The Forsaken King

I turned around and pulled my sword from the scabbard.

His eyes didn’t glance down at me. “I won’t kill you, but I still need your help.”

“Why should I help you?”

“Doesn’t seem like you need a reason to do much of anything.”

I gave him a blank stare. Was that a joke? I couldn’t tell with this guy. He was so rough around the edges, rough to his very core.

“You spared my life, so I will spare yours. But you don’t get a choice in this.”

“If I help you—”

“There is no if. You will help me.”

“Fine. After I help you, will you let me go?”

His answer was a hard stare.

“I asked you a question—”

Roooooaaaaaaaaaarrrrrr.

My sword dropped to my side as I listened to the sound carry across the entire world, shaking the snow off the trees, making the ground unstable beneath our feet. It carried like it possessed its own energy to keep going and going.

He hooked his ax over his back and walked past me. “Come on. We have to go.”

I looked past the spot where he’d just stood, as if I would see a monster emerge in my vision. “Is it coming this way?”

“Do you want to stay and find out?”

EIGHT

Ivory

We ran to the cave that we had stopped in on the way, the very one where I’d first heard that mighty roar. The entrance was a small crevasse that you had to squeeze past, and then the cave opened up to accommodate several people.

I eyed the firewood but didn’t bother.

Huntley took a seat on a stool near the entrance to the cave, peering through the crack to the snow-covered trees outside. With his arms on his knees, he stared, looking through the falling snow and to the wilderness beyond.

I leaned against the wall, my knees against my chest. “How long do we have to hide?”

He gave a subtle shake of his head, his eyes still outside.

“What is it?”

“Yeti.”

I allowed myself a couple seconds to process the word. “Yeti?”

He was motionless, his eyes focused.

“What the hell is a yeti?”

“A beast that stands nine feet tall, with claws as sharp as swords, with fur that perfectly blends into the snowy landscape so you may not even notice them right in front of you. It’s happened to me a couple of times…”

“So…it’s like a bear?”

He turned to me, his eyes cold.

“Can’t we just shoot it with an arrow?”

Like it was a stupid question, he looked away. “If they were easy to kill, I wouldn’t be hiding in a cave—with you.”

“I guess I’d have to see it to understand.”

“Trust me, you better hope that never happens.”

“Have you ever killed one?”

“Several.”

“Then why are you afraid?”

“Afraid?” He turned back to me. “What you mean is, why am I not careless, like you? It takes at least twelve strong men to take down a yeti. I have nothing to prove to anyone, so I’m not going to try to do it alone.”

“Well, you’d have me.”

“Same thing as doing it alone.”

“Excuse me?”

He ignored me.

“I saved your ass back there. Still haven’t gotten a thank-you for that, by the way.”

He continued to stare outside.

“You know I’m good.”

“You could be better.”

“Really?” I challenged. “How?”

“You’re useless without a weapon. What happens when an enemy knocks your sword out of your grasp?”

“I pick it up.”

“And if you can’t?” he challenged. “You can’t even throw a punch.”

“Wanna bet?” My fingers tightened into a fist.

He glanced at me, chuckled, and looked outside.

“What?”

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“No, I’m not.” I examined my fingers, the way they were tightly clenched into the center of my palm.

“You’ll break your thumb on the first swing.”

I looked at my hands again and pulled out my thumb. “Oh…”

“Your father taught you everything else—but failed in this regard.”

“Probably because I have no chance against a guy twice my size with just my hands…”

His eyes shifted back to me. “That’s a terrible thing to teach your daughter. Especially since it’s not true.”

“I never said it was.”

“The stronger fighter doesn’t necessarily win. You know which fighter does?”

I shook my head.

“The smarter one.”

“Like…spitting in the eye of your foe so they can’t see?”

A very subtle smile moved on to his lips. “I wondered how you prevailed in that fight.”

“My first time with two guys. It was a success.”

His grin widened.

I rolled my eyes, understanding exactly where his thoughts ventured. “Not how I meant it…”

“As in, you have been with two guys at once? Quinn didn’t slip past my watch, but the other did?”

“That’s a personal question.”

“Just asking for clarification.”

“You better not have reported him.”

He focused on the outside once more. “I don’t give a fuck who you fuck.”

“I don’t know… You seem so intent on making my life a living hell. Reporting my lover and getting him executed is a pretty good way to do that.”

He straightened on the stool and regarded me. “You love him?”