The general knew that she’d found the place where Renard and his soldiers had captured Amarande and Luca. The signs matched the timeline and confirmed the princess’s story even if she had not described the encounter to Koldo in detail—not that neither she nor the others had given Amarande the opportunity to do so.
Koldo saw now how much of a mistake it was.
The soldiers stationed high in the Ardenian mountains above the valley borderland with Pyrenee had not seen Amarande or Taillefer. Neither had the new contingent of scouts integrated with the military encampments spaced strategically along the border after the death of Prince Renard. No one had news except a tidbit about a lone captain, someone named Nikola, riding alone from the Bellringe with orders to find Taillefer or Amarande.
Clearly Taillefer was not working with whoever—likely Inés—gave that order.
Which meant what?
Koldo trudged back up the pit and hoisted herself up onto solid ground. Ash clung to her boots and gloves, the wind swirling it back toward the mountains dividing Ardenia and Pyrenee.
The general sighed and shut her eyes. Picturing Amarande’s face, fierce and determined, her father’s daughter in every way that mattered.
Loyal. Loving. Brave.
Koldo knew that given her druthers, Amarande would always go to Luca. Always.
Yet she had gone with Taillefer. Seemingly willingly, given the evidence. Despite what he had done to Luca. Torture so unspeakable that she had killed Renard in revenge.
Though—Amarande would never have allowed herself to be takenunwillingly by anyone, let alone someone like Taillefer. It was not possible. He was clever, yes, but not enough to sneak her out of the Itspi with force.
But what if it was with persuasion?
The princess had said it herself.
Taillefer knew that if Luca were to die then I would likely retaliate against his brother. And, though I knew this to be Taillefer’s aim, I still reacted in the way he wanted.
The general’s eyes flew open.
“He’s giving her what she wants.”
And suddenly she knew exactly where to go.
CHAPTER33
THEprincess tailed the prince silently through the other tunnel he’d found—winding south and, it appeared, west. They’d stopped running, not just because they were in the clear of the Quemado Scorpions, but because they were too exhausted to do so without stumbling about. Though their bellies were full of food, they had no water, and their bodies were stiff and sore.
Accordingly, they moved single file at a frustratingly labored pace.
Given the direction of the tunnels, Amarande hoped they were headed toward the Hand. Not where she’d wanted to go, but it had been a step in her original plan—a natural place for congregation, and therefore answers.
Another hour or so and the hot promise of renewed total exhaustion swept into the corners of Amarande’s eyes. Her throat was so parched it seemed to throb louder than any of the other warning bells dinging throughout her body—lack of true sleep, hunger for proper food, the bump on her head. All of it.
“Can we move faster?” Amarande shot the question at the prince’s back as he picked through a thinning section of tunnel, careful to keep his torch from snuffing itself on damp rock. She’d lost her torch in the retreat from the scorpions and was stuck following him—a position she hated, naturally.
“We will make it to Luca in time, Princess.”
Amarande was still faintly surprised that Taillefer would dignify Luca with the use of his proper name, as opposed to calling him “boy” or “stableboy.” But he’d been doing this for more than a day now, which gave Amarande hope that he’d accepted Luca’s true parentage—and if he had, perhaps peers of the Sand and Sky would, too.
Or perhaps Taillefer now saw Luca as a tool of another kind. One who would accept an apology for his cruelty and be shaped into an eventual ally. Amarande would never accept such a thing after what he’d done, but she knew Luca would.
That said more about Luca’s kind heart than Taillefer’s persuasive talents.
“You’re welcome,you know,” the prince said, “foragainsaving you, this time from your insane stubborn streak.”
He was not wrong. “Thank you. Andyou’re welcomefor saving you from certain death at the hands of the rebels at the inn.”
“I would have survived without you.”
