“Be careful. You got your sword and everything?”
“Yes.” My father and brother both asked about my weapons, which was odd to me. “Is there something I need to know?”
He shook his head.
“Because you and Father have echoed the same sentiments to me.”
“Because we’re protective of you, is all.”
My eyes shifted past my brother because I saw him.
The man with the blue eyes approached, in his full armor, six-foot-something with rage targeted straight at me. Even in the presence of the other guards and my brother, he kept up the look—like he didn’t give a damn.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“What?” Ryker asked.
The man passed me, his head turning more and more to meet my look before he was gone. Once he was too far away and the connection between our eyes was severed, the tension dissipated.
I looked at my brother once more. “I’m not going anywhere with that motherfucker.”
Ryker shifted his gaze past me and looked at him. “That’s the guy you’re talking about?”
“You know him?”
He gave a subtle nod. “Mastodon. He was a Blade Scion for King Rutherford. Asked to be transferred here recently.”
“Why?”
He gave a shrug. “Didn’t say.”
“And you expect me to travel with him?”
“I know you’re scared—”
“I’m not scared. I’m just not an idiot.”
“You want to be scared of the man who protects you—because that means he scares everyone else too.” His hand moved to my arm. “Father wouldn’t send you off with anyone who was anything less than trustworthy.”
“Father seems too distracted to know his nose from his ass these days.”
“Ivory, come on. He’s got a lot on his mind right now.”
“And I have no idea what those thoughts are—because I’m a woman.”
Ryker stared at me with tightly pressed lips, keeping his secrets. “The sun is rising. You should go.” He gave me one final hug before he turned away.
I watched his retreating back for a while before I turned back to the carriage. Two horses were tied to the front, and in addition to Mastodon, there were two guards. One of the guards opened the carriage door so I could get inside. “M’lady, we should get going if we want to reach the Capitol by nightfall.”
My eyes shifted to Mastodon. He stood off to the side and looked down the hillside toward the gates that marked the edge of the city. Unlike the other guards, he wore a cape, a black one. His eyes took in the landscape, as if he could distinguish something in the terrain barely lit up by the sunlight.
Something in my gut warned me about this guy, that he wasn’t just some grizzled soldier who had sacrificed every joy in his life to serve the ruling class. But I seemed to be the only one who could see what no one else saw, and that made me wonder if I really saw it at all.
I had my weapons, so I’d be ready if he came for me.
I stepped into the carriage and watched the door shut behind me.
A moment later, we started to move, the carriage rocking left and right over the cobblestone street.
I didn’t waste any time before I opened my bag and changed out of my gown and cloak. I pulled on my breeches, my tunic, and my boots. The sword was inserted into my belt, and the bow and quiver of arrows were pulled over my shoulder.
“Come at me, bitch.”
As the sun rose in the sky, the heat inside the carriage intensified. The roof kept out direct sunlight, so that was a reprieve, but the stuffiness couldn’t be defeated. I’d have preferred to ride my own horse as I was escorted by guards, but my father said that wasn’t an option if I didn’t want to be seen as a swine.
My father had taught me everything I knew about the sword, about horseback riding, about anticipating an attack you couldn’t see coming, but he had me lock away all those skills as if they were a dirty secret.
I would normally read a book on the journey, but they were left at the bottom of my bag so I could keep my guard up. My eyes flicked back and forth between the windows on each of the doors. The curtains were drawn to keep the sun out, but I could determine the outline of trees whenever we passed them.
There was no conversation. No small talk. Nothing.
It was as if the guards didn’t even know each other.
Then I felt it.
A bump.
As if the wheels on the left side of the carriage had just run over something.
A rock. A stump.
Or a body.
Then it happened again—on the right side.
“Shit.”
The carriage came to a sudden stop, and both the horses gave flustered neighs.
“I fucking knew it…”
A loud whistle rang out from the outside of the carriage. It was obviously a signal.
If only I could grab one of the horses, I could ride out of there. Mastodon would be too powerful to take down, but his weight would slow him down on a horse. I’d have the upper hand in that case.