Page 54 of Ruled By Magic

“Thanks.” I shivered at the mention of the cold. The frigid air bit into me. “Everything happened so fast, there wasn’t time to think about clothes. It’s always warm in the palace.”

Hex studied me, frowning, and I saw her register the short skirt, thin blouse, and lack of bra. I pulled the hem lower and shrugged the jacket on.

She looked at the ground for a moment, took a breath, then met my eyes. Rage rolled off her. “That’s how he makes you dress, isn’t it? To humiliate you, so you have to walk around looking like—” The unspoken phrase rang clear.

Like his whore.

Shame welled in me. In front of Hex, Leo’s insistence on the skimpy outfits seemed even more tawdry and cruel. And my meek acceptance of it, pathetic. I looked down, away from her furious gaze.

Hex spat on Leo. “I’d have killed him myself, if I were you.” She trained the torch on me again. “We’ve got defenses set up against predators, so you’ll be safe. Just don’t move. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She disappeared into the trees.

I slumped down beside Leo to wait and checked his breathing. As I shone the link-up over him, a large black beetle scurried up his face from the leaf litter.

Foul fucking thing!

I swatted it and pulled his head up onto my lap, ran my hand through his hair. “It’ll be okay. I’m trying.”

Even my whisper sounded loud in the silent forest. What else crawled around out here? The next half hour was my worst nightmare brought to life. Bugs scuttled over me, over Leo. I smacked them away, and my whole body itched. I imagined pincers in my hair, legs skittering under my clothes. By the time voices approached, I was clammy with sweat despite the cold.

Four people appeared. Hex, another woman, and two men. They crowded in, torches trained on us. The smaller of the men, slim and past middle age with close-cropped brown hair, crouched and scrutinized Leo. He looked up at the others. “It’s definitely him.”

He shone the torch into my eyes. I screwed them up against the blinding light as Hex snapped, “Watch it, Peter!”

He lowered the beam. “She’s got his initials on her face, just like in the circulars.” He addressed me. “Tell me what happened, start to finish. Don’t bullshit me, I’ll know.”

I detailed the attack. The four listened in silence, then, at a gesture from Peter, walked to the side of the clearing to converse. Peter must be the leader. What was Hex mixed up in? I ran my hand through Leo’s hair, his head a dead weight in my lap. Would Hex have enough influence with this group to keep us safe?

They returned.

“Here are the terms,” said Peter. “We’ll let you both into our camp and keep you alive until he recovers. Once he wakes up and agrees to this deal, we’ll tell you what we know about the palace attack. In return, he’ll organize pardons for all of us. I’ll leave the details of that up to him, but he’ll not get any information until I’ve taken them to a courthouse myself and had them verified. That means no blabbing to Liv either, Hex. I’ll be watching you.”

“You can trust her! She wouldn’t say anything to him.”

“Really?” The woman spoke, and I looked at her properly for the first time. Tall and thin, with sharp cheekbones and dark hair pulled into a severe ponytail. Younger than Peter. Late thirties? “They seem pretty cozy if you ask me.”

I flinched. “There were bugs, big ones, crawling on his face. It was disgusting.” A poor excuse. The group regarded me in silence. I looked down.

“It makes no difference,” said Peter. “No one says anything, to him or Liv. And if either of you step out of line, Damien will deal with you.” He gestured to the big man, well over six feet tall and thickly muscled, with blond hair hanging round his ears. He rolled his eyes at me with a brief smile. It took some of the sting from Peter’s words.

What had they been in prison for?

Peter’s voice softened. “Right, let’s get you back to camp. Damien, bring our great and powerful leader, please.”

The burly man snorted and picked Leo up in a fireman’s lift as if he weighed nothing. I scrambled to my feet, brushed the dirt from my clothes and skin, and fell into step beside Hex. “This is Atalie,” said Hex. “Atalie, meet Liv.”

The thin woman gave me a sidelong glance and a smile. “Hi, Liv. It’ll be nice to have another girl around here.” She lengthened her strides to catch up with the men.

“She’s pretty good fun once you get to know her. She was my cellmate in prison.” Hex muttered under her breath. “It’s how I got out. I threatened to shout for the guards if they didn’t take me with them when they escaped. Damien’s nice, and Peter’s the only reason I’m still alive. They’re a decent bunch.”

None of this seemed real. I was out of the palace, with Hex. A part of me was sure I’d wake up in Leo’s cluttered bedroom, the blankets twisted around us. Did the room exist anymore, or had it been blown up? Things already felt different on the outside. What would happen when he woke up? If he did.

Hex reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t look so worried, you’re safe now.”

I nodded. We were alive. It was a start.

Electric floodlights bathed the camp in bright illumination, chasing away the shadows of the forest. Four large, sturdy tents sat arrayed around a fire, and a separate, smaller structure stood off to one side.

“Toilet and washing facilities.” Hex pulled a face of exaggerated disgust. “We had to dig a pit. At least we have a solar shower.”

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