Aegir walked up to one of his males, and I managed to get a good look at the twin axes strapped across his back. The male he spoke to, Joel, was also armed. He donned a sword and shield at his back. His white hair was tightly secured in a bun that proudly showed his sharp ears. I observed the other five, all well-built, all daunting, all…young. None of them appeared older than thirty, but I had no doubt they were much older than that. Fae were immortal, after all.
“All ready?” Aegir asked.
“All ready,” they replied at once, mounting their horses in perfect synchrony, as if they’d done it a million times.
Aegir moved towards the unoccupied steed—a prestigious black desert horse—and gestured for me to move closer. “Come, I’ll help you mount.”
“Mount? On this one?” I asked.
“Yes, you’re riding with me.” Aegir must have seen my hesitation. “What’s the matter?” he teased. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of horses?”
“The horse is not the problem here,” I assured.
One of the males snorted. Aegir closed the distance between us and leaned in. He lowered his voice before rasping bitten-off words. “I swear, Cordelia, when cruel words come out of your mouth, it makes me want to dothingsto it.” My face flushed and my eyes escaped his stare. I faced the carriage.
“I’ll ride in there,” I said, pointing.
“It will be too hot in there, not to mention that you might not be as comfortable on the wooden floor.”
“I’ll be just fine.” I made my way to the carriage and sat myself down. I rested my back against the wooden panels andmy elbow on one of the crates. Aegir closed the carriage door behind me in palpable reluctance. A few seconds later, we started moving. I opened the carriage curtain and was glad for the view before me—the dune-packed landscape that formed waves of a sandy horizon.
I watched the castle getting smaller and smaller. The sight of it from afar reminded me that I hadn’t once left the castle district in these past five years. My heart ached at the distance that grew between Cinnamon and me, but bargaining for her food was worth it. Or at least I hoped so.
Semuel’s voice whispered in my ear:We never refuse an opportunity that falls on our lap, Wildheart. And that gave me a bit of courage.
Aegir wasn’t lying about the carriage being hot; sweat was forming and drying on my body in repetitive cycles.
I opened my book but quickly learned that reading while moving was not a good combination for me. It made me dizzy and nauseous. So instead, I decided to move closer to the window.
The sun was setting on the horizon, the sky now orange with purple hues. Soon after, we stopped to set up camp.
I thought the men acted like children, especially when they played rock-fire-water to decide who would stand guard. I thought they could’ve drawn sticks, just like we did when I drew the short candle that led to me being here.
“Where are you going?” Theodor, the loser of rock-fire-water, asked.
“I need to…relieve myself,” I replied quietly.
He nodded. “Don’t go too far.”
But I did go far. Thank the gods there was a trail of tall cacti, and I went behind the farthest one—as far away from their ears and noses as possible. After a long-needed sigh of relief, I made to turn on my heel, but halted. I spotted movement to our east. When my eyes adjusted, shadows turned into figures. A group of people moved our way. Armed. Shit!I have to warn the others.
CHAPTER 13
“There you are,” Aegir said from behind me. I remained impassive about the fact that the Ice Prince’s boot nearly trod onto the patch of wet sand. It seemed we had a graver issue than that. “People are approaching—nineteen, no, twenty. Let’s go back, quickly.”
Yes, please.
Aegir urged me into the carriage. “You’ll be safe in here.” I hesitated. “Get in, quick.”
Being locked inside the carriage made me queasy. I rummaged through their bags in search of a weapon but settled on a metal rod. I clenched it in my hand. I remained kneeling at the centre of the carriage, facing the door, arm ready. Through the carriage windows, I glimpsed shadows of the men who slowly approached. Spoken words cut through the silent night, and I could clearly hear every one.
“I hope they’ll come again after we actually buy the weapons. I’m already aching to try them and I haven’t even seen them yet!” Joel said, ending it with a chuckle.
“Yeah, if we leave any of them alive,” Darius replied coolly.
“Behave, will you?” Aegir told his males as the army of twenty men approached. “Remember we’re on Amfir’s Land, not on Boreas’s.”
Oh gods, what if they’re Sand Wielders?
