Page 88 of A Court So Dark
I got on my tiptoes and whispered in his ear. “Come to your senses. You will ruin everything if you do something stupid now.” I pulled away and laughed, as if I’d made a joke.
He inhaled sharply and forced a laugh to match mine, though his eyes seemed to have trouble focusing as he dealt with the sudden loss of energy.
“Are you going to behave?” I asked, pretending to arrange his already pristine collar.
He managed one nod.
With my hand still around his wrist, I allowed the energy I’d taken to flow back into him. Color returned to his cheeks, and we smiled at each other, acting as if we were just having a cute father-and-daughter moment. When I peeled away from him, however, I noticed Mythorne’s inquisitive dark eyes examining us carefully.
I waved at him coquettishly, all the while trying to hold back a scream and tamping down the urge to run away. Mythorne smiled thinly and returned to his conversation with a tall female dressed in leather armor.Sheesh, what did she think we were hunting? Dragons? No one else was dressed like that.
Kalyll’s gaze kept wandering to Varamede. He could curve his desire for revenge when it came to his brother, but the thunderlord wasn’t that lucky. When I’d been lost in my dark sleep, Kalyll had promised to avenge me, and it seemed he still expected someone to pay for the pain they’d caused me.
“The horses are ready as is everything else,” an attendant announced, gesturing toward a group of horses aligned along the edge of the forest. “The weapons are over there. There are swords, bows and arrows, and spears. Each weapon is spelled to keep count of how many mud-spriggans you kill. The winner will receive a special prize from King Mythorne.”
A wave of questions went over the crowd as they all wondered what the prize could be. For my part, I was trying to remember if I’d ever heard of mud-spriggans. Whatever they were, judging by Kalyll’s reaction at their mention, it wasn’t the type of creature he would use for sport. I wanted to ask him about them, but people had clustered together, and I was afraid of being overheard.
Everyone hurried to retrieve a weapon from the set of wooden racks that held them. Kalyll chose a sword, and as he weighed it in his hand with a glint in his eyes, my mouth went dry. I really hoped it hadn’t occurred to him to do something heroic. I quickly chose a spear. It made the most sense considering that I didn’t know how to hold a sword or a bow and arrow properly.
“A spear?” Mythorne asked. “I thought you would choose a bow and arrow.”
“I would like a challenge today.” I shifted my attention to him and smiled. “What is your weapon of choice?”
He stepped in front of the rack, examined the swords, then pulled one out. He sliced it in the air, making it sing and demonstrating his skill as he twirled it and cut at the air.
“A king shall always choose a sword,” he declared, giving Kalyll a sidelong glance.
“Rightly so.” I tried to look at him with admiration, but I feared I was coming up short.
“Will you ride with me, Lady Mylendra?” Mythorne moved toward the remaining horses. We were the stragglers, and the rest were already scattering on horseback, weaving their way through the thick woods in search of mud-spriggans.
“I will be delighted.” My heart beat faster. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea that the others were here. The thought of Jeondar, Cylea, Kryn, Silver, and Arabis hiding somewhere in the forest gave me a modicum of confidence that set my mind at ease. Besides Kalyll was here, he would be riding with us too.
“Earl Qierlan.” Cardian rode from the side on a dappled steed. “It would be my honor if you join me. There are a few war-related issues I would like to discuss with you.”
Kalyll froze, looking up at his brother, then at me. “Perhaps we can talk later. I want to accompany my daughter.”
Mythorne stepped forward. “Earl, didn’t we go over this last night? I promise your daughter is safe with me.”
It was clear in Kalyll’s expression that he didn’t want to let me go alone with the Unseelie King but refusing would be an outright insult at this point. Besides, discussing the war should be one of the earl’s priorities.
“I’ll be all right, Father,” I said. “I assure you, King Mythorne was a complete gentleman last night.”
Kalyll grunted as if he didn’t believe that for a second. Tension crackled in the air, especially when Varamede trotted closer.
“Very well, King Cardian,” Kalyll said, “my daughter has a spear after all, and I am very interested in hearing about the role the Seelie Court will play in the war.”
I walked to one of the three remaining horses, a brown gelding that appeared diminutive next to the black stallion that stood next to it. A page boy held the stallion’s reins, which was clearly meant for Mythorne.
As I reached my horse, I tried to catch Kalyll’s eyes, but he never looked my way. A seed of fear embedded itself deep in my gut. What if he tried to attack Varamede? If he did, could he take him? God, this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
My horse was beautiful with a blond mane and tail. I wondered briefly if Mylendra would be able to mount while holding the spear, then decided it didn’t matter because there was no wayIcould do it.
“Hold this for me.” I thrust the spear toward the page boy. He took it, eyes cast to the ground. Once I mounted, I took the spear back, resisting the urge to try different grips to find the most comfortable one. Instead, I tried to look as if I knew what the hell I was doing.
Mythorne got on his horse in one swift motion, looking just as capable as Kalyll in the saddle, which was saying a lot. He pulled the reins left, the opposite direction Kalyll was going. I took my time, glancing through the trees to my right, where Kalyll’s figure retreated. I had wanted to prove myself. Well, here was my chance.
I spurred my horse forward, following the path Mythorne’s stallion was carving. Something moved in my hair, and I nearly swatted at it, thinking it was a bug until I heard a familiar voice.
