“Repeat the
story,” Hilt ordered as he roasted a freshly caught rabbit over a flame.
“I don’t
want to. I know it,” Kya growled, rubbing her ankle tenderly. The swelling had
mostly subsided thanks to riding on the back of Fierant for nearly a week. The
horse was quite obedient now that he was reunited with his master. If it didn’t
hurt so badly, Kya would have kicked him quite hard for what he put her
through.
“Repeat it.”
Kya sighed
and looked out the city of Marigold, just a league away from where they were
camping. The magnificent city was split in two, the Luisant River running
straight through it. The lanterns and street lamps glistened off of the massive
river, mimicking the starlit sky which was making a rare appearance through the
clouds. But the eastern sky was shimmering with pink and gold, signaling the
approaching dawn. Hilt insisted they be up well before dawn which made Kya
incredibly cranky.
Hilt refused
to allow them to stay at an inn, so they were camping just out of sight on the
other side of a sloping ridge. He seemed to think that Kya had another trick up
her sleeve, which was smart of him, Kya supposed. One night she tried to snatch
her dagger back from Hilt’s pack while he slept. Unfortunately, he wasn’t
sleeping. That resulted in the punishment of her hands being bound for the
remainder of the journey. He even wrapped the thick roped around her chest so
she couldn’t try and slip out of them, which she had managed to do after the
first hour of them being on. He was being quite cautious after Kya drugged him.
Kindly, the
rope was removed from her chest while they ate, but her hands were still locked
together. Hilt finally settled on the compromise after he was faced with the
possibility of feeding her like a child. Neither of them would allow that.
“Kya,” Hilt
warned, glaring at her across the crimson flames.
She finally
sighed and gave in. “While we are in Marigold, you are my elder brother. There
was a raid on our village and we were displaced. We are moving north looking
for our refugee parents. Once we arrive in the Capital, I’m to return to the
castle with my rightful name and title. I will introduce you as Damien, a
workhand from Vawl. I will inform the council that there was an attack on Vawl
while I was returning from my failed attempt in Beinn. Incapable of simply walking
past, I tried to intervene because I’m a stupid, idiotic royal whelp.”
Hilt
grinned. “Continue.”
“I was
captured by a Nibhein army led by the Fourth General, though they did not
recognize who I was. While there, I met Damien,” she spat the name, “and he
helped me escape with my life. There were others, but they perished in the
struggle.”
“And why
were they so determined to help you escape?” Hilt asked idly, picking at the
meat.
“Because
Damien discovered that I was a military strategist. He told the others and
together they helped me escape. Damien is the only one who survived and I
insisted he come with me to the Capital to receive the honor and recognition
for saving one of the highest ranking women in Elivagar.”
“Which is
ever so kind of you. So why are we heading to the Fortress?”
“Because I
have vital information to give to the King. It is too sensitive to put in a
letter which could be intercepted by rebels in the country or by Nibhein
spies.” Hilt had informed her of that fact partway through their journey. He
had questioned her desire to get to Marigold, and he laughed at her answer. Kya
had no idea that Nibheis had been tracking all of their notes by hawk, crow, or
dove for years.
“And why
does your little friend Damien have to join you?”
Kya gnawed
at her lip, a habit she’d maintained since childhood. “He is a valuable
resource and could act as a possible spy because of his adaptable appearance.”
“And?”
“I… have
grown fond of him.” How humiliating. Hilt would pay for this. She would slit
his throat in his sleep, she’d gouge his eyes out, she’d rip out each nail from
each finger and toe and then dip them in acid, she’d—
“Good. I’ll
take off your binds through Marigold, but that’s all. They go back on as soon
as we’re out of the city. You’ll also need to walk until I can find you another
horse. Can you manage it?”
“My foot is
significantly better,” Kya replied. What she truly needed was more dyes for her
hair. The constant drizzle and mist in the North sapped her locks of the black
color and the true strawberry hue was starting to peek through. Hilt refused,
of course. He insisted it would be too conspicuous and that if her hair became
too much of a problem just to wear her hood up. She’d had dyes of her own, of
course, but they were in with much of her other supplies with Cress. She had
been planning to finish the journey with him, not with the meager pack she had
taken to get to Marigold and back.
“We should
get going. I want to be in Marigold when they open the city gates at dawn,”
Hilt said, dumping his canteen to extinguish the embers that remained of their
fire.
“What if
someone recognizes you?” Kya asked, staring over at him. He’d put on the
strange lenses which were curved bits of very thin glass which were then
painted to the appropriate iris color. It was unnerving to look at him. The
very edges still shimmered green, but they were otherwise the common muddy blue
of most northerners. If you didn’t look too hard or too long, he truly could
pass off as a native.
“No one
will. You’d be surprised how easy it is to blend in if you try. Well, you
wouldn’t understand that. You stuck out like a sore thumb in Beinn.” Hilt
grinned over at her which Kya returned with a disgusted glare.
She licked
the last bit of juice from her fingers (she desperately missed the food from
the Capital) and stood up. Her foot was tender, but stable. She could confidently
walk without a limp and her other scrapes and bruises had faded. If anyone did
notice, they would fall back on their tale of escaping a raid.
“Don’t speak
while we’re in town. I don’t trust you. I refuse to be set back even longer
because of your incompetency,” Hilt growled, tacking Fierant and tying all of
their supplies onto the saddle. He then walked over and undid the complicated
knot of her binds. “And if you do take advantage of this situation, I promise
you that you will arrive in your precious Capital without the use of your legs.
I only need you alive; I don’t need you in one piece.”
The threat
hung in the air as Kya rubbed at her raw wrists. Bastard. As if he didn’t know
that she had nothing else to throw at him. Her ridiculous attempt to get a
weapon was foiled and her only plot had been back in Eirain. She was just a
pawn backed into a corner, at least for now. Once in the Capital…
“Come along.
I want you walking into town.”
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