Page 13 of Burn Bright
Several of the men allowed me to mark them in the samemanner.
Then finally it was Casimir's turn. He stared at my finger, his nostrils flaring. "I don't need theprotection."
"You're a wolf," I said, "but here in Gravenwold, you're no longer the most dangerous thing in thewoods."
"Just do it, Cas," called the prince, mounting his fine, sleekly bred baygelding.
Casimir growled. "Blood bringspredators."
"The trident scares them away." I smeared sticky blood across his forehead, having to stand on my toes to reach. He was almost as tall as Hussar, and it felt somewhat dangerous to be so close to a creature that could rip my throat out. I had to rest one hand lightly on his chest for balance, and by the time I'd finished, I realized he was barelybreathing.
"What if the predator is within?" he murmured, for my earsonly.
Wolvren were dangerous creatures, or so they said. Primal in their needs, and filled with such violence that could tear their way out of their human bodies, bringing the wolf to thesurface.
I lowered my heels to the ground, a skitter of butterflies swirling in my stomach. "It's a good thing I know how to kill predatorsthen."
And he smiled, the first one I'd ever seen on his face. "Make sure you aim straight for the heart then,Neva."
He might as well have punched me in the chest. Sweet Vashta. I turned away, trying to cover my sudden fumble into a move designed to shift the satchel on my shoulder. "I alwaysdo."
Something told me I hadn't fooled Casimir with my play at nonchalance. I could feel his gaze burning between my shoulderblades.
"Move out!" called Hussar, glaring at us as we stepped into theforest.
It was with some delight I called back, "But you're going the wrongway."
* * *
We madecamp well before the sunset.
The forest grew more oppressive the deeper we went, and the sound of voices had gradually faded during the day. We encountered nothing—man or beast—but you couldn't escape the whisper of wind through the trees and the feeling something out there was stalkingus.
I watched the prince move among his men, casting a gentle word here and a laugh there to assuage their fears. He was good at managing them, I thought cynically, though his golden looks didn't hurt.Prince Perfect. Evaron seemed like the sort of prince who could slay dragons, with his golden armor gleaming, and his sword glittering withgemstones.
It was Casimir who took the prince's horse and brushed it down; Casimir who dragged both of their leather satchels to a small thicket, and began setting up the prince's bedroll. He ignored most of the men and they returned the favor, though sometimes they looked uneasy when their eyes lit upon him. Wolvren were outlawed in the kingdom, unless they were leashed. It kept their wildness atbay.
Hussar, of course, dumped his gear in the middle of the clearing for one of his men to set up. Catching my eye, he made a deliberate motion to take a piss right near my bedroll, until the prince caught sight of him and sent him scowling into the woods with a few sharpwords.
Evaron sought me out. "How far did you make ittoday?"
I shrugged, shaking out my father's blankets. "Not far. The trails are twisting, and I wouldn't be surprised to find it only ten or twelvemiles."
He squatted beside me, watching as two of the men started to strike a fire. "You're good at what youdo."
"Are you surprised, your highness?" I arched a brow. "Iammy father'sdaughter."
Slowly he smiled. "And yourmother?"
He didn't need to ask more. My coloring spoke of the south, and he wasn't the first northerner to comment upon it. "My mother was born in the plains of Burubar. She fled the war there—or something else perhaps. She never truly said, but she was trying to get as far away from her homeland as shecould."
And she'd been unnaturally frightened of storms, hiding beneath the bed at night when lightning split thesky.
Once she'd asked me if I could see anything in the stormy sky. I'd asked her whether she meant a bird or a man, but she'd only brushed away my question.I'd know what she meant, shesaid.
Evaron scratched at his jaw. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have allowed Hussar to threaten yourfather."
I tucked the edges of the blankets into my bedroll, keeping the emotion off my face. "You're aprince."
