Page 20 of Of Serpents and Ruins
"Satisfied?" Kine asked Hord.
Hord nodded, hands still braced on his braided belt. "Don't know that it'll be enough for the advisers, but it's good enough for me." He dipped his head in my direction. "Good to see you again, Stella. Or do you prefer I call you Your Majesty?"
Your Majesty? Right…
I blinked, shaking my head. Brandt was a king. He was my husband. I was a queen, if that Candy hadn't displaced me. Another pang of jealousy twisted in my gut. Still, being called queen didn't settle well with me. It felt off.
"Just call me Stella." That name sounded right. It always had.
"Stella then." He grinned, but his smile faded as he glanced up at the moons. "I assume Brandt would want you safe in the palace, especially after what's been happening with the factions."
"I don't know anything about factions, and I have lots of questions," I said, still stroking Buttercup's snout. "But Brandtwanted me to go to Auntie Runa's. He said that before he changed."
His name was strange on my tongue.
"Yes, it's the safest place for her," Kine said, and Elias nodded. "Please. We must keep her return as quiet as possible. We don't need more assassination attempts. The Master of Sight was Stella's mentor instructor for years before she became queen. She will make sure she's safe, and we need her counsel."
"Very well, but hurry. It sounds like it's taking longer to kuvaste Brandt into a quieter place. His energy is even more elevated than the first time the curse manifested." Hord sighed as an especially loud bellow tore through the air, and Buttercup shook her head. "If we don't find a way to end this curse…" He shrugged as if not wanting to finish that statement. "Well, if we don't get answers soon, it won't make a difference. We'll all be dead."
STELLA
My head was swimming with all the information and all the changes. Elias pressed the flask into my hand and encouraged me to take another sip. The liquid was still burning and harsh, but it was doing something. Each time I swallowed, my head cleared a little more.
The guards unfastened the ropes on Buttercup at Hord's command. He and Kine spoke quietly.
Elias moved along beside me. "You're doing incredibly," he murmured.
"Thanks. I…I don't quite know what I'm feeling," I admitted. As I fidgeted with the necklace charm, I caught a hint of cherries once more, but it was smothered by Elias's scent.
"Once we get you to Auntie Runa's, I'm sure you'll get all your questions answered. Or at least most of them. But I know I'll feel better once you're somewhere safe."
Being safe and having answers sounded good, especially if those led to my being able to be with Brandt again.
Within the next fifteen minutes, the plan had been made. Kine and Hord had come to some sort of agreement, and Hord summoned two parasaurs with quarterstaffs fastened to their sides. They had similar speckling patterns on their backs. Theone Elias scratched was juniper green with a blue crest, while Kine's had a yellow crest and chestnut-brown hide.
"If the Master of Sight requires anything to resolve this matter, inform us," Hord said. "Even with the magic disrupted, the water mirrors in her sanctuary should work for a time. At worst, they'll be delayed."
"Need any help?" Elias asked, watching me with a raised eyebrow as I stood next to my girl. He started to shift forward as if preparing to lift me up.
"No." I grabbed onto some of the stony growths on Buttercup's side and easily climbed up on her back almost without thinking. Muscle memory must have transferred because I found myself just doing it as if I had done it a thousand times before. I probably had. It felt good. Natural. Easy.
Kine chuckled from the back of his parasaur. He looked like I’d done exactly what he expected, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for me to recall.
"Looks like your memory is coming back." Elias stared up at me, admiration shining in his dark eyes.
"Some things feel familiar." My cheeks flared with color, but I was pleased nonetheless.
Every aspect of riding a triceratops felt habitual to me. The leggings I wore were surprisingly appropriate and comfortable, just coarse enough to make it easier for me to grip Buttercup, and my dingy grey sneakers with the tattered laces weren't so bad, even if part of me wanted to kick them off and run barefoot over the soft grass.
Buttercup's warm scaly hide shifted beneath me. She shook her head and then gave another honking call. My hands settled into place on her crest as if this were something I did every day.
"Now that we're heading out, it's vital that you do exactly as you're told. These lands are dangerous, especially after midnight. The predators come to hunt on nights like this asthe prey gets weary after overfeeding. If we get separated, we're headed to Auntie Runa's," Kine said. He clicked his tongue. The parasaur lowered itself so Kine could place his hand on my shoulder. He directed my gaze in what seemed like a generally northern direction and indicated a forked hill and a trio of rock columns near a blue-grey rock formation that resembled a sea turtle. "That's where you want to go. If the river is too fast and broad to cross, just keep heading south. It narrows eventually, but be careful of the ridge. There are some points where you could get trapped pretty easily. Other than that, aim for those pillars. It's decently easy to get to."
Well, hopefully we wouldn't be separated for me to figure that out.
For a time, we simply rode. It was surreal. The coolness of the night surrounded me. Bright moonlight made it easy to see. Kine led the way, a few paces in front.
Elias rode alongside me. His parasaur put him a little higher than me, but not by much. "Do you need more medicine for your throat?" he asked. "Or anything else? You were trapped in that chasm in the Shadow Hall for a while."
