hers as he took a long swig. A cool drop hung on her lip as her tongue darted out to pull it in. For a moment, he stood mesmerized. Even covered in dust, her features were beautiful. The lips that caught his attention were plump, almost too full, sitting below a straight nose that rose to her large, hazel eyes with gold and green flecks. Her dark hair hung in a braid down her back with a few long, escaping chunky strings, but from a distance, he had seen it full and long and sliding down over every rounded curve of her shapely body. He had heard she was the type of woman men lusted on sight, but he had no intention of going there. Any chance of that was long over.
He pulled the flask from his mouth and his gaze from her. After pouring the rest of the water into a bowl he pulled from his storage bag, he capped the container and turned back toward his horse. The horse drank from the bowl until it was empty.
Riserion put away his water container and the bowl and pulled the bag free from Nick’s back haunches. With a quick adjustment, he opened a pouch and hooked it over Nick’s head so that he could eat some grain. As the horse dug into its dinner, Riserion pulled a brush from the bag and began brushing the dust and sweat from Nick’s reddish-brown coat.
“You know, you’ll never get close enough to get your revenge.” Her voice carried the dust of their travels, and he almost felt sorry for her…almost.
“Why do you care? You’ll be back in Daddy’s arms.”
Her laughter was slightly surprising, but he knew she was just trying to get into his head. It was her only weapon right now, and she wasn’t going to give up easily.
“Listen…uh…what’s your name?”
He continued to brush a quiet moment before stopping and facing her. “The only name I’ve ever known is Riserion Ward, but I prefer to be called Rise.”
She contemplated him a moment, and he thought she might recognize him. But, then, she licked her lips and said, “Before you can get within miles of him, we’ll both be dead.”
“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll make sure he knows to expect you, specifically.”
Her eye roll was heavy as she gave a frustrated groan. “You’re listening, but you’re not hearing me. I get how you must think of me. Yes, I am Grawl Strongwill’s daughter, but I am not and never was valuable to him in the way you think.”
He didn’t like where this was going. She was really trying to work him, and he was tired of manipulators like her. “Damn! You’re good. You must either think I am the biggest fool you’ve ever met or you must think you are much more powerful than you are.”
There was only one way to end this, and as he crossed toward her once more, she seemed to understand his intent.
