Page 89 of A Court So Dark
“You won’t be alone, Dani,” Larina whispered.
“What are you doing here?!” I hissed.
“You didn’t think I was going to stay at the inn while everyone else came to help, did you?”
“That was the plan.”
Mythorne glanced over his shoulder, frowning.
I leaned forward and padded the horse’s neck. “You’re so soft and pretty,” I said in a whisper.
His upper lip twitched, and he faced forward again, his expression signaling that he thought I was foolish for talking to a horse.
“Stay hidden no matter what, Larina. Okay?” I didn’t want her to get hurt.
She didn’t reply.
“Please don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t.”
She was so tiny and fragile and could get hurt so easily. Then again, she was a pro at going unnoticed.
CHAPTER 34
KALYLL
Thereinscreakedinmy hands as I twisted them, and pain shot up my jaw from the force of my bite. It was all I could do not to leap from the horse and wrap my hands around Varamede’s throat.
—Kill him, Wölfe said in my mind.
Patience, I replied.
In this, we were in agreement. The thunderlord had to die, but the time wasn’t right. Mythorne was the priority, and once he was dead, Varamede would get my full attention.
—Cardian too,that familiar dark force whispered inside my head.
He will live, for our mother’s sake.
—Bah.
Wölfe didn’t mind being a monster, but I wasn’t ready to abandon all sense of morality, even if my brother deserved to share Varamede’s fate.
“What news of the troops?” I forced myself to ask. “Are they with King Naeduin?”
Cardian ignored my question. “A nice day for hunting mud-spriggans, wouldn’t you say?”
I grunted and made no comment. Making sport of the creatures was despicable and exactly what I would expect from someone like Mythorne.
The creatures were suspected to be self-aware. They exhibited interesting behavior and were known for their rudimentary use of tools. When left alone, they were harmless and even helpful, keeping vermin in check. But when they were mistreated or their land encroached on, they turned territorial and mischievous, becoming pests.
“Indeed,” I responded, sure that Earl Qierlan wouldn’t mind making sport of the minor folk.
“It’s been some time since I enjoyed your company?” Cardian said.
I narrowed my eyes, pretending to search for prey in the underbrush. I had no idea when Cardian had seen the earl last. Was this a test? Did this mean he suspected we might not be who we said we were? If I answered incorrectly, he would have his proof.
So I didn’t say anything. Instead, I simply shrugged.
