Page 34 of Scourged

Kiira shot her sister a glare. "We told you," she said. "We may change forms, but we remain human, in all the ways that count."

Delaynie’s pale blue eyes watched the Kreah sisters, her brow wrinkled.

"What do you think, Del?" Ciana asked.

Delaynie was silent for a moment, before turning to Ciana. "I don't like the idea of giant cats roaming the streets, but … they're right. We're accomplishing nothing this way. If it means we might learn something useful, then perhaps we should try."

Kiira nodded, a short bob of her head. "I'm glad you both got to venture into the city, though," she said. "You needed to see what it was like down here. How the people are feeling. It is impossible to govern without knowing such things."

"Try telling that to Sebastian," Ciana mumbled under her breath.

She hadn't meant to say it, not really. But the thought slipped past her lips unimpeded, just loud enough for Kiira to lift her lips in a gentle smile.

"Don't fault the Armature too much," Kiira said. "He is good at what he does, but they are not rulers; they are guardians.And sometimes, a ruler must place herself in danger for the betterment of the realm."

"I’m not a ruler," Ciana said. That ball of anxiety was back and building, a weight on her chest constricting her lungs and hammering in her heart.

Was that what she was to become if they couldn't get Mariah back? A regent over a failing kingdom, waiting desperately for twenty-one years to pass so a new queen could rise? And if the magic failed before then, if they lost everything…

Ciana had thought the idea of grappling with the loss of her best friend, her queen, terrible enough. She couldn't stomach thinking about this sort of ruinous fate, too.

Kiira leaned out of her saddle, placing a hand on Ciana's arm. "Of course, you're not a ruler, Ciana. And gods willing, you never will have to be. But this city needs you now, and when she is back, your queen will need you, too." The Kreah woman removed her hand from Ciana and slid from her saddle. She handed the reins to Ciana, just as Rylla handed hers to Delaynie.

"Do not panic if we are not back tonight. Sometimes, the best information is only learned at night. Trust that if we learn something, you will be the first we tell."

Ciana and Delaynie nodded in unison, just as a flash of pale blue light filled the afternoon street.

On massive, silent paws, the two cats—one black, one spotted gold—melted off into the shadows of the city, vanishing from view.

"I don't think I’ll ever get used to that." Delaynie ran a hand over her auburn hair, smoothing the sleek waves before fidgeting with a delicate necklace at her throat.

Me, neither. Ciana rolled her shoulders, forcing the tension in her gut to settle. She again glanced towards the Bay, and then back to the castle.

She'd been trying to avoid it all day, but … gods, Sebastian would be furious with them for leaving.

But they had to try. To see for themselves. To do something more than just sit around the palace in their cashmere sweaters, waiting for a miracle.

Ciana gripped the reins of Kiira's horse before pressing her heels against Keely's flank. The gray mare started into a walk, slowly heading back the way they'd come. The steady clop of hooves behind her told her that Delaynie followed.

Neither girl spoke as they meandered back up the streets. Inquisitive and suspicious eyes from behind curtained windows pricked at Ciana’s skin. Her hands grew clammy, and sweat beaded her brow as they wandered up the streets.

Exposed. Vulnerable. That was how she felt. They'd slipped out without a City Guard to accompany them—mostly to avoid alerting Sebastian—but now Ciana wished desperately for that feeling of safety a guard would have offered.

Feeling vulnerable reminded Ciana of how she used to feel in that terrible house, where her stepbrother used to play his games. And she hated it.

The brown cobblestones of the market district gave way to the gold sandstone of the mountain district. The buildings shifted from shops into residences, vendor shops replaced by taverns and inns.

One such inn caught Ciana's eye. She'd noticed it on their way down, and seeing the reminder now settled some of the turmoil in her gut, calming a bit of her racing heart.

She turned to Delaynie. "In the mood for a drink?"

Delaynie started before glancing past Ciana at the inn on the corner. A knowing look filled her expression as she read the sign, smiling softly as she nodded. "A drink sounds great."

So, the two girls deposited the four horses with a ruddy-faced stable hand and pushed through the solid birch doors of The Silver Moon.

The tavern was warm,a fire roaring in the great hearth, and was entirely empty.

Empty … save for the silver-haired barkeep standing behind a polished and waxed mahogany bar, fastidiously wiping a glass with a cloth rag.

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