Page 10 of Crown of Iron
“Shit, Elle. Can you ride?”
My ears prickle at the steady crunching of leaves from behind us. Leif meets my gaze with wide eyes, and I pull myself onto Nortus with asharp intake of air. “I don't have a choice.”
Leif mounts his brown horse and flashes a mischievous smile. “Try to stay in the saddle this time.”
I release a breath, sending the hair plastered to my forehead billowing around my face. “Stop gloating and lead the way out of here, so I can pluck these damn things from my leg.”
“And then I'm taking you home.”
I open my mouth to disagree, but promptly snap it shut and steer my horse behind his. There’s no use in starting a fight until we're somewhere safe. We tend to bump heads with matters such as this and have argued our points well into the night. Leif may think he is taking me home, but I'll kick his ass before I turn my back on what I set out to do.
Four
With my face turned to the late morning sky, I concentrate on the babbling brook Nortus and Leif's horse drink from. The sharp edges of a boulder I'm perched upon dig into my palms and the back of my thighs. My boots and leather pants lay discarded next to the water, leaving me in a flimsy pair of lace undergarments and my tunic. The sharp end of a knife nicks just below my hip and I jump with a whimper.
“Hold still,” Leif demands, placing a hand on my knee.
“I will if you quit stabbing me.”
“If you didn't feel compelled to take on outlanders, I wouldn't be trying toremovethorns from your ass.” He catches a thorn between the edge of the blade and his thumb and rips it out. “Tell me you're not following me back to Basecamp, Elle. You know they're going to send you home the minute they find out who you are.”
I dig my fingernails into the stone, curl my toes in the tall green grass, and squeeze my eyes shut. We fall silent for minutes, and as he pulls each jagged point from my skin, I breathe in through my nose and out of my mouth. The rhythmic intake of air helps to calm my nerves and restore my resolve.
“Then don't tell them who I am. No one knows what I look like there. Most of the soldiers don’t go farther than the village just outside ofcamp according to Papa,” I say through gritted teeth as he pries another thorn from my flesh.
“That’s true, but I don’t understand exactly what you plan to accomplish.”
“I think if they know that my father is being held against his will that the soldiers will rally together to save him.”
He shakes his head as he looks over my irritated skin. “You think you’re just going to walk in there and tell them what you believe about your father, and they’re just going to believe you?Andyou’re not going to tell them you’re the future queen or Abrum’s daughter. It doesn't work like that, Elle. These people work as a unit and don’t trust many outside the military. You have to earn their trust.”
I twitch under his hold as he pries out another barbed spike. “Then I’ll do whatever I can to earn their trust.”
“You can't be seri?—”
“I am. I know it won’t be long before Micah comes looking for me but let me use that short time to make my case. I need to know that they’re actively looking for him, and I want to help if I can.”
“You've lost your mind,” Leif mumbles, running his hand over the side of my leg.
I cringe when he pats the bizarre scar on my outer thigh. The flower-shaped skin has always made me feel self-conscious. It shimmers like an opal in the sun and is rough to the touch. I cover the damaged skin with my palm and cross my legs.
He sits back in the grass across from me. “You don’t think the soldiers have thought about getting him back? We’re talking about their leader. This situation with your father hasn’t been easy for them either.”
“I don't know about that. He has been gone for a year. If I was in their position, he would be home already. Besides, I’m not looking to lead them. I just want to help.”
“That's good to know because their loyalty to his second in command won't be swayed.”
“Perfect. I'll need the new general's help too.”
I'm in no position to lead an army, but I want to help. They need to see that their missing general has a family who wants him home and will do anything to see that happen. All I want is to motivate them and hopefully be a part of the forces who bring him home. My father would go to the ends ofthe five kingdoms for me, and I’ll do the same for him.
With a puff of air that sends his hair fluttering from his forehead, Leif says, “I should take you home.”
“You wouldn't do it against my will.”
He quirks his lips and says, “I'm your future husband.”
“I'm your future queen. I win.”
