Page 32 of Prize for the King
His arm tightens around me and we’re suddenly airborne, flying off the horse. My teeth snap together from impact when he lands, rolling until he’s on top of me, my body completely covered. I’m on my belly, fingers tangling in the cool, soft grass of the forest path.
“Archers in the trees! Dismount! Dismount!”
My breath comes fast and sharp, my heart pounding. All around us, heavy boots hit the ground. A few horses neigh with unease. Raduna breathes hard, and I realize I am not crushed under his weight, so he must keep some of it off me. I have enough space to turn my head and look left, in the direction the arrow came from. All I see are horse hooves and Agnidari boots, and then thick undergrowth.
“I’ve got her,” Khay says. “Go!”
No sooner than Raduna rolls off me, I am covered again, Khay’s body caging me in. Soldiers repeat orders in low voices, drawing their weapons with metallic clangs. There’s another hiss, another dull thunk. Then another. More arrows.
And then, there’s a scream, decidedly human.
Khay chuckles under his breath, excited and reckless. “Got one. My money’s on Magnar.”
“I bet it’s Raduna,” Arvi’s voice comes from nearby, low over theground, like he’s crouching.
“You’re on,” Khay replies, shuffling until his hips press more firmly to my bum. “Let’s bet something else. Winner gets the first round after Magnar.”
Arvi laughs right after another hiss cuts the air and someone grunts. “You’re dreaming. That will never happen.”
“It might,” Khay says, his hips rolling into me. “I’m working on it. So, bet on?”
“All right. It’s on.”
I realize Khay’s poking me, just like Magnar did. Is he… aroused?Gods.The Agnidari are a crazy bunch if riding andbeing shot atmake them react like this. I say nothing and grit my teeth just as another scream comes from the forest.
Minutes pass, though at the rate my heart is going, they might as well be years. I’ve never been this terrified in my life before, and at the same time, so entirely safe in a moment of terror.
When I was a child, I believed in the protective powers of the high castle’s gate. That delusion burst, but I don’t mind, because now I’m protected by a bunch of deadly Agnidari, who go as far as covering me with their bodies to shield me from arrows.
I never considered it before, but their lethal strength and battle prowess are actuallygoodthings when they are on my side.
“Clear!” comes a shout from the forest, then another voice confirms the same from a different direction, then another. Khay sighs and gets up, taking his sweet time about it.
Arvi snickers. “Nice tent.”
I don’t even try to comprehend what that means, too busy rolling to my side so I can get up. My dress is dirty, though the grass stains aren’t too visible against this shade of green. Before I manage to get to my knees, a pair of male hands settles under my armpits and lifts me up. When I turn, I see it’s Arvi, his pierced lip curled in a smirk.
“You all right?” he asks.
I don’t answer, distracted by his mouth. Not only does he have a silver hoop piercing the side of his lower lip, he also has a strange, pointy tongue that he curls around that hoop while watching me back. It seems obscene, his tongue long and entirely too agile, playing with his silver piercing in a mesmerizing,monstrousway.
Human tongues are red and rounded, but his is dark, almost purple, and the tip is a sharp triangle. I realize I’m staring, so I shake myself off and lower my gaze, heat creeping up my nape.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
He snorts with amusement and steps back. “Magnar! Who got the first one? We have a bet going.”
I turn just as Magnar comes out of the undergrowth, swinging his sword that’s covered in blood. He looks pleased, his eyes crinkling even though his mouth remains flat.
“Who bet on me?”
“I did!” Khay exclaims, stepping out from the trees on the other side of the path. “Sorry, had to take a leak. Did I win?”
“I got the first one,” Magnar says, nodding. “Raduna got the other two. What did you win?”
Khay says something in the Agnidari language, at which both Magnar and Arvi snort, but I don’t pay attention because my eyes are glued to Raduna. He emerges from the gloom carrying two human heads by the hair.
They still drip blood from the severed necks, and their expressions are those of debilitating pain and terror. I stare, a sort of gurgling sound coming from my throat that might be hysterical laughter or terrified wheezing, I’m not sure. My feet are rooted to the ground.
