Page 64 of Scourged

“Will you turn us in, then? Will you alert the guards, or will you let us go?” Mariah was calmer than a summer’s day, but a hidden danger lurked beneath her words. Andrian shifted and knew his brothers did the same.

They had no desire to harm an unarmed woman, but they would do what they must to protect their queen.

Anniliese turned to them again, a swallow traveling down the thin column of her throat. Her gaze lingered on Andrian for a moment, a darkness shuttering behind her light brown eyes. She took another shaky inhale and looked back at Mariah.

“No. I won’t. I will be committing treason to my host, but … I won’t tell them you’ve gone, or that I saw you.”

Mariah cocked her head as if studying the young woman.

Sebastian fidgeted nervously beside her. “Mariah?—"

“Thank you, Lady Anniliese,” Mariah said and turned on her heel. She pushed back Sebastian, moving to Drystan and Quentin’s side before she paused and glanced once more over her shoulder.

“I understand why you feel you must stay. But stop letting these men run your life as if it wasn’t your own. You know, deep down, that isn’t what you want.”

Anniliese blinked, something like shame and surprise flashing across her face, before nodding once and turning with a twirl to her skirts, walking away to the castle.

The rest of them turned to face Mariah, who stood at their center. The star around which they orbited, the anchor holding them to earth. She had her face turned up to the sky, and Sebastian shifted, before darting a burning glare at Andrian.

He searched his mind, again, and was met only by blackness.

His queen might have stood her ground for him, but he feared his fellow Armature would be far harder to convince.

Mariah sighed, dropping her eyes from the sky. She turned to the forest, to the freedom and hope that awaited them there.

“Let’s go home, Armature.”

Chapter 25

They snuck across the frost-covered ground, the bare pads of Mariah’s feet burning against the chill, and all she could think was that they would be spotted. That Anniliese had lied.

That any moment, this happy reunion would come crashing down in a wave of blood and despair.

But her fears never came to fruition. Somehow, they reached the trees, Sebastian ushering them all into the cover of the thick brush. They ran several yards deeper, the impenetrable canopy above blocking the moonlight; Mariah tripped twice on a twisted tree root, caught both times by Quentin’s outstretched arms. They were guided only by instinct, intuition, and training.

And Rylla, the black cat’s shining hazel eyes seeing far better than theirs in the dark. Numb shock had rocked Mariah when Sebastian whispered an order to the feline, dull recognition sweeping through her.

After a few wild minutes, they stood in a small glade, panting into the cold night air.

Mariah waited for the horns and alarms to pierce the quiet darkness.

When they didn’t come, she began to worry.

That apprehension only grew as they walked deeper into the forest, the sound of the woods at night offering her little comfort. The glade opened into a full clearing, early wildflowers pushing up past the frost to dance in the moonlight. Seven horses waited there, saddled and ready. Mariah’s Armature leaped into action, checking cinches and swinging into saddles. Mariah lingered a few feet away, staring at the seventh and final horse.

And Andrian, who stood beside it.

She was aware of him. Achingly,painfullyaware of him. It was like it always was after the bond, but exponentially heightened. She didn’t know if it was because their bond was so new or if it was something she would not—could not—think about, but energy pulsed and raced between them on a current that made the hair on her arms stand on end.

Staring at that final horse, and despite the deep, ripping pull coursing through her veins … she couldn’t do it.

Every part of her body wanted to be near him, to touch him … but her battered soul screamed in agony at the thought.

Her magic snapped and bit beneath her skin, but with gritted teeth, she turned herself away from him. Walked in the other direction, to the other side of the clearing.

Where Feran stood beside his horse, his open face watching her with a curious, heartbreakingly sympathetic expression. She stopped in front of him, meeting his dark stare.

“Can I ride with you?”

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