Page 7 of Untempered
“Not yet,” Darrius cut in, the words almost idle. He glanced into the trees as if expecting them to have ears.
Eventually, some blood must’ve returned to my brain, because I realized Darrius had mentioned Matri’sion.
The renegade Steppe nomads, who claimed and defended one of the richest parts of the Steppes, were half-myth, all women…and could notpossiblyexist in La’Angi.
Had the blonde been a Matri’sion? Surely not. What was she doing so far east?
My mind went to my attacker, and now that my brain was working, I realized the way she’d tied me up was reminiscent of what I’d heard from Darrius’ stories. Darrius was the only man I’d ever known to travel across Matri’sion territory. It was part of his legend.
Not even the Matri’sion disliked Darrius.
Were they both Matri’sion? What were they doing in La’Angi? Unease gnawed at me. La’Angi was the key to the country. Everyone knew it. But Matri’sion weren’t a political power. They weren’t strong enough to take Arcanloc, and even if they were, they’d never expressed an interest in such a gambit before.
“If anyone recognizes either of those two, anywhere, you’re to say nothing,” Darrius said to the group as we moved through the orchard, his words firm. “You don’t mention this encounter to anyone. Not to your drinking buddies, not to one of us, not to them if you see them again, and certainly not to anyone from La’Angi.”
I blinked. This was all obvious, wasn’t it? With the Butcher being who he was? It’d be a swift death to exist publicly in La’Angi as Matri’sion.
Kadan started whistling a merry tune, and Callum broke into song to cover any awkward silences. I took up the chorus, and voices rose around us.
Had they been fleeing?
I let out a long, slow breath, rolling my shoulders under the grimy shirt on my back. They ached where I’d struck the ground.
Then I caught my first glance of La’Angi, up close.
The keep stood atop the cliffs, dropping down to the bay beneath on one side. On the other, circular walls spread down the hillside like dark ripples. A lone patch of green marred one area, indistinct from this distance. Smoke filled the air in the lower levels, lingering around the thatched roofs.
I felt my belly tighten. A group of traders, their carts well-guarded, watched us warily, slowly heading toward the sad, squat city. Kadan lifted a hand, and we greeted them as if they didn’t curl their noses like we were shit on their shoe.
At the gate, there was a short line to enter the city. Guards sporting the La’Angi crest of a sword and apple moved freely among the crowd. I wasn’t sure how regulated the fees they took were, and didn’t plan to find out, ignoring Darrius’ conversation with them and studying the walls and gate as we slowly neared.
I hadn’t expected the curtain walls to besmall,but I still hadn’t been prepared for the sheer height and depth of the fortifications.I’d been to Azashi and even laid eyes on the child-King. And these walls might’ve been taller than those around the King himself.
Which probably made sense, as the King’s power came from his military, and the Duke controlled the lion’s share of it.
One of the guard met my eyes. He stood beside the big wheel that was currently wound tight, holding the gate open. I ignored the hostility in his gaze.
We had the fastest horses in the country. But behind walls, fast horses couldn’t do much.
“Two?” Callum asked, with a grin.
I nodded. It’d take two of us to raise one of those gates.
I saw Callum turn and murmur it to someone. Trusting the information would spread, I skimmed my eyes over the location and number of guards. They traveled in threes and held spears and shields. La’Angi favored crossbows, and I knew they’d be loaded and waiting out of sight and the weather. Off to the side, I saw a guard take a knife and slice open a sack, rummaging through it. Whatever he found he must’ve liked. Some went into his pocket. The man standing beside the donkey looked impassive as a second guard stood beside him, hand on his sword, staring at a nearby young woman who was trying to slip behind another cart.
“Twelve on,” I told Callum as he leaned over toward me. “Twelve around.” I forced my eyes away from the guards as we entered the lower level of the city. Those odds weren’t insurmountable. It’d be how far away reinforcements were that’d make the difference. Given La’Angi’s reputation, I was going to assume we wouldn’t get a lot of time.
I leaned forward and ran a hand along Bliksem’s neck. Kadan glanced over, grinning that big, shit-eating grin, his blue eyes full of trouble. “Keep your eyes out for the red lamp district,” he said, loud enough to be overheard. “I wouldn’t mind sampling the local talent.”
I nodded, playing along and making a show of looking around, though I knew he wouldn’t be relaxing in the company of anyone he didn’t know until we were free of this place. The street was wide and cobbled, but the side streets on this level were deep mud. This close to a main gate and along the main road, inns dominated. I had no doubt fleas did, too.
Fortunately, we hadn’t come here to lie with dogs.
CHAPTERTWO
AUDREY
“Beware the man who smiles easily, because he either desires to trick you, or is being tricked, himself.”
