Page 38 of The King's Weapon

"Tracks. Don't know who it is, but we can't risk it,” Dani said, her words clipped.

"Human or animal?" Graeson asked. Several creatures prowled these mountains, creatures of myths and legends, none of which Kallie had the desire to see while she was restrained and weaponless.

Dani’s jaw twitched. “Human.”

Kallie sighed in relief, but she was the only one.

Fynn kicked dirt over the fire and their tracks. "You heard her. Mount up."

With an unfamiliar attentiveness, Graeson guided Kallie to Calamity, ushering her quickly yet carefully. As she returned to her spot on Calamity's back, Fynn said from his horse, "We made good distance yesterday, but we will need to ride harder today if we are to make it to the safe-house in the next few days. Necessary stops only.”

The others nodded, then they took off. The horses' hooves slapped the ground and Kallie could not help but look over her shoulder. She wondered who would be traveling this far into these mountains. And who Fynn and his men were afraid of if they had been able to kill her guards with such ease before.

* * *

The next threedays followed the same pattern. Wake-up. Eat. Ride. Eat again. Then try to sleep.

They never pitched their tents, instead choosing to test their luck with the spring weather. And Fynn didn't want the tents to slow them down if they ran into trouble again.

Each night, the Pontians took turns guarding the campsite. And each night, Dani found more tracks, more signs of others traveling nearby, too close for their liking. And every time, they picked up their belongings and continued their trek through the mountains. They made frequent stops to give the horses more breaks since they were unable to stay in one place for too long. They took turns sleeping when they had the chance, but no one found solace for long.

Sleep evaded her captors. And Kallie, out of fear of another nightmare, evaded sleep.

They were all on edge. The silence all-consuming. On the fourth night, they had made it out of the mountains and made camp a few miles away from one of the lakes in Borgania. After dinner, Graeson took care of the horses, brushing their manes and checking their hooves. It was then that Kallie had found out he had been the one who had braided the horses' hair. Graeson had shrugged it off though, saying it kept his hands busy and allowed his mind to settle. He made it seem like a simple act. And perhaps it was, but Kallie saw the attentiveness, the effort in which he took to care for the horses. It made him seem . . . human, normal. As if he was not just a villain in her story.

While Graeson braided a small section of Calamity's hair, Kallie leaned against a nearby tree. She tore her gaze from him. She should not be humanizing any of them.Theywere the enemy.

After a moment of silence, Graeson asked. "Thinking of your fiancé?"

"Hm?" Kallie's brows bunched in confusion.

"The ring on your finger." Graeson looked down at her hands and her gaze followed his. She hadn't realized she was fiddling with the gold ring. It was an old habit she had yet to break.

"Oh, no, this isn't—" She began but stopped as Graeson raised his brow in question. His mountain-gray eyes stared into hers, and she cursed herself. Even though she wasn't in love with King Rian or even particularly interested in the engagement besides for what she stood to gain from it, she at least needed to pretend that she was.

She cleared her throat. "I mean, of course I'm worried that King Rian might grow concerned about my disappearance." She looked down at the slim piece of gold that wrapped around her finger next to her pinky on her right hand. In the center of the metal band, a brilliant amethyst sparkled. The gold band was unlike any of the jewelry she had seen at the markets back home. It had intricate grooves that were unmatched. It wasn't flashy or loud like some of her diadems or necklaces from her father. It was easily the most beautiful piece of jewelry she owned. She never took it off. “But this isn't from him."

Graeson pursed his lips and returned his attention to Calamity's headpiece, undoing the latches.

Although Kallie did not owe Graeson an explanation, she felt the need to continue, to justify her reaction. She didn’t need him to think she was lying or that the engagement was a farce. While she intended to lie, the truth barreled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "It was my late mother's."

Graeson looked at her from the corner of his eye, his interest peaking.

She dropped her eyes to the ring as she continued to twist the gold band. "She died when I was a child," Kallie admitted quietly.

Graeson was silent for a moment as he ran his fingers through the horse's mane with a delicate attentiveness. In the quiet that followed, Kallie regretted saying anything. This stranger did not care about her dead mother. After all, he was trying to kill her father.

Then he looked back at her. "Do you remember anything about her?”

His question surprised her, and maybe that was why she answered honestly. “No, not really.” A short nervous laugh escaped her lips. "I don't even know what she looked like besides. . ." Kallie stopped. Her enemy did not need to hear this, but for some reason, the words came easily. Too easily. Perhaps, it was the way his tone had shifted or how his gaze had softened. His expression was not one of pity nor the way others had looked at her when the topic would come up. There was an understanding that existed there.

And perhaps it was because, here in a foreign place, away from the prying ears of servants who would tell her father what she said, she felt like she could speak openly about her mother for the first time.

"Besides what?" Graeson asked after Kallie had gone quiet.

Kallie tried to find a spot to focus on. Anywhere but on Graeson, but everywhere else she looked was shadowed in darkness. She clenched her fists as she shifted on her feet. "Oh, uhm . . . our eyes. My father said we have the same eyes." She felt silly when the words left her mouth. She shouldn’t have said it. She should have ignored him. What if he was trying to gather any information he could use against her? Or against her father? But then again, this conversation seemed harmless. Her mother had already been taken from her. There was nothing he could gain from the information.

Graeson observed her for a moment silently, then nodded. "Why don't you know anything else?"

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