Page 49 of Nightingale

Rian repeated the motion and the man didn’t last long after the third time.

She jumped off the remainder, the soles of her feet aching as she could have waited a bit more before leaving the cliffside.

Rian panted heavily, shoving the man to the side and flipping his damp hair out of his gaze as he looked up at her. “You hesitated.”

“Can you blame me?” Vrea tucked a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear, her own exhaustion pooling hard. “But you’re alive so a thank you would be nice.”

Even in his tired state, he produced a light chuckle and shook his sweaty head as he returned to his full height with a brush of dirt off his knees. “Thank you, Vre.”

He laughed even harder as shock settled into her.

She regretted saving his life.

Twenty Four

Rian collected the spent arrows and individually placed them back in the quiver that she wordlessly handed to him, removing the bow from around her torso and hooking it back onto his horse’s saddle horn. Neither one of the mounts had been injured in the fighting, luckily. Only spooked.

The Prince gave her dagger back, wiping it free of blood beforehand on the shirt of one of the many men that sprawled out on the ground around them. It didn’t go unnoticed, a kind action that she hadn’t anticipated. Perhaps he’d been the one to polish them before returning them. It wouldn’t have surprised her now, to think of him sitting over the rag and oil as he meticulously worked them down. Someone had done it, and it made it easier to picture him. It certainly wasn’t Brioc, let alone Regulus, and definitely not Castil.

“Nice shooting, by the way. Your aim is impressive.” He complimented as he untethered Kohl and clicked his tongue for the horse to follow.

Vrea took hold of Onyx and caught up to him. “It was one of the things that Idris instructed me to do from a young age. We all learned how to handle ourselves, how to stay alive but Idris took charge when it came to it all. Our mother gave us some tips, showed us a few moves but for the most part she was occupied with the war and winning whatever she could. So Idris was the one who taught me, personally. He wanted to make sure that Iwas proficient in any form of war. My other brothers also helped me over the years. Fighting, spying, the art of the bedroom, sneaking into places I didn’t belong, picking locks. The list goes on and on.”

Rian started. “The art of thebedroom?”

There was no blush to be found if he was looking for it, nor would there be. Sex was sex. She’d had plenty of it before, tasting both sides of the spectrum as long as it got her into the places she needed to be. Vrea didn’t have a preference either, enjoying both genders as much as the other. She’d been on both ends too, receiving and giving and didn’t have a preference there, either.

“It’s just another form of espionage. Don’t get your underthings in a twist just because we’re talking about sex. It’s only natural, we all do it.” She scoffed at his astounded expression, and the bit of disgust she spotted as well. “I did what I had to do for my country, as have my brothers. They were all trained in the art as well, as we’re all treated like equals. I know of several incidents where Teminos has slipped into important beds for the sake of information.”

They would reach the end of the mountain pass within seven days, which meant that the Blackleg Caverns weren’t far off. Their caves capped off the range, which many travellers didn’t make it through. If the bandits and raiders didn’t wipe them out, then the monstrous spiders would have a good chance.

Rian slowed his gait so that he could walk beside her. He was taller than she was which meant that his pace was naturally quicker, but not as tall as Castil, by an inch or two. “Considering your mother is known far and wide for preferring you over your brothers, I don’t know that I would agree with the equality statement between siblings.”

She ran a hand back and forth along Onyx’s coat, patting twice as the mount leaned into it. “All parents have favourites. They can’t help it. In our case, it’s just a matter of life and death, isn’tit?”

“I suppose it is.” He said quietly. “But I don’t want to talk about killing our siblings, or each other.” He added the last part quickly, as if he knew the recesses of her mind and where it would head next.

“Then what do you want to talk about?”

It was nice to hold a conversation with him after all the time basking in quiet contemplation. It was a new border for them to cross, a step into the direction of friendly companionship instead of the fence-line of rivalry that they walked on a daily basis.

After saving his life, Vrea supposed she was owed a few back and forth sentences.

“You’ve piqued my interest in thisart of the bedroom.” He casually shrugged with a pinch of feigned innocence, “I think I need to know more about what that all entails.”

She scowled at him and instantly regretted saying anything about it. “No, you don’t.”

Even if she’d be considering crawling into his bedroll that night. That was something that she was still wrestling with.

“Your persistence only makes me want it more.” Rian hummed and admired the tall rocks that rose around them, forming the massive walls of mountains with a youthful expression that didn’t fit their current topic of discussion. “I suggest you just tell me and get it over with, otherwise I’ll pester you until you have no choice but to give up all the juicy details.”

Her sight caught on his tunic, on the red that was still staining through the chestnut fabric. He’d draped his azure coat over the saddle before the fight, and hadn’t put it back on. “You’re still bleeding.”

“Don’t try to distract me.” He scolded, pausing to look at her. “I want to know everything.”

“I’m not.” Vrea moved closer and pressed on his lower torso tosee how deep the wound was, earning an intake of agonised air in return. “This needs to be looked at if you have any intent on living.”

“Distractions, distractions.” Rian tsked, “So one moment you’re hesitating on saving my life because you think you want me dead, and now you’re set on making sure I live. What interesting changes of events these are.”

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