Page 35 of Seven Ways to Kill a King
Miri felt her mouth go dry and saw the stillness in Cass’s shoulders. Hugh was lying for them—or possibly to spite the kingsmen.
“Asking a woman in the woods to disrobe.” Gingertsked.
The kingsman’s gaze snapped to hers. “Do you question an order of the king?”
The stillness spread through the clearing then as each of them understood the threat.
The kingsman with the torch pressed it toward Cass, forcing him to either step back or act against the man. Cass pressed back toward Miri, but she stepped to the side. She would not watch a single one of her group die on her account.
The torch came closer. “Do we have sympathizers among us?” the kingsman purred.
Miri could feel the interest in his tone and his desire to fight. She could taste a thousand more satisfying responses, but all that came was a cold “The queen is dead.”
The kingsman with the torch did not let his gaze stray, but Miri’s words were for the nearest on horseback. He was the head of their little gang, and he would be the one she went for first. If they killed five kingsmen, she wasn’t certain how far they would get. As she stood facing the torchlight, she wasn’t certain she cared.
Cass’s hand shifted on the dagger, as if he knew she was about to cross a line. The kings would discover their missing men. Miri’s time in the shadows was nearly up.
The nearest on horseback stared at Miri, his patience evidently up. He reached for his sword, a deadly-looking thing with a bear-carved pommel, but a sudden sharp call came from the trees. It was followed by shouting, and the kingsmen waiting near the trees drew their animals to face the oncoming threat.
But it was not a threat. From the trees came another kingsman, tall and thin. “The girl,” the newcomer shouted. His hand shifted in an odd gesture, one Miri had seen before. “She’s been found. King’s orders to bring her in.”
Miri’s gaze returned to the kingsman on horseback. He was watching her face. Miri supposed it was fortunate he’d not been watching Cass instead. She waited for the kingsman to say, “Take her,” and it all to be over. He seemed to be considering just such a thing. But he had received an order. The king’s word took precedence.
“Go,” the kingsman ordered his men, giving Miri a final look that made her feel as if there were nothing final about it at all.
The torch was tossed carelessly at Miri’s feet, and as a blanket caught fire, Cass kicked the stick away and stomped the flame. The kingsmen disappeared into the trees.
“We should move.” Hugh was suddenly between Cass and Miri, his voice low, tone severe. “They’ll be back.”
Ginger shifted closer. “They found her. Whoever they were looking for.”
Hugh’s dark eyes were on the trees. “They don’t need reason to kill or take captive. Not when sorcerers pay for blood.”
They would be back. Because Miri was still free and the girl had not been found. Her gaze met Cass’s. The kingsmen would be back, because the newcomer who’d drawn them off had been Terric. Not a kingsman at all.
* * *
Ginger rushed through the camp,rolling their gear in a hasty mess as Hugh tied it to the horses. Miri laced her boots where she had stood, her hands trembling, and Cass knelt beside her, placing her dagger onto the ground at her side.
“Keep it close,” he warned. “We need to get into the forests of Ironwood.” Before the kingsmen were back on their trail, he meant. Terric had given Cass a warning. Miri didn’t know what it meant.
“Dawn,” he said, answering the unspoken question.
It was how long they had. Every moment would count.
Cass moved to gather her sword then shoved their blankets into a pack. He was tossing Miri astride Wolf before she had a chance to so much as think, but it was not a situation to ponder. It was a time to run.
Chapter 20
They rode hard through the darkness, their legs and the horses damp with dew as the sun rose and the light of dawn peered through the trees in a hazy orange glow. Summer heat was soon upon them, drying the damp and forcing the buzzing gnats and biting flies into the shadow of the trees. Then Miri and Cass were also within those shadows, their trails disappearing through thick brush and over patches of rock. They’d made it, for the time being, and relief swelled with exhaustion to steal the tension from Miri’s limbs.
Hugh and Ginger had been quiet, either anxious about meeting the kingsmen again or sensing the tension in Miri and Cass. But by late afternoon, Hugh drew his horse to a stop, suggesting that a break and some food would do them all well. He did not build a fire.
As Miri stretched her legs, Ginger approached with a proffered waterskin. “Are you well, Bean?” Miri glanced up at the woman, and Ginger explained, “I can see that you’re strong. That doesn’t mean we all didn’t have a fright.”
“Yes,” Miri said. “I appreciate the concern, but I am well.”
Ginger squinted at her for a moment before apparently deciding Miri spoke the truth. She gestured for Miri to hold out her hands then poured water over Miri’s palms. As Miri rinsed her hands, Ginger splashed her own face with the cool water then shook her head briskly with a noise of relief. “It isn’t safe on the trail these days, but I cannot say it’s any safer inside the kingdoms. Not when even behind the walls, you run into the king’s dogs searching for blood.”
