Page 22 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

I tilt my head back to keep my eyes on his, his crystalline irises bearing into mine. The intensity of his gaze makes me feel utterly exposed, like he’s seeing right through me. Though, as much as I know I should, I don’t look away.

I can’t look away.

Heat dances down my skin, intensifying the longer I hold his stare.

“They’re here!” a voice calls.

More hooves follow, coming to a stop upon approach.

Finally tearing his gaze from mine, Asheros looks past me. I hesitate for a moment, and then I turn around.

Savell reaches us first, effortlessly sliding down from his steed. Ronan, Kheldryn, Gryska, and Orim trail behind him, dismounting their horses to join him.

Savell’s brow stays furrowed with worry. “What drew you off the road?”

“Illnamoorean guards,” Asheros says, a casually cool edge to his voice. As if he has everything completely under control.

But Savell doesn’t seem convinced. “How close were you to being discovered?”

Asheros gives him a relaxed shrug. “I doubt they knew we were here.”

Crossing my arms, I let out a snort. “That’s not true, and you know it.”

Savell glances at me, and then back at Asheros. “We’ll need to be cautious until we reach our destination.”

Asheros makes a point not to look at me, confusion working at his brow. “Of course,” he muses, agreeing with Savell. “Let’s not linger, then.”

Savell nods, and then re-mounts his horse. The others do the same.

Asheros takes his stallion’s reins with one hand. Giving me a mock bow of his head, he gestures to the steed with his free hand. “After you.”

I roll my eyes, but I get on.

Asheros lifts himself onto the horse’s back and sits behind me. Though he’s still close to me, given the nature of our situation, he leaves more distance between us this time.

I should be glad. Being enveloped by him was only a distraction.

But I’m not. The air between our bodies is cold compared to his warmth. And I find myself wanting it back.

Why would I crave this closeness when I’ve never needed anyone before?

Focus, Lymseia, I urge myself, purging the thought from my mind. It doesn’t matter. I won’t let myself be distracted. Especially not by a male, of all things. Ceren taught me better than that.

As if he’s somehow aware of my thoughts, Asheros takes a breath. Then, flicking the reins, he leads us out of the woods and back onto the road. Savell and the others fall in line behind us.

Asheros doesn’t speak to me as we ride. I don’t speak to him, either.

And I intend to keep it that way.

Chapter Seven

We ride well into nightfall.

The deeper into the Steel Court we travel, the thicker the forests become. Lush greenery lines the road, the forest floor on either side of us covered in a dense blanket of ferns, shrubbery, and multi-colored red, orange, and yellow toadstools of mismatched heights. The trees are taller here, looking as if they could touch the stars that light our path. Patches of moss and lichen cling to the tree trunks, leaving only flecks of bark visible through the growth.

Memories of these woods from my childhood come back to me in fragments. Given my mother’s position as Head of House, it was rare that we left Illnamoor. While the forests were visible from within the city walls, they were far enough away that I couldn’t explore them as much as I had wanted to.

But despite that, there were times my sister Vestella and I would accompany my mother and father on visits to the Wynterliffean mine, to the south. Named for my bloodline, the mine is the largest producer of steel within the Steel Court’s borders.

---