Page 143 of Faeling
“You’re mad.”
“I’mmotivated.” With the woman standing, Ravenna unpinned her cloak from her shoulders and threw it over the fae’s. Lifting the hood, she made sure the woman’s white hair and face were well hidden. “I’ll explain everything, but—” she looked to Vallek for confirmation “—we need to get moving.”
He nodded. “We do.” Looking between them again, he offered his hand to help them jump across the stream. “Please forgive my mate, she is…unique. I promise you will come to no harm from either of us or anyone in my command.”
The woman frowned at the hand Vallek offered. “And why should I believe any of that?”
“It’s the promise of a king,” he said.
The defiance faltered in her eyes. “The land whispers…you’re Vallek Far-Sight?”
“I am. And she is Ravenna, my queen. So, strange as her word is, it’s that of a queen.”
The fae looked like she might faint from shock as her gaze bounced between Vallek and Ravenna. “This is madness,” she muttered, head shaking beneath the hood.
“This is politics,” Ravenna corrected. She gently laid a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “What’s your name?”
The woman chewed her cheek for a long moment, and Ravenna was almost convinced she’d refuse to give her name again.
But finally, she whispered, “Leita.”
The name meant nothing to Ravenna—if her father had known of Leita, he hadn’t named her.
Patting Leita’s shoulder, Ravenna said, “And your mount?”
Leita turned to look behind her, where the unicorns were in something of a standoff. The mare’s chest heaved for breath as she took a moment to think, but the fury hadn’t left her eyes. She would continue fighting until she got to Leita or she was dead.
“Thalia.”
Turning to the unicorns, Ravenna called, “Thalia!” The mare’s ears swiveled at the sound of her name. “I mean neither you nor your rider any harm. But she must come with us. You’re welcome to follow us and join the herd.”
The last thing the camp needed was an irate mare stampeding through it.
She’s very angry, Crow,Oberon warned.She’s got some very rude things to say about you.
She expected nothing less from an incensed unicorn mare. There was a reason mares were considered too wild and ill-tempered to be taken as dread-mounts.
We’ll walk back to camp. Bring her with you and work some of your charms.
EvenImay not have enough charm to bring her round.
That wasn’t heartening, but they’d just have to make do.
Taking Leita’s elbow again, Ravenna accepted Vallek’s hand. Together, they hopped over to the other side of the stream.
After a few steps, though, Leita came to a halt.
“I don’t want to be queen,” she told Ravenna solemnly.
“I’m sorry, Leita, but I don’t care. Amaranthe must be destroyed.” Gripping the fae’s elbow tight, she leaned in close to say, “Help me kill her, and I’ll free you.”
Leita shook her head sadly. “To be consumed by the faelands. There are worse imprisonments than these irons.”
Ravenna’s blasted heart ached suspiciously, but she wouldn’t allow herself to have sympathy. The truth of the matter was, “Something more powerful than either of us has ensured our paths crossed. It’s too late now to turn back.”
The cycle must renew. And Amaranthe must fall.
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