I nodded, nerves in bundles at the thought of this entire endeavor. Especially after everything that had transpired with the seafolk, with the trident, which the sea king had taken. I trusted him with it. He was a fair man, a reasonable one, and he wouldn’t misuse it. He promised to keep it safe, hidden, until the courts were ready to convene and figure out what to do with such a powerful object.
Bastian shoved his boot into the stirrup of the black horse and swung himself up. He held out his hand toward me. “Ready, love?”
I crossed my arms. “What makes you think I’m riding with you?”
“Well, shorty certainly won’t,” he said as Leoni was already mounting the brown horse. “And I don’t think Driscoll would be interested either.”
Driscoll shrugged. “I mean, I could be persuaded.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Driscoll brushed past me. “Just want to see what all the fuss is about,” he murmured.
Bastian narrowed his gaze at me. “You can’t be serious.”
I bit back a smile. “I think it’s perfect. You two will get along great. Driscoll has many wonderful stories to tell to make the journey go faster.”
“Bloody hell,” Bastian mumbled as Driscoll swung himself up and settled in front of the pirate lord.
“He’s got a strong grip,” Driscoll said as Bastian just groaned.
Even Leoni was smiling as I joined her on our brown horse and we began our journey toward Queen Liliath’s castle.
Driscoll lastedall of thirty minutes before Bastian pushed him off the horse, making the ambassador yell out and startling our brown mare, who rose onto her haunches, whinnying and almost causing Leoni and me to fall off.
“You got my shirt covered in dirt,” Driscoll whined from the ground.
“I can’t do it,” Bastian said. “I cannot listen to another minute of gossip from the earth court.”
“That was grade-A gossip,” Driscoll said, clearly offended.
I rolled my eyes, hopping off my horse.
“What are you doing?” Leoni hissed.
I gestured to Bastian. “Do you want to ride with him?”
Leoni stayed silent.
“That’s what I thought. It’s fine. It’s a short journey to the castle.” I stomped over to Bastian’s horse, and he held out his hand, a gleam in his eyes as he helped me mount. His large, warm hand swallowed my own, and I had to work to not think about the ways that hand had touched me just days ago in Porth.
I settled in front of Bastian, and he brought his arms around me to grab the reins, his hard chest pressed up against my back. Warmth pooled between my legs, and I clenched my thighs tighter around the horse.
Behind us, Driscoll got onto the horse with Leoni, whose face was growing stonier by the minute.
Wisps of hair escaped my braid, falling over my forehead, but Bastian reached out and brushed them aside, his fingers trailing so softly over my skin. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Every damn movement the pirate lord made caused a reaction in my body.
The horses trotted in a line down a dirt road that cut through the forest, carrying humans and elementals alike, hundreds here for the big wedding. A mixture of blackened tree stumps and towering trees rose up on either side of us. The sun sliced through the canopies overhead, providing some warmth from the chilly air as we delved deeper into the forest.
A waterfall crashed down in the distance, barely visible through the thick leaves, but I could see the rocks surrounding the falls, covered with moss. Vines hung between trees in a heavy curtain with beautiful pink and purple flowers growing from them.
Everywhere I looked color sprang from the earth: scarlet-red rose bushes, wisteria hanging in droves from branches, a type of yellow flower I didn’t recognize with a bright pink center. The sea would always be my favorite view, but I had to admit, I loved the lushness of Liliath’s court. She and her people took a lot of pride in their home, and I could tell how hard they’d worked to rebuild it.
“Well, I certainly haven’t won over your friend,” Bastian said in my ear, and I looked to see Leoni gazing daggers at him.
“Hm.” I put a finger to my chin. “I wonder why. Could it have anything to do with you kidnapping our boys and taking themto the shadow court? Or maybe it’s how you’re keeping secrets from us? Or maybe it’s?—”
“Alright, love, I get it.”
