Page 34 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

The moment the cuff leaves my skin, a weight lifts from my shoulders, my strength flowing freely once more.

Blinking slowly, I study my arm. Surely, he must know what he’s done. If I truly was trying to escape, then removing the cuff is no different than a jailer leaving the door of a cell unlocked.

“Why?” I ask, looking up at him.

“With the troll… I almost put you in danger because of this.” Eyes fixed on my wrist, he exhales. “I’ll never do that again.”

Something takes hold of my chest, a tightness woven around my ribcage.

“Now, we’re ready to rejoin the others.” Releasing me, he turns his palm skyward in a gesture that encourages me forward.

Glancing at him, I make my way back to where we left the others with more energy in my stride. It’s farther back than I thought—I must have run more than I realized.

The others exchange curious looks when we rejoin them.

Savell, with his hands on his hips, and Ronan, his arms crossed, stand some distance away from the horses, on the outskirts of the group. They eye me, in particular, as if they fully expected Asheros to drag me back, kicking and screaming. Savell’s stare falls to my bare wrist, and controlled surprise lifts his brows. Closer to the center, Orim merely flashes me a warm smile and dips his head to Asheros. Kheldryn and Gryska finish tending to the horses, glancing up at Asheros and I when we approach.

“Are we set to depart?” Asheros asks coolly, as if nothing happened between us.

“We’re ready when you are.” Kheldryn nods, patting her mare’s back.

“What about resting?” Ronan asks, holding back a yawn.

“After the troll incident,” Asheros says, rubbing his temple, “it’s in our best interest to continue on. Orim,” he calls, looking over his shoulder at the golden-haired male. “How much farther?”

“At this pace, about another day’s worth,” Orim answers.

Asheros pauses, pursing his lips. “Then we’ll rest when we reach our destination, unless we have good reason to delay our arrival.”

He turns to me with his hand outstretched. “Are you ready?”

Staring at his open palm, I hesitate, still coming to terms with our unspoken truce, and then I take his hand. It’s warm in mine. “I’m ready.”

Asheros dips his head to me in acknowledgement, the hint of a smile pulling at his lips instead of that wicked smirk. “Good.”

He leads me to his horse and waits for me to get on. He doesn’t offer to help, nor does he automatically lift me up onto the horse’s back. He merely watches, looking for any sign indicating I might need assistance.

Of course, there are none. I’ve mounted a horse plenty of times. Still, his reaction is… different. Any other male would have assumed I required help or insisted upon it. Something about etiquette, or whatever.

Asheros mounts and adjusts the reins. The others position themselves atop their steeds, and once everyone is ready, Asheros ushers our horse forward. On the road, we ease into a steady pace. The others fall into formation behind us, two by two. Rather than ride in the center, we adhere to the road’s right side. Likely as a precaution, in the event we need to take cover in the woods.

The muffled sounds of voices behind us tell me that the others have begun talking amongst themselves, though Asheros and I remain silent. I debate keeping it that way, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

“You didn’t help me mount the horse,” I say.

Asheros glances at me, a pale brow raised. “Do you take issue with that?”

“No,” I add quickly. “I’m only mentioning it because you surprised me, is all.”

“The great Captain of the High King’s Guard surprised?” His voice lilts with amusement. “Perhaps we should have this moment recorded.”

“I haven’t forgotten my threat of punching you. There’s still time to make that a reality.”

He holds up his palms in surrender. “Please, save that for when I actually deserve it.”

I laugh. “That can be arranged.”

“In all seriousness, Bladesinger,” Asheros says, his shift in tone reflecting his words, “I didn’t want to force my help upon you. You clearly didn’t need it, and I thought it would have been insulting if I had.”

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