Page 52 of Court of Secrets and Flames

He staggers forward with a curse. Twisting around, he claws at the arrow protruding from the side of his back.

Footsteps echo in the distance.

“You bitch,” he snarls. “I’ll be back, and then you’ll regret the day you were born.”

Despite the arrow still jutting out from his body, he takes off and disappears into the trees.

As the adrenaline fades, I start to tremble and lower myself in a crouch beside the fallen guard. The first person who showed me any kindness in Tirene lies dead, and I was powerless to prevent it. He has a family, a wife and children whose lives will change forever.

They’ll be devastated.

Footfalls grow louder, and four guards race down the cobblestone path. Agnar is the only one I recognize.

He kneels beside me, assessing me for injuries. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Zale is…he’s…dead. Someone tried to kidnap me.” I point to the trees that border the eastern edge of the gardens, beyond the mossy stone walls. “He ran off that way.”

As the other guards search for my attacker, I catch a glimpse of a man along the tree line. He’s not close enough for me to discern his features, but the object in his hand is unmistakable.

A bow.

“Agnar, look. That man…I think he saved me.”

The guard follows my gaze, but the mysterious man has disappeared.

Chapter Sixteen

Zale’s death and my failed abduction manage to put Knox and his brother into complete accord for once. The king instructs Knox and his men to hunt for our attacker, and when they return to the castle frustrated and empty-handed, both brothers form a unified front in the king’s War Council room and insist that a guard accompany me at all times.

When I protest the loss of my newfound freedom, the king offers me a commiserating glance. “I understand that reassigning you a full-time guard isn’t what you want, but your safety is of the upmost importance. I was remiss in letting that slide. It’s not far-fetched to think someone with a grudge related to the monarchy might try to use you against me.”

Knox’s reply is a lot less polite. “Don’t be pigheaded about this. We’re not about to put your life at risk just because you’re acting like a brat.”

He crosses his arms over his chest as if daring me to fight, which, game on. The man just called me pig-headed and a brat, for Ziva’s sake. How he expected any other outcome will remain an unsolved mystery.

Jasper’s eyebrows shoot up. “Knox,” he chides, “is that any way to speak to the first dragoncaller in generations? Lark is Tirene’s treasure.”

The warmth the king directs at me causes Knox to stiffen. The change is almost imperceptible but spending hours watching and getting up-close-and-personal with this man means I’m more in tune with him than most.

Usually, I side with him regarding the king.

Not tonight. Tonight, aggravation cranks up my evil side. “Yeah, Prince Knox. Is that any way to talk to Tirene’s treasure?”

From the frigid glare he aims my way, I’m lucky my body doesn’t freeze into an iceberg on the spot.

Jasper’s gaze travels back and forth between the two of us before pausing on me. “Did the two of you argue like this when he was your instructor at Flighthaven?”

We answer in unison. “Yes.”

“Hmm.” As the king cocks his head and rocks back on his heels, my stomach plummets and regret squeezes my throat.

Stupid. Why did I open my big mouth just to taunt Knox like that? The last thing I want is to give away our past relationship by treating my supposed instructor with too much familiarity.

Knox is right. Iamacting like a brat.

I need to fix this. “We got off on the wrong foot at our very first meeting, when I first arrived on campus. I bumped into him, and he immediately started giving me crap about the fact that I was wearing a dress. He even told me we didn’t have time for tea parties.”

When Knox’s mouth twitches, I wonder if he’s remembering that first charged encounter too.

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