Page 198 of Royal Rebel

She remembered standing in the palace kitchen as a child. She, Tahlyah, and Desfan would hang on the counter’s edge and watch the cooks mix, knead, and shape the dough. They’d stick their small fists in the gooey dough, and draw letters in the flour sprinkled on the counter. They’d chatter away as they watched the bread bake. She remembered the delicious smell, and how it felt to hold a fresh slice in her small hands, golden and steaming. She could hear Tally asking for a bigger slice, and more garlic butter. She could see Desfan tugging the end of Tally’s braid, telling her that Mother would know if her appetite was ruined.

Mia closed her eyes tightly, emotion clogging her throat. The sudden hunger she felt was about far more than the fact that she and Grayson hadn’t been eating enough. It was a hunger for home. For the past. For something lost. Something she could never have again.

Her eyes stung with tears and she blinked rapidly.

“Papa, stop!”

Her stomach plunged at the young girl’s shriek. Her head whipped to the side, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest as she searched the crowd for the little girl.

It didn’t take long to spot her, and when the girl laughed, Mia knew she wasn’t in any danger. The child squirmed in the arms of a tall man, trying to avoid his smothering kisses as he held her.

Other men walked around the father and daughter, all of them looking tired—as if they’d just returned from a long day’s work. Most managed a smile as they were greeted by their own children. The man who held his daughter bounced her in his arms, and Mia couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Emotion built in her throat as the father tucked the girl under his arm, laughing as she kicked and demanded to be let down. Another girl darted forward, slightly older than the other, and she clung to her father’s hand, beaming up at him with all the adoration a daughter could have for her father. Then Mia spotted the older brother, standing at the front door of their home, the mother standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders.

Tears leaked from Mia’s eyes as she watched the family move inside their home. She was happy for them. Jealous of them. She missed her family so much in that moment it took a conscious effort to keep breathing. She had once been held like that by her father. She had laughed with him. Looked at him with that same adoration. He had smiled at her like that.

He would never smile at her again. She’d never again hear his laugh, or be held by him.

Her father was dead.

Beneath her, the horse shuffled restlessly. Mia swiped a hand over her cheeks, shoving the tears away. She forgot about the bread. She wasn’t really hungry anymore.

Mia tried to steer the horse as best she could through the crowded streets, heading deeper into the city. She assumed the harbor would be there, and she prayed she’d be able to find theSeafirewithout trouble. She also prayed the sun would set faster, so night would fall and Grayson could make his way into the city.

Her progress was slow. The horse seemed to grow more and more skittish. She didn’t think he was used to thick crowds, either. Soon, he stopped responding to her nudges, and she gave up trying to ride him. She dismounted and proceeded on foot, pulling him along behind her.

The sun sank in the sky, and darkness encroached, deepening the shadows in the streets. When the streets began to slope downward, the smell of the sea grew stronger. The crowds thinned, then suddenly seemed to vanish. She supposed not a lot of business was done at the port at night.

Her tension was high by the time she reached the harbor. Ships were docked in organized rows, their sails tucked away as they bobbed gently in the deep water.

Mia paused at the top of a stone staircase which led down to the docks. The horse would never be able to make it down the steep steps, so she glanced around for another path down, confident there must be a path fit for horses and carts.

As she searched, she caught sight of someone just ducking out of a nearby building on the far side of the harbor—probably the harbor master’s office. There was a lamp hanging near the open door, and it illuminated his face as he turned.

Tyrell.

Her breath caught, and her grip on the reins convulsed.

Tyrell shoved a hand through his dark hair, his eyes scanning the area as soldiers filed out behind him.

Then—in the mounting darkness of night—Tyrell’s gaze collided with hers.

He froze. Then his lips moved, and she knew he whispered her name.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. For one suspended moment, everything around them held perfectly still. His eyes were wide, full of relief. Then his mouth tightened, and resolve firmed his expression.

Tyrell took a step forward, and the suspended moment shattered.

Mia dropped the reins and bolted back into the city. She didn’t care that she was abandoning their packs or the horse. Desperation shot adrenaline through her veins and she had no other thought but escape.

She heard Tyrell shout at the soldiers with him, and she heard their pounding footsteps. She darted into the nearest alley, ignoring the horrid smells that burned her nose as she plunged through the shadows. Porynth was a massive city; surely she could lose herself in it.

The shouting continued, drawing nearer. She could imagine Tyrell leaping up the stairs. As determined as she was to get away, she knew he shared that same determination to catch her.

She had to move faster.

Traveling with Grayson these past few weeks had forced her stamina to grow, but she was exhausted, afraid, lost, and hungry. She ran blindly, dodging around men, women, and children who had sought shelter in the narrow alleys.

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