Page 52 of Winds of Destiny

Whose fault is that, asshole?I force another nod.

“Go to Dian and have her tend your wounds and give you some food. I’ll be along soon enough to tell you everything you have to look forward to.” He pulls an onyx-hilted knife from a slender sheath at his belt, then taps the flat of the blade against my cheek. “And Camrael? If you try at any point to run, I swear on my god Shevara I will drive this knife through your heart and offer you up as a sacrifice to him.”

Oh, I definitely do. I nod again, and he slashes down with the knife and frees my hands.

For a moment, I feel blissful relief at the change in position, followed quickly by my muscles reminding me that they’ve been bound for likelyhoursand are not happy with this state of affairs. I hunch over, my arms hanging dead at my sides, and do my best to breathe through the pain.

“Good lad. You’ll make a strong and obedient husband for us, I can tell. Dian!”

Reactive tears have blurred my vision, but I can hear soft footsteps coming toward us. “What?” a woman asks flatly.

“You’re not being very welcoming, dearest,” Embros says, his voice full of dark humor. “Aren’t you pleased to have me back safe and sound?”

“Of course I am.”

“Mmm, I don’t think I believe you.”

“That sounds like an issue of faith. You should take it up with your go—” She gasps and stumbles. I look up just in time to see Embros grab a beautiful, vaguely familiar woman’s arm and jerk her toward us.

“Do I need to remind you what your lions wear around their necks?” he murmurs. “Do you think it’s wise to provoke me, given everything I control?”

“You wouldn’t kill them out here,” she says, but her voice is shaking. “Not when you need them to pull the chariots.”

“There’s no timetable for our arrival, Dian. Speed is desirable, but unnecessary. I willabsolutelykill those beasts in front of you if you don’t watch your mouth with me.”

She stills, then forces a smile. “I understand.”

“Husband.”

“Husband.”

“Good.” He lets go of her and gestures to me. “This is Prince Camrael of Zephyth. From here on out, he’s your responsibility. If he manages to escape, even briefly, I’ll do to you everything that I do to him—twiceas hard. Remember, I need you alive.” He smiles. “I don’t need you whole.”

She swallows hard. “I understand.”

“Good.” Without looking at me again, Embros turns and heads toward where his men are still setting up the camp. Dian turns to me, stares for a moment, then extends her hand to me. I manage to flop mine up far enough that she can grab it, and she pulls me to my feet.

She’s stronger than I expected, and tall for a woman—probably as tall as Turo. Her hair is held in tight braids across the top and sides of her scalp, then haloes out around her head like a corona in the back. Her eyes glow with moonlight, and she’s wearing a long-sleeve, split-legged dress just a few shades lighter than her tawny brown skin. She looks queenly, which fits, since this must be Dian of Antasa.

She lets go of my arm. “Come with me.” Then she turns and walks away toward a pile of…somethingabout fifty feet away. After a moment, I follow—what else can I do? I’m not going to get another person ensnared by Embros into trouble if I can help it. Besides, I’m supposed to be broken right now. The last thing I want is for my captor to think I have a spine.

My willpower is tested when the pile we’re heading into starts to move. It’s a pile oflions, a literal pile of the beasts, each with a jewel-toned viper for a necklace. Most of them are sleeping, draped across each other and stinking of musk and meat. Dian moves among them like there’s no threat there, and I suppose for her there isn’t—Antasa’s god, Laigha, is a golden lion with dawn-colored wings. Embros wouldn’t be able to use these beasts to pull chariots if it weren’t for Dian.

Is that her magic?I don’t know much about Antasa or the abilities of its rulers. The older stories say their kings and queens could transform into lions themselves, but none of us have that sort of legendary strength anymore. It makes me wonder—

“Are you going to sit down, or are you going to stand there gaping all night?”

She’s crouched in the middle of the pride, a large leather satchel in hand. She points at the space next to her, and I gather my courage and step into range of the biggest predators I’ve ever seen before, apart from Ophiucas and a few dead sharks that washed ashore back home.

“Sit.”

I sit, almost falling at the last second. Dian’s bright eyes narrow. “Head injury?”

“Yes.” I point to where I took the brunt of the impact. She nods and pulls a smaller bag out of the large one, then tips some of the powder inside it into a canteen.

“This will help the pain and hopefully keep your brain from swelling,” she says, shaking the mixture together before handing it to me. “Don’t drink it too quickly.”

I sip, then make a face. It’sbitter.I definitely won’t be drinking this in a hurry, despite my thirst.

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