Page 125 of Unrivaled
I knew those people.
I knew those horses.
My heart in my throat, I saw Kadan, already out of the saddle, already in motion.His face was lined where it hadn’t been before.He’d aged more than a year should’ve aged him.As he walked, his gait was an awkward one, his body dipping on one side.From the corner of my eye, I noted his crushed leg had been replaced by a prosthetic.But it was the grin he wore, and the sheen of tears in his eyes, that I couldn’t look away from.
Audrey passed me and I was freed from the shock that had held me trapped.
He shouldn’t be here.
He was here.
Audrey reached a hand backward, toward me.It didn’t touch me.I felt its lack keenly, but from far away.“Well come,” she was saying, her smile wide.“I’ll greet you all properly this evening.Chay, I’ll find Thomas.”
I was caught up in Kadan’s arms.He smelled like salt and smoke.
The terror of the plague, the grief, the loss, the fear.And he was here.
He was here, and he was okay.
In my arms, he let out a laugh that was half-sob.“Wild horses, you’rehuge,brother.”He clung to me like a drowning man.“I’ve missed you.Everything’s gone to shit without you.”He shook his head aggressively, pulling back.“No, everything’s gone to shit, and I haven’t been able to complain to you.”
I let him go, throat too thick to speak.
“I’m probably tarring and feathering you all over, aren’t I?”he asked, wiping his face and looking around.
Lance was waiting on the peripheral, a walking stick in his hands.Seeing me looking, he bowed to us.“Is this yours, m’lord?It was near the stall of the big black.”
“It is.I was in a hurry.”Kadan took it, smiling at the boy.“His name’s Bravura, but be warned, he’s not a pleasure horse.”
“Lance is good,” I told Kadan.“He handles Bliksem most days, and does an excellent job of it, too.”
Lance went red to his ears and vanished.I knew Kadan had people to manage the horses.I also knew he rarely relied on them.
It was Sandra who was there to welcome them.She didn’t bat an eye to see me standing awkwardly in Audrey’s colors with Kadan’s saddlebags over my shoulder being greeted like a newcomer.If she was worried I was there to check on her performance, she gave no sign of it.Whatever warm welcoming persona Audrey had taken on had infected the girl, too.We were greeted, given a verbal itinerary as she walked us along halls, and approximate directions to the primary hubs being used—the small hall, which was still in use regardless of how low candles burned if anyone was hungry, the main hall, the market and the gardens.
It was surreal to walk beside Kadan, to hear Callum’s performative foolishness, to know that somewhere Darrius was lurking and that he’d pop up when he was needed to distribute nuggets of wisdom.
Anxiety clawed at my belly.Had Audrey known they were coming and saved it as a surprise?I could see no other reason.She’d clearly taken the time to effectively hand me into Kadan’s keeping.What did that mean?
Did she secretly, deep down, still have a kernel of some sort of love for me?
The thought, paired with the company of my old friends, made me float along corridors that felt like home, now.
The rooms they were given were some of the best.They’d get the cool sea breeze and overlook the garden.As Kadan walked in, the shafts of sunlight speared in through the windows, lighting it up beautifully.
That anxiety kept on gnawing, no matter how happy I was.We didn’t think the Duke would return during the tourney, but we didn’t reallyknow.
As Sandra passed over a ring of keys to Kadan, I stopped her and asked, quietly, “Can you check the lady found your pa?”
“Orvald had people out looking, but Kaelson and Drae stepped in,” she assured me, with a quick curtsey.“He was called out to help settle a disturbance in the market not too long ago, so he’ll probably meet us in the hall this evening.”
I hesitated.“Can we spare Kaelson?”
She shrugged.“Audrey says it’s fine.You’ve a busy schedule for days, Chay.Stop worrying.”
That was possibly the worst thing to tell someone who was worrying, but I didn’t let her know that.She waved to us and left, the keys chiming on her belt.
Kadan hooked an arm around my neck, watching her go alongside me.“She’s younger than you usually like ’em,” he said, thoughtfully.“Unusually young to be carrying quite so many sets of keys, too, I must say.Most places, they only give that many to the crusty old men who walk far too slowly.”
