Page 87 of Mastering their Maiden

So, he’d heard what the king threatened, which meant Esme’s whistle alerted him to trouble. That was good. Skilled as Kaiden and I were, we still wouldn’t last long against Ryne’s men if they tried to attack.

Which they seemed poised to do, drawing swords and eying Kaiden like he was a rodent that needed disposing of. When one moved forward, I trained my bow in his direction, wholly ready to take the shot. The soldier paused, looking to his King for a command.

“I am your king, boy,” Ryne said, his voice malicious. “I raised you. I am your—”

“You are not my father,” Kaiden snarled. “You stole my fathers from me before I had the chance to know them. You stole my mother from me. You stole me and tried to use me as a pawn in your quest for power!”

Kaiden let out a long breath, trying to calm himself. I moved closer, not lowering my weapon, but letting him know I was here. I was with him. I would stand by him no matter what.

“You should have known this day would come, Ryne,” Kaiden said, and I felt his hand brush against my hip before he reached down to grip the hilt of his sword. “Our tribe was always meant to rule as a group. To have power split between—”

“If not for me, we never would have survived all these years,” Ryne snarled, eyes fixed on Kaiden, but they widened a second later and his gaze turned. I knew by Esme’s soft cry of relief who had arrived on scene.

“It’s because of you that we’re still on the brink of collapse.”

Quade’s voice was low, calm, and closer than I expected. I turned to see him ushering Esme back into Viggo’s arms while he and Lavan moved forward. “We’ve had to work harder to earn the trust of our women because of you. We’ve had to care for the ones you brutalized in your attempts to father a child. You’ve cursed yourself by defying our oldest traditions and violating our most sacred laws.”

“It’s time we return power to where it belongs,” Kaiden said. “It belongs in the hands of many, not clenched in the fist of one.”

Agreements echoed from behind us, and I turned to see Kaiden’s squadron along with Quade’s. Lady Indre and Master Blaise were here too, a group of men surrounding them and taking up defensive positions at their side.

And, shoving through the crowd with a feral look in his eye, was Zander.

Dex and Umber weren’t far behind him.

They came to stand beside Kaiden and me, not one of them motioning for me to lower my weapon. Instead, Umber and Dex grabbed their swords, Zander his spear, and I saw several familiar faces fall into formation beside us, all armed with bows, swords, and whatever weapons they could grab in a hurry.

Ryne’s expression was furious when he saw our offensive, his eyes wide, body shaking with rage. The procurers he’d brought with him looked wary, still seated on their horses. A few of them backed up, but they weren’t going to run without their king. Ryne’s eyes scanned the group, then they settled on Kaiden, utterly black with rage.

“Traitor,” he said. “You are a traitor, Kaiden. You’ve defied your king’s command, consorted with other traitors to undermine my rule.”

Kaiden stiffened, but I brushed softly against him, and he gave Ryne a dark look. “You are not my king. My fellow masters and I will reclaim our city and punish you for the crimes committed against our people.”

Ryne laughed wickedly, motioning to his guards to fall back. They did so quickly, not willing to tangle with the sheer number of men standing in the forest.

“I rule our ancient city,” Ryne declared as he mounted his horse and grabbed the reins. He eyed all the masters in front of him, then his gaze settled again on Kaiden.

“Be glad for the freedom you’ve found here. It won’t last long.”

“Your reign is at an end, Ryne,” Quade said. “Once we get back to Magilin, the other masters—”

“The people will rally to my side. They know who led them from the darkness, and they know who will guide us into the future.”

Ryne pulled the reins and kicked his horse into movement, and I had to fight not to roll my eyes at his pathetic display of power. A canter in a circle, while his guards and sycophants galloped off in the distance.

“If you dare to set foot inside the city, I’ll slaughter you all.” He scanned the group again, lips curling into a cruel smile. “You, your women, and any children born of your traitorous lines. They’ll be dead before they pass through the gates.”

I saw Quade’s expression shift, going from calm defiance to rage in half a heartbeat. There were murmurs of anger, but no one made a move to chase the king down as he galloped into the distance. The group remained tense for a few moments, but slowly relaxed.

“Our timetable for marching just got moved up,” Quade announced, and I noticed he quickly moved toward where Esme was and pulled her into a tight embrace. Kaiden had done the same to me once I put my bow down, moving his hands over my body as though he was checking for injury.

“I’m fine.”

“I know you are.”

I smiled at him while the other masters shouted orders at their squadrons, telling them to get everything ready. We were leaving tonight. They weren’t going to give Ryne time to rally a defense. They’d attack now, and hope the other masters would shore them up once we arrived.

Dex and Umber moved in close while Kaiden issued his own orders, leaning in to give me quick kisses on my lips, my cheeks, my shoulders. Zander moved behind me and shoved his spear into my hand.

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