Page 146 of Artemysia
She adjusts a twist in my leathers and buckles my sword on my hips.
“Us against the world, right?” I snap on an extra set of knives across her chest. “In our case, it’s actually true.”
She nods once. “Us against the world.”
I plant a quick kiss on her forehead. “Burn it or save it. We’ll do it together.”
“Together.” She grasps my hand, and I lock my fingers tightly with hers.
At the same time, I unsheathe my sword, she draws her blade, and we throw open the double doors of our bedroom.
“I’m not leaving you no matter what.” - Riev
Feet thunder on the staircase below, alerting us that the guards have been summoned to the bedroom Riev and I left behind. I fumble Toryl’s key in my shaking hands and find the keyhole behind the prince’s portrait. The prince is complicated, but so am I, and ultimately, he’s still learning and wants to do what is right.
There’s hope for North Kingdom.
Even more important, there’s now hope for South Kingdom if we can make it back to Artemysia and alert the Syf to the poisoned river.
The passageway leads to a winding staircase that spits us out into an underground tunnel, with roots tickling my head and the loamy scent of earth filling my lungs as Riev and I run. We dart down the straight channel, ducking our heads until the path ends at a door above us.
I push the trapdoor open, and loose hay and dried elk droppings fall on us. I’m greeted with the low grunts and bellows of surprised elk as Riev gives me a leg up.
We must be in an auxiliary stable outside of the estate grounds. There’s no time to tack up—we’ll have to ride bareback. We choose elk based on those excited by our presence, but without signs of nervousness. The sleepy ones will need convincing to run, and the frightened ones will throw us off.
“We’ll ride south, but away from the East River, or we might run into rabid Syf,” I inform Riev. “If we get separated, don’t stop. Keep heading to Artemysia.”
“I’m not leaving you no matter what,” he replies in his usual gruff way. He’s completely unruffled, and it calms me that he isn’t panicking.
“I thought you’d say that, but if we lure them into the forest and separate them, we might have a better chance at escaping.”
Riev lifts me onto a Starry Elk, chosen for speed, and swings himself onto a Rock Elk before drawing his sword.
Once we’re mounted, the exit to the barn swings open. Two slender figures stand in our way, blocking our escape.
A young lady holds a crossbow unsteadily. The young man beside her raises a syringe.
“We thought you might sneak out this way,” the girl says, her periwinkle eyes darting from Riev to me.
“Sylvi,” Riev calls out, his voice tight. He shifts his elk forward, placing himself in the line of fire. “Don’t shoot. What are you doing here?”
“Stop moving. You’re a Syf spy after all.” Sylvi points her crossbow at us, then shifts her aim toward Riev.
“Kye, don’t let your sister do this,” Riev implores.
Kye doesn’t answer but grips the syringe, straight-faced.
Sylvi. Kye. The twins who drugged Riev, to take advantage of him.
Riev, who held back when it came to sex. Who wanted his first time to be with someone who meant something to him. He waited to be with someone he cared for, someone who cared for him in return.
They were going to force themselves on him.
Rage explodes in me, but I generously allow them one chance.
“You don’t know what you’re doing. This is your first and only warning. Get out of our way,” I grit out between clenched jaws.
Sylvi switches her stance, stepping sideways around Riev, and aimsthe crossbow at my chest.
