The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash 4)

Kieran did the same to himself. He didn’t offer the same treatment to Reaver, and I wasn’t sure if it was the look the draken sent him or the fact that it would be far more bizarre for all of us to be covered in mud.

“They’re almost upon us,” Reaver stated.

Kieran took the reins and returned to the saddle. He leaned over, tugging down the brim of my hat. Our eyes met. He spoke low. “What you said to Reaver. Does the same go for you?”

The essence pulsed intensely in my chest. “I hope it doesn’t come to me having to make that choice, but I won’t be as noticeable as Mr. Burn Everyone over here if it does.”

Reaver snorted.

“I won’t allow us to be taken,” I told Kieran, holding his stare. “But remember what I asked.”

He knew what I meant. That if I used the essence and got a little too murderous—if I didn’t pull back—he would stop me.

Kieran’s jaw was hard, but he nodded, straightening himself on his saddle. I kept my chin ducked as I lifted my gaze. Reaver’s right hand casually rested on the hilt of the sword I knew was stowed between the two seats of the box.

“No matter what, don’t shift.” I looked at Reaver. “Don’t reveal who you are.”

He didn’t look happy, but he nodded.

The sound of approaching horses drove my heart against my ribs, and the eather vibrated in response, whispering through my veins. Mud-splattered horses rounded the bend. I saw the soldiers’ crimson and white armor, each bearing matching shields engraved with the Blood Crown’s Royal Crest. The essence pressed against my skin, telling me I could stop this before it started. I could do it quietly, snapping their necks with just my will. We could ride right past them as if nothing had happened.

But something would’ve happened.

I would’ve killed men who had yet to prove a threat. An action that would be discovered and lead to questions—ones that could alert others to our presence. An action that made that hollow place inside me even colder.

“Halt,” a soldier called out, his helmet adorned with a comb made of red-dyed horsehair. Knights wore the same, but for a mortal, it symbolized that he was of high rank. Most likely a lieutenant.

We obeyed as any Huntsmen would upon an order from a high-ranking soldier.

The lieutenant rode forward, flanked by three others who bore no combs on their helmets. A gaiter—a thin, black cloth—covered most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the helmet. He sent a cursory glance in Reaver’s direction and then looked at us. “Where do you travel from and where to?”

“New Haven, sir. We are headed for the Willow Plains.” Kieran didn’t miss a beat. “Ordered to deliver the recent batch of whiskey.”

I let my senses reach out as I focused on the lieutenant. Salt gathered in my throat, either distrust or wariness. Neither was uncommon.

The lieutenant remained by Kieran’s side as another rode forward. “Three Huntsmen transporting whiskey? Seems like that’s one too many.”

“Well, sir,” Kieran replied, “some would think double the amount isn’t enough to guard something as valuable as these spirits.”

One of the other soldiers chuckled roughly while another lifted the tarp on the back of the wagon. He nodded at the lieutenant.

I bit down on the inside of my lip as the soldier reached in, checking the crates. The weapons we’d stored in there were closer to the box, but if he found them, it wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.

“We hope to make it to the Willow Plains before nightfall,” Kieran added, and I slipped my right hand under the fold of my cloak as the taste of wariness grew from the lieutenant. I grasped the handle of the wolven dagger—just in case.

The lieutenant urged his horse forward. “I bet you do.”

I stiffened at the low, smoky rumble that Reaver gave. No one else seemed to have heard. I glanced at him, but his attention was fixed on the lieutenant.

My grip on Winter’s reins tightened as the soldier gave Kieran a closer once-over. The man was older, possibly in his fourth or fifth decade of life, and that was unusual for anyone who spent any amount of time outside a Rise. “What happened to you?”

“Ran into some Craven in the middle of the night,” Kieran answered. “Things got a bit messy.”

The soldier nodded as the lieutenant drew closer, his gaze moving from Kieran to me. I held myself still.

“You’re a shy one, aren’t you? Too afraid to look up and meet the stare of your superior, and yet you’re out here beyond the Rise?” The lieutenant tsked under his breath. “And young by the looks of it.”

Unease blossomed as he continued to stare. Though my head was bowed, I felt his gaze.

His hand lashed out, snapping his fingers in front of my face. A rush of prickly heat swept over my skin. “Look at me when I speak to you.”