“Are they still alive?”
She smiled. “Yes. And still an Escort, too.”
He licked his lips. “How… how do you trust them?”
It was another minute before she said, “They were backed into a corner with no good choices, but they did the right thing in the end. I trust they will make the right choice again.”
“But they could try again. What if they find the choice to be impossible next time?”
She gestured at Vern. “By that logic, anyone could turn on me. Should I trust no one?”
Castien scowled and rubbed the side of his head. “This is different.”
She leaned forward. “It doesn't have to be. We will find a way to fix this. I promise, Castien.”
He nodded slowly. One way or another, they would fix it.
Anais
Three days out of the capital, they traveled on the open road. Riding through grass was too slow. They had turned west half a day to throw off pursuit, and every hour without sighting a soldier made it more likely they had escaped.
There had also been no sign of the prince. She'd set his horse loose after meeting with her Escorts. Akeramians bred horses for show rather than practicality, and the prince had seemed attached to his mount. Perhaps the peace offering would dull the man's irritation.
Sparse trees lined a river ahead. They veered toward it to water their mounts.
Jerome scanned the other side of the river. At her nod, he went in search of a crossing. The rest of them guided their horses down the bank.
While taking the reins of Jerome’s horse, she caught her father frowning at the Escort’s splinted arm. She held Vern back for a moment. “He’ll heal. We'll protect him.”
Vern's scowl deepened. “We are the ones who should be protecting you.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “He fights just as well with his left.”
“Which means he should use two weapons. We have plenty. But he can’t. Because, instead of waiting for the change of guard or scouting or any practical preparation, we charged in blindly, and now he is a liability. You are injured. I am not indestructible. Do you understand that you are my only priority?”
She had been waiting for this. Vern had kept the peace longer than expected. “Of course, Father. But we all made it. We’ll be fine.”
His jaw clenched, and he turned to watch the trees on the far bank. “Until we walk into the palace, and Satryani hands over your bracelet, I disagree.”
She winced internally. Steeling her voice, she said, “When we reach the border–”
A dagger appeared in his hand, and his head turned sharply to the right. Her gaze followed. Castien and the others had made their way to the water, but that wasn’t what had alarmed Vern. There was movement in the trees. Not Ash; the wolf had followed Castien.
Her sword was in her hand as she called down, “Pelios, ‘ware above! Castien, Zara, stay there!”
Vern was already gone, a corner of his cloak whipping the air as he ducked through the trees. He would want her to stay with the horses. She’d be safer in case of arrows, and she moved slower with her leg wound.
In light of his lecture, she allowed him a few seconds to gain the attention of their assailants. But he should have known she wouldn’t let him fight alone.
She threw the horses’ reins around a tree and ran. Pelios was still scrambling up the hill. Shouts rang out up ahead. A cry of pain. That was fast. More shouts, some distant. She quickened her steps.
The first person Anais saw was a woman with long hair braided down her back. She crouched beside a tree, a short sword in her hand as she stared out to the east. She didn’t even turn in time to defend herself.
The Queen’s sword casually stabbed through the woman’s throat. Choking and clutching her wound, the corpse hit the ground. On passing, Anais noted ragged and mismatched armor. Brigands, mercenaries, or poorly equipped local militia. The nearest castle was an hour to the west. A frayed yellow and black ribbon wrapped the dead woman’s upper arm. Militia. Too many to be a patrol. They'd run across another feud, likely.
Drantar was not plagued by rats like these. Once again, she was doing Yelena a favor.
The next two managed to draw their swords before they fell. Clearing the rats would be easy if there weren't so many of them. Shouting came from all around. She stepped from tree to tree, hoping to avoid an arrow in the back. A bow hadn't been used yet, but–
