Belle was fast, and almost immediately, Kit found herself up toward the front of the pack, alongside Cassius and Jate, the former of which was whooping and hollering at the top of his lungs, which had her laughing. Kit vowed to stay near him, at least as long as she could, since this hunt was shaping up to be even more interesting than the others she’d been on.
The queen wasn’t much of a rider. Though her horse had taken off before any of the others, she quickly fell to the back of the pack, and many of her attendees and other noble persons did the same, allowing the Representatives to head to the front of the group. In front of her, Kit could see the dogs entering the woods to the east of the castle and knew that would slow their progress significantly. The brush was thick throughout the forest, and the horses would have to choose their paths carefully whereas Frick would make his way through even the smallest of openings.
The sounds of the horses hooves t
Eli looked gallant mounted on Aeros’s impressive back. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, highlighting the gold in his light brown hair, and as she approached, she could see he had an uneasy look on his face. For a moment, she thought he might attempt to dissuade her.Pulling to a stop next to him, she let Belle have her head, and her horse immediately began to nuzzle up against Aeros. She couldn’t help but smile; her mare had excellent taste in members of the opposite sex as well.“Do you remember?” she asked Eli, her voice quiet. Off in the distance, she could hear the horses beating the ground, calls and cries, as well as the occasional yip from one of the dogs. None of that mattered now.“I remember,” he said, his eyes steady. “You sure you’re ready to go back there?”Kit’s head rocked up and down. She was certain. “Are you?”“No,” he said quietly. &ldquo
“Of course, I remember,” Eli said again. “You were sitting right there, and I was sitting on the step above you.” He moved so that he was in the same place. “I was shocked when you turned to me and asked if I’d ever considered breaking the law.”He seemed more relaxed now, though every sound outside took his focus away from her momentarily. In that instant, as before when she’d brought him here last, being caught on this property would mean trouble for both of them, particularly him. Her mother had told her many times to stay out of forest ruins of every kind, though she hadn’t specifically named this house. She was certain her mother would be irate to know she’d ducked out on the hunt to bring him here.“And you told me you’d broken the law lots of times.”He grinned at her, and Kit smiled back. “I had. The silly ones that made no sense. Like not catching fish in the queen&rsquo
Kit didn’t bother to protest Eli carrying her out of the house as she had nothing to say, though she was shocked he wasn’t giving her the tongue lashing she deserved. She’d purposely deceived him, making him think she was going back down the hallway instead of up the stairs. He had every right to yell at her.Once she was safe outside, he set her down. Turning her to look him in the eyes, he placed a hand on each shoulder and said, “Don’t ever do that again.”Though she wasn’t used to anyone telling her what to do, save her mother, Kit hung her head. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It’s just... if you knew where I was going, you wouldn’t have let me go.”“Damn right I wouldn’t have let you go.”“I needed to see.”“You needed to not act like an imbecile, Kit.” He released her, placed his hands on his hips, and shook his head at h
Frick the fox was a fierce fellow, but Landon of Brendrake was hot on his bushy tail, and as the fox dove beneath a fallen log, Landon’s horse leapt over top of it, forcing the creature to stop in his tracks and turn back. The sound of hooves in the distance had him halting once more, and as Landon jumped from his steed, the fox attempted to take cover beneath the fallen timber.“I’ve got you now, you feisty critter,” Landon mumbled as he moved in slowly. The hound he’d been assigned was waiting on the other side of the log, watching to see if it should do something more to try to corner the animal they’d been pursuing for going on two hours, but once he was trapped, Frick was intelligent enough to realize he’d been bested, particularly when Landon carefully reached beneath the fallen log and scooped the animal into his arms.Just like a timid puppy, the fox curled himself up a bit into the crook of Landon’s bicep. &ldquo
“Did you do a great deal of hunting in Brendrake?” Kit asked, and Landon was glad just to have the opportunity to speak to her without others constantly interrupting, though Cassius was lingering behind them, and Eli was always a few feet away from the princess, looking disinterested but on top of everything, Landon had learned. Even Reeve, who seemed to be having difficulty realizing how important he was to Kit, was nearby.But for now, Landon had her to himself—more or less. “I did,” he nodded. “Of course, being so close to the sea, we spent much of our time fishing. It’s my parents main source of income. But whenever we got the chance to explore the woods near our family home, my brothers and I were always keen for a good hunt.”“Did you hunt fox or some other animal?” she asked, giving her horse a nudge so that she stayed next to him even though the woods thickened up in the section they were passing throu
Before Teoderic got within ten yards of the princess, Eli stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, and two of the princess’s other guards came shooting through the back of the crowd, clutching at the angry ex-Representatives arms. Landon stared in disbelief at how quickly it had all unfolded. When he realized Cassius was sweeping the princess into the castle, out of harm’s way, and several of the Queen’s Guard were between her and the bad actor, he felt as if he should’ve done something. Why had Cassius and Eli anticipated this while he stood dumbfounded, staring on?He caught eyes with Jate and then Drake before all three of them hustled up the steps behind the princess, creating an even thicker barrier between her and Teodric. The other dismissed Representatives were being escorted away by members of the Queen’s Guard, and as Landon looked over his shoulder, he saw one of the queen’s men using the butt of his sword to drive
The knock on her chamber doors came exactly at nine that evening, and Kit wasn’t surprised by it. Landon seemed like a punctual fellow, one who had been waiting for this opportunity for quite some time, and when she’d seen him at dinner only a few hours previously, he was glowing with anticipation. She’d enjoyed watching him from a distance as his smile beamed brighter than the candles that lit the tables.“You look lovely,” he said as she stepped back into the antechamber. He was wearing the same tunic, jerkin, and trousers he’d worn to dinner, in his province’s colors of gold and green. She thought he looked better in blue since it matched his eyes, but with his light hair and fair complexion, he couldn’t look poorly in anything, especially with such broad shoulders and the sort of flat stomach Kit imagined one could wash the laundry on.She was wearing only her thick, purple robe over her chemise, so she wasn’t q
The rain that had begun to fall soon after the hunt was over didn’t let up for the next several days. While Kit was thankful that it gave her the opportunity to get to know the Representatives a little better inside of the castle where they were less spread out and easier to access in groups, by the fourth day of torrential downpours, she was beginning to feel a little cooped up.She was also frustrated with her search for more information about the house in the woods. Having already asked every person she could think of that she even remotely trusted and been turned away with either a response that they didn’t even know what house she spoke of or no answer whatsoever, Kit was aware there was more to the tale than others were letting on. Even her own beloved grandmother, the Queen Mother, wouldn’t speak of the place. When Kit snuck to her room one afternoon, aware that her mother’s guards would notice but hopeful that they wouldn’t alert the quee
Eventually, Kit stepped back, signaling she was done, and her party faded into the hallway. Eli was right, there was much to be done, and Kit wasn’t even sure where to begin with the task of restoring the realm to its former glory. But there was no doubt her first appointment with the council would be to approve the new law that would allow her to rule before the end of her Choosing, one that would allow her to keep all seven of the men who stood around her now.As if reading her mind, Zora, her great-aunt and a distinguished member of the council stepped forward. “Queen Katrinetta, I would like to present to you a new law, passed by the council earlier this day. All it needs is your signature.”Confused, Kit took the sheet of parchment and began to read. When her eyes reached the bottom of the paper, she looked up. “How did you know...?”“Junno explained everything to us,” Nil said, stepping forward. “And we agree
“We love you, Kit. We’ll always be here for you,” Jate said to her right.“Even when we’re broken,” Danyen added, getting a giggle out of her and the others.“It’s our privilege to be with you,” Drake said in his deep, steady voice.Reeve took her hand. “Your belief in us has shaped us into who we are.”“And given us the confidence to stand with you as you become queen,” Landon said in her ear.“It’s all been well-worth it, Kit, to see you take the throne.” Cassius was still battered, but he looked much better now, with a smile on his face, than he had since Kit had found him in the dungeon.Kit shifted her eyes to Eli, assuming he would also say something. His eyes darted around several times, and she could tell he was attempting to come up with something no one else had said, but they’d all expressed themselves so well, it was a difficult
No longer frightened of the woman who used to terrorize her, Kit raised her arms between her mother’s bringing them down to the sides quickly so as to prevent her mother from ever making contact with her neck. Rona’s arms snapped down and she winced in pain. Her eyes bulged in surprise at her daughter’s strength. Kit took advantage of her mother’s stunned expression long enough to plant her fist in Rona’s right eye. Her mother rocked backward, grabbing at her face as Kit felt Eli’s familiar hand on her shoulder, seeking to calm her. Clearly, the older woman was no physical threat to Kit or anyone else.The bejeweled, golden crown atop Rona’s head wobbled as the queen staggered from the blow. It slid free, tumbling toward the floor. Kit reached out a hand and plucked it from the air. “The goddess have spoken!” she declared, ignoring the fact that it was the force of her own strike that had dislodged the crown. Nearly everyo
Watching the battle take place from the hallway had been unsettling for Kit, especially when she saw Eli faltering. For a moment, it had looked as if Vin might be victorious. Her attention had been pulled away when she learned Danyen was injured. Despite Galter’s best efforts to stop her, the princess insisted on going in and tending to him, and she had been there, placing pressure on the wound when Armant arrived. Danyen apologized for not being as handy with a sword as he was a quill, but Kit had only kissed him and assured him he was perfect in her sight.And then she’d seen hesitancy in Cassius and Eli as they considered mercy for Vin, the monster who had hurt and tortured so many. Ending him seemed like the right thing to do for all of the people of Yewforia, though she could never fault her men for weighing the costs of taking a life, even when that life was as worthless as scar face’s.She’d been stunned to see Jecob standing on the dais,
Across the room, Eli heard a shout and a roar of laughter. He could hardly let the situation distract him, but his head flickered in that direction for a moment, and he saw Danyen on the ground, grasping his middle. Drake was there and ended the laughing soldier who’d stabbed Danyen, but the Representative looked seriously wounded. Looking around the room, as he saw Vin trying to take advantage of his distraction, out of the corner of his eye, Eli spotted a member of his own guard who had just finished a man off. “Nen! Go to the infirmary and fetch Armant, as quickly as you can!”Eli hardly had time to see the guardsman nod in understanding before Vin’s persistence paid off, and his sword caught Eli in the left shoulder. It was a glancing blow as Eli dodged to his right, but this wound was deeper than the last and hurt more. It was not enough to slow him, though. Eli came flying back at Vin with a vengeance, thinking of his comments about Kit, how he h
The scene in the throne room was chaotic at best. Looking around, Eli quickly ascertained the situation. While the revolutionaries and several members of the Princess’s Guard had the upper hand, there were still twenty or thirty members of the Queen’s Guard and military doing their best to defend the door to the queen’s chambers.Across the room, Eli caught sight of a familiar set of dark eyes grimacing in his direction, and the Commander narrowed his focus as he stared him down. Scar face didn’t take his eyes off of Eli as he began to work his way through assailants, cutting them down easily as he moved toward his target. As he advanced, the aura of pure evil shifted the room such that darkness seemed to blot out everything around them until only Eli and the man who’d tried to end him remained. One of them would not walk out of this room.His concentration was broken when he heard another recognizable voice shout, “Goedwig! You&rsqu
The door to the castle was nearly nonexistent. Shards of wood hung from the upper posts, a few clung to the doorjambs, but for the most part, what had been an elegant entryway was now reduced to nothing but splinters and flecks of gold paint, thanks to the battering ram Eli had mentioned earlier.Realizing the only weapon she had was the small dagger, Kit scoured the ground for a sword. She saw one lying on the floor just inside of the castle entrance and picked it up, certain the poor fellow reposing nearby would no longer need it. She turned to tell her ladies they should do the same but noted they were already armed. Seph and Isla both had swords, though not as large and cumbersome as the one Kit had just procured, and Avinia had a bow she must’ve been carrying on her saddle, a quiver strung to her back.Armant and the other men who had come along with him stepped forward. “This is where we must leave you. We’ll head to the infirmary and check on t
“Are the two of you at peace now?” Kit asked Eli and Cassius.“I suppose so,” Eli began. “If he wants to go off and get himself killed, there will be one less person to share you with.” He smiled at Cassius, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and the larger man reached around Kit and popped him in the arm.“You’d better not get yourself killed. Any of you.” Kit looked around and saw all seven of the men she’d chosen nearby, five of them already saddled and ready to go, the other two done arguing. While she hadn’t made Drake’s appointment official, she would, as soon as she knew the outcome of the battle at hand.Kit’s hip was still aching from where she cut it on the door earlier. Normally, she’d be able to mount Belle by herself, but with her leg torn up, she decided it would be easier to ask for help. Turning to Eli, she asked, “Will you give me a boost?”&ldq
Avinia had quite an entourage with her, including several wagons’ worth of food and water, clean clothes, a few weapons, and Armant with medical supplies. She’d enlisted some castle servants to drive the wagons, and as soon as they reached the remaining prisoners, they also helped the physician as he began to assess wounds and care for the sick and injured. Bea, his nurse who was also a faithful member of the revolt, was there to help as well.Kit wasn’t sure who to go to first. Both of her cousins, along with their husbands, dropped down from their horses, and Kit could see Avinia’s eyes searching for her through the crowd. But she also wanted to run to Drake and Danyen, who were bringing up the end of the line, along with Gavin, Asher, and a few of the other remaining Representatives.The men would have to wait. Avinia rushed over, embracing Kit quickly before she backed up. “You smell terrible.”“Thank you. I just sli