Page 55 of Unrivaled
That Audrey had never told me what he’d said made me suspect the worst of the young knight.She knew I’d gut him if he needed to be gutted.Lucky for him, she was a forgiving woman.
How cruel that he played with her after she’d opened her heart to him with the abandon only the young possessed.
As for the accusation of Luca being a rebel…
“I wonder if he believed it,” she said, letting out a breath.“At least some of it.And thought exaggerating other parts might help sell the tale to me.He never did like Luca.”
“No one likes Luca.”Except her.He was like a worm, chewing its way into the core while the apple was small.“Exaggerations and lies aren’t needed.There’s plenty of real reasons to dislike him.And there’snoreason to follow him into a rebellion.”I’d seen men fight for plenty of ridiculous reasons.Luca wasn’t charismatic enough to get such thick-skulled beings to follow him.Whatever Chay believed, it was irrelevant.The danger from Luca was never from him; it was the attention he could bring and the dreams he could sell.For now, she was safe from both.
Despite all of that, which I’d reminded her of already only a few days ago, Audrey had her overthinking face on.I held back a sigh.“What does the horselord have to say?”
She sighed, turning her eyes to the sheet.I liked that sigh.It was full of resignation, not the storm of sadness and rage that had gripped her after she sent Chay away.
She’d get over him.That’s what young hearts did.They healed, and they hardened.
I put a hand on her shoulder.She glanced up, surprised.
“You’re doing well,” I said, and her expression softened.There was no need for more than that, but she rested her cheek against the backs of my fingers, just for a moment.
Would that she could still be the little child able to climb into my lap when she had nightmares.Those I’d been able to chase away.
Now she chased her own dreams.
“Thanking you,” she said, straightening.
I let her go, waving a hand.“Well?Does he have wheat?”
“Of course he has wheat,” she said, amusement in the statement.“By the time it got here, I could’ve grown my own.We didn’t want his wheat.”Then she frowned.“Ididmention it.I mustn’t have explained my reasoning to you when I realized the flaws.”
I ignored the clarification.“I’d happily have his wheat if it meant you stopped talking about how many barrels of apples we have and what their value is.”
She wasn’t listening, though.The leather ball full of sand was back in her hand, moving between her fingers as her eyes skimmed over the parchment.She paced slowly in the pool of light, angled to catch it across the writing.
I turned away to get her bed ready and then saw, across the bay, three tall masts attached to a ship, outlined by the light of the moon.
There had been two other ships into port since the Siren’s Ally.Neither of them had wheat, but their goods had been purchased all the same, just to encourage trade.Crates of peaches from the east and bags of wool were what Audrey had been most excited to see.
“They’re coming,” she said, sounding shocked.“Darrius said they’d love to attend, to show everyone their misgivings lie with my father and not the city.”
I tore my eyes away from the ship.“To the tourney.”
“Yes.”She stood there, frowning.“They can’t promise they’ll be able to get a tribe to do a display, but they’re going to pass on my offer and they think it’ll be tempting.”
Her archery segment was going to look like the atrocity it was if a tribe sent a few trick riders to entertain the crowd.
It was something she’d had her heart set on, much as she’d tried to manage her own expectations.But she didn’t look happy.
“What’s wrong?”I asked, wary of conversations about costs and balances.
“Nothing.”She blew out a breath.“Nothing’s wrong.I’m happy.”
She wasn’t.
“I miss him,” she said, tossing the letter onto her desk.“I’ve missed him since he told me he wanted to be nothing but my knight.It doesn’t matter if he’s here or not.”
I nodded, trying for patience.“I know.”
“They’re his family,” she said, sadly.“He’ll be so happy.”
