Page 33 of Prize for the King
One head is male, swarthy, with rotten teeth just visible inside the open mouth. The other belonged to a woman, her hair dark and knotted in Raduna’s fist, her face lined with scars. Shewears—wore—a patch on one eye.
Raduna stops in front of me, his eyes serious, face splattered with blood. I watch with mounting horror as he gets down to one knee and lays both heads at my feet. When he looks up, his head is almost level with mine. A drop of blood makes its way down his cheek, and I stare at it with sick fascination, wondering if he’ll let it reach the corner of his mouth, where it’s headed.
“I slayed them for you, my queen,” he says seriously, his face still soft under the gore, eyes kind.
They are brown, a comforting color that’s similar to so many human eyes I’ve seen, even despite his vertical pupils. I blink heavily, registering the silence around me and his patient, serious gaze.
They wait for me to react. I want to run away and climb the highest tree in this forest to never have to look at those heads again.
Instead, I take a deep, grounding breath, my eyes firmly on his face until I force myself to forget the heads. With a shaking hand, I wipe away that one red drop, stopping it just above his lip.
“Um… I…” I clear my throat, a cloying heaviness choking me. The scent of blood is nauseating. “I mean… Thank you. For protecting me.”
I press my lips together, unsure what else to say, but Raduna gives me a radiant smile and a nod, and I realize it was enough. Magnar hums, watching me with a thoughtful expression. Raduna gets up, his braids swinging around his face, and Magnar comes over to clap him on the shoulder.
“Tell Khay you’re going before him if it ever happens, bet or no bet. Just don’t get your hopes up. Good job.”
Raduna nods with a pleased smile and bends to pick up the severed heads. I manage to turn my face away just in time not to see them. Magnar steps into my line of sight, his head cocked, brows furrowed.
“I thought you’d throw up,” he says. “You turned green for amoment.”
Like always with him, I let the truth slip out without censoring myself. “I almost did, but, well, it would have been rude.”
Magnar barks out a surprised laugh. “Rude?No way. Is there some sort of royal etiquette rule for how to behave in a situation like this? What does it say?‘Don’t vomit on your knight’s offering of two severed heads’?”
I huff with annoyance, though I can’t quite stop my lips from quirking up. “It’s common sense,” I explain with a shrug. “Loyalty should always be rewarded.”
Magnar’s face grows serious, eyes impenetrable as he studies me with a slight frown. Then he smiles.
“I never thought I’d say this, but Khay could be on to something. Who knows, we might make a proper Agnidari queen of you yet. You did well, darling. I’m very pleased.”
He gives me a nod and turns away, and I stare after him with confusion, a soft, pleasant warmth filling my insides. It probably shouldn’t feel this good—pleasingmy husband, who conquered my kingdom, forced me to marry him, and killed my father. And yet, my chest fills with giddy joy. Something flutters in my lower belly, fizzy and intoxicating like wine.
“Look at you smiling so nicely,” Khay’s voice murmurs right over my ear. “Did you like hearing how well you did? How you pleased your king?”
I flinch with a gasp, realizing he’s right. Iamsmiling, but I shouldn’t be. I force my face into a scowl and turn to him.
“What was your bet about?”
Khay bares his predatory teeth in a wide grin, and I clench my fists to control my reaction, though the sight isn’t as frightening as it used to be.
“Something important,” he says with a chuckle. “We treat our betsvery seriously. How’s riding with Raduna? He’s a good guy, isn’t he?”
I swallow audibly, the memory of the enormous warrior emerging from the undergrowth with two bloody heads flashing before my eyes. Yes, Raduna is good and kind—until he isn’t.
“I enjoyed hearing about his greenhouse,” I say, decorum dictating to say something nice about my knight, even though all I want is to ask Khay what other atrocities Raduna is capable of.
Khay’s eyebrow arches knowingly. “Did you enjoy his gift?” he asks with a snicker.
I give up trying to be decorous. The Agnidari are impossible to hold a polite conversation with. “Enjoy is not the word I’d use. It was horrifying. But—I appreciate not being shot with an arrow. Thank you, too. You protected me.”
Khay straightens, looking surprised, and eyes me for a moment before giving me another scary smile.
“Any time, my lady. Getting on top of you is my pleasure and privilege, and not just when we’re attacked.”
I frown, confused, and he laughs softly, running his thumb over my jaw before he leaves.
Raduna comes back, his face clean of blood, eyes sparkling with a smile. He seems quite invigorated after a spot of beheading. “Ready to ride, my queen?”
