Page 3 of Thorns & Fire
‘I’m not against getting creative,’ Torj warned the pitiful bastard, drawing his dagger from his belt menacingly.Without Wren, his purpose was singular now: to find and rescue the queen by whatever means necessary.When the job was done, he could leave everything behind.
Wilder approached, sheathing his swords with a tired sigh.‘Allow me,’ he said, pulling out a small vial filled with a deep violet syrup.‘Our friend here is about to become very talkative.’
Torj’s eyes narrowed at the potion.‘What is it?’
‘A gift from your poisoner,’ Wilder replied, uncorking the vial.
‘She’s notmyanything,’ Torj bit out.
Wilder simply snorted and forced the concoction to the rebel’s mouth, pouring it down his throat as he thrashed against their hold.‘Wren called it a truth serum of sorts,’ he explained, ramming his hand across the lower half of the man’s face so he couldn’t spit it out.
Torj faltered.Her name spoken aloud sent a bolt of lightning through his chest, had the scent of spring rain and jasmine unfurling impossibly around him.
‘She said it would make our jobs easier without resorting to...Well, more traditional methods,’ Wilder continued.
‘When?’
‘Around the same time she dismissed you as her guard...which youstillhaven’t talked about.’
Torj clenched his jaw.It certainly wasn’t the first time his friend had tried to wrangle an explanation from him or rile him up.‘There’s nothing to say.’
‘No?’Wilder raised a brow as the rebel kicked out, his eyes widening as the potion took effect.‘Because one minute you were kissing her for all the world to see, and the next...Well, look around, Bear Slayer.You obviously fucked up.’
‘You would know.You’ve made more than your fair share of mistakes.’
‘Exactly, which is why—’
‘Enough,’ Torj growled, thrusting his chin towards their captive.‘There are more pressing matters at hand.’
Wilder gave a grunt of reluctant agreement and removed his hand from the rebel’s mouth.
Torj noted the telltale signs of poisoning in his dilated pupils and shallow breaths; he was no longer thrashing against them, but seemed be experiencing an internal struggle.
A calculated and powerful concoction was at work.It was Wren’s creation alright.
‘Where is the Queen of Aveum?’Torj asked.‘Where is Queen Reyna?’
The rebel seemed to fight against the words escaping him, but they broke from his lips all the same: ‘There’s a shipping yard...A few days’ ride from here...’
Torj gaped at him.He knew better than to question what exactly was in the potion.Wren was as deadly as a viper when she wanted to be.Though he knew well enough by now that there were no limits to what she could achieve, it was another thing entirely to see a man’s willpower altered so quickly before his very eyes.Still, he had an interrogation to conduct.
‘Be more specific,’ he snapped.‘Where is the shipping yard?Is Queen Reyna there now?How many hold her?’
‘Three days’ ride at most, south-west as the crow flies.There’s a map with it marked in my pocket,’ he rasped.‘Your queen is there.And will be until the end of the week.A band of the People’s Vanguard holds her.Some of our very best.More than you found here.’
‘Have they harmed her?’he demanded.
‘Not that I know of,’ the rebel replied.‘But things happen on the road...’
Torj glared at their captive, jabbing a finger into the emblem on his chest.‘What are you, a captain?How is your leader recruiting?From where?’
‘A captain, yes.’The rebel sighed, blinking slowly and sagging in defeat against the effects of the serum.‘He targets the worst-affected villages from each of the kingdoms, the ones still not recovered from the shadow war.He arms them with potions and poisons, with alchemy...He chooses people to spread word of the cause and to root out anyone who still believes in the old ways.’
‘Old ways?’Wilder barked.‘What the fuck does that mean?’
‘The ways of kings and queens.’The fervour in the man’s eyes made Torj uneasy.‘Where we commoners are forced to bow tomagic wielders.Rulers and Warswords are relics now, brought down by humble potions...’
Torj’s hand found its way around their captive’s throat.‘Thezmarr won’t stand for it.’
