Page 211 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
I pursed my lips up at him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You really do need to hold on tight.” He tilted his head toward me and winked, dissipating more of the tension. “And I will be right by your side.”
I looked into his eyes, so bright and trusting, and nodded. He wouldn’t let me get hurt, that I knew–even as those hateful whispers in my mind tried to convince me otherwise.
The warriors dissipated between the sleds, and fuck me if the hounds moved a single muscle until Ryker flicked his fingers again and they all jumped on all fours, tails wagging again.
Nowthatwas magic.
Some of these big, bad warriors crouched low and patted the wolves’ heads, squeezing their fuzzy cheeks, and even scratching their bellies. No sign of fangs and not even a hint of a growl.
Maybe the beasts weren’t as dangerous as I feared.
Or maybe Ryker’s presence had tamed the monsters.
But that didn’t mean my steps weren’t as slow as possible as I neared Nadya while Ryker went to talk to the tallest guard. Vylkor, if my hazy memory was to be believed.
“Have you ever driven one of these before?” I whispered to her.
“Aham.” Nadya didn’t move her eyes from the only remaining sled. She didn’t move, period, frozen on the last stair, same as me.
“How was it?”
“Short.”
“Maybe we can both scootch underneath the furs and have someone else–”
“No.” She clenched her jaw, just like Ryker did. Honestly, they truly were like brother and sister. “A warrior never backs down from a challenge.”
She rolled her shoulders back and marched up ahead.
“No, they just find the least dangerous way to win,” I called after her, but she was already passing the hounds and patting her axe at her side, as if they could understand the implicit threat.
If Nadya could march up to them, so could I. But before I took another step, I opened the palaver book. No smoke, no shimmer, and no Dax.
“He’s probably still sleeping,” I muttered to myself, even as a part of me began to fret.
I closed it with a loud snap. Patience. I neededpatience.
Mercifully, the wolves didn’t so much as sniff my way as I approached. They were even bigger than the ones who’d run after us, the tops of their ears almost reaching my shoulders. And underneath all that fur, I saw the way their muscles bunched and flexed, readying for the trip.
Killing machines, if left to their own devices.
Nadya stepped behind the sled, grabbing hold of the wooden handles with the outward confidence of someone who’d done it a thousand times before, while I sat down underneath the piles of furs. Near my feet, my boots met crinkly bundles of dried branches for fires–so we were stopping for the night–and the metal clinks of more weapons.
We truly were ready for anything. Though I prayed we wouldn’t have to face anything but the wind and the long road.
To my surprise, Geryll stepped behind one of the sleds, while Vylkor sat down. He was comically large for the sled’s bed, his shoulders wider than the entire wooden frame.
I raised my brows at Ryker, who watched Geryll fuss over the handles.
“They need to learn,” Ryker mouthed my way when I caught his eye. Or maybe he caught mine.
It seemed our gazes always found each other wherever we were.
A spike of pure adrenaline shot through me as I watched him march in the center of our little group. Instantly, everyone quieted; the hounds didn’t even dare whimper.
“Today, we’re setting off toward the most secret, sacred, and strategic point in all of Solkar’s Reach,” he announced, voice like a whip in the stillness. “If you seeanythingamiss, you let me know. Nobody outside the fortress needs to find out about this. Is that clear?”
