Page 63 of Oath of Betrayal
‘Respectfully, sir, there was no reason to stop her from leaving, and Lady Annika is more than capable of managing time outside on her own. I am bringing this to you now because it is almost nighttime and she hasn’t returned.’
‘You should’ve sent a message as soon as she left!’ Alaric snapped from behind me, and I let him continue with the conversation as I struggled to calm my raging emotions. The bloody sergeant was reprimanding me. It might be indirect, but I saw his disapproval.
She fucking left.Why? Gods, did she head for the Rift alone? Did she want to return to Zalesie? I felt the weight of the world pressing down on me. ‘Vahin? Ani left. Can you track her?’ The worry radiating through the bond made me shudder, and I felt the moment Vahin burst from his lair. To the solider I instructed, ‘Bring my kirbai from the stables, and my hunting leathers. Now!’
When he took off, I turned towards Alaric. ‘Ari, stay in the castle in case she returns. Take charge here until I bring her back.’ It would take me time; kirbai weren’t as fast as dragons, but they were more agile and versatile in the forest.
‘I should go after her,’ he contended. I could see he wasn’t happy with my solution.
‘No, she left because of my stupidity.Ihave to be the one to bring her back,’ I insisted.
‘She is my Domina, but I’ll stay here, just in case. Orm—I know you love her; it is clear to anyone but you. So stop holding back. It’s causing more problems than it’s worth.’ I took a step back, stunned by his words and the dark aura staining the air around him.
‘Just find her and bring her back. Then we’ll have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.’ He walked away, the soldier returning with my kirbai and equipment. I dressed as quickly as I could while waiting for Vahin to reply. After what felt like an eternity, he sent a mental image of a female figure marching north towards the Rift.
‘She blocked our thoughtspeech, but I still can see her. I will look over her. Nothing will touch her—but hurry,’came the dragon’s thought, calming me a little. Within minutes, I was galloping through the gates, led by the directions Vahin projected into my mind.
The moon had been up for hours when Vahin informed me that Ani had finally made camp. I felt guilty pushing my kirbai so hard. His fur was now matted with sweat, and his breathing laboured. My mount was one of a race of magical, catlike creatures created by Cahyon Abrasan before whatever madness led to his transformation into the Lich King.
The kirbai were his first creation. No one knew if he’d abandoned them or if they escaped captivity, but they’d lived and bred freely in the mountains for several centuries. Rumour had it they were created to shelter the souls of warriors, giving them another chance to live on within a new body. I didn’t know how true that was, but it took great patience and a gentle hand to tame the striking beasts.
They acted much like the cats they resembled, often using that strange sense their smaller cousins employed to select their riders. Once they made their decision, though, their loyalty was unquestioning, and it was well known that the kirbai fought tothe death to protect their humans. They were also one of the most intelligent animals I knew, able to find their way home and understand complex commands. I often wondered if that was where the rumours came from.
Now, as the clouds drifted across the moon, my feline companion silently approached the small camp Ani had set up. The smile stretching my lips was predatory as we approached from the rear. I planned to surprise Ani and scold her for not being aware, but as I dismounted and took a few steps, my body froze, held in place despite my struggles to move forward.
‘I’m willing to believe you weren’t sneaking up on me to prove a point. My warning spell alerted me the moment you arrived. For a man so concerned about my safety, you didn’t even notice the warning signs I left out.’ She turned to look at me. ‘Didn’t you bother reading my letter? I asked you not to look for me, so what are you doing here?’
I would have answered, but her spell held me so tight I couldn’t even blink, which was annoying because all I wanted to do was laugh at my carelessness. I had treated her like a simpleton from a backwater village and was now being served humble pie.
Ani must have noticed I couldn’t speak because she smirked, muttering something under her breath, and the force holding me immobile disappeared.
As I stumbled forward, I nodded, acknowledging her talent for setting up such a cunning trap.
‘I came to ask you to return to the fortress. I’m sorry for causing our disagreement. I made a mistake, and seeing how easily you caught me proves how wrong I was. You’ve made your point; no human can sneak up on you, and if it helps, you can tell everyone you captured Varta’s commander without even trying,’ I said, noticing with pleasure that her lips quirked when shelooked at me. Seeing that coveted smile gave me such immense relief.
‘I’m better in the wilderness than any of your men,’ she responded, and I bowed my head. ‘Yes, but please don’t rub it in. There is only so much male pride can handle.’ Ani snorted her amusement and her reaction gave me the courage to continue.
‘Please come back with me. Returning to Zalesie makes no sense. We can discuss which patrols would suit you best, and you can join them as soon as you wish. Don’t leave just because my paranoia got the best of me and I stupidly forgot how impressive you are.’ Her frown was one of confusion as I came closer, and she took a moment to reply.
‘I’m not leaving, you idiot. I just went hunting … I thought it might draw out those threatening me. Once they’re gone, there will be no reason for us to argue. I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t like it.’ It was my turn to stare at her. ‘You keep flying around, but some things you can only see while on land, especially if something’s going on underground.’
‘I didn’t take you with me, so you went by yourself to act as fucking bait? Why didn’t you tell anyone?’ I dug my nails into the palms of my hands to control my temper. That was exactly what I was trying to avoid.
‘I tried, but you didn’t want to listen. I joined you at the fortress because my power could help, but our plans fell apart. I can still help, though. Look at what happened with the merchants. I can clear the roads. I can protect those fleeing monster attacks. But I can’t do anything if you hide me away behind stone walls. Please, look around and ask yourself, was I really in danger on my own?’ She bit her lip. ‘I think you are right about the terrain and the vjesci. Something is moving underground, and I wanted to know what it is, preferably before it tunnels out and bites us in the rear.’
I ran a hand through my hair, now sweaty from the strenuous ride. It was my fault Ani couldn’t talk to me. I was so absorbed in keeping her safe—partly from me—that I had forgotten to listen to her concerns.
‘I’m sorry, Nivale. Still, you should have told someone. I thought I’d lost you. Ani, for the love of all the gods, was speaking to Alaric not an option?’ I reached for her but stopped myself, willing my hand to drop before I wrapped her in my arms.
‘If you want me to listen to your orders, maybe you should make them reasonable. You ordered the stable master not to give me a horse?’ she challenged, rolling her eyes when I looked at her. ‘Everybody seems to be under the impression that you and Alaric want to keep me locked up in my room, preferably chained to the bedpost. What do you think would have happened if I informed him? That he’d open the fortress gate for me and wish me good luck on my journey?’
‘You have a point, but you should have told someone. Agnes, maybe?’
‘Katja knew, and why do you keep saying I told no one? I left a letter in your room explaining everything,’ she insisted. I frowned, trying to remember if I had missed a letter amongst the stack of papers my adjutant had brought me today.
‘Orm, please tell me you got my letter. I slipped it under your bedroom door,’ she said, observing my reaction before she sighed. ‘You haven’t been to your bedroom …’
‘No, I wasn’t thinking straight. When I heard you were missing, all I could think of was finding you before anything bad happened.’
