Page 91 of Echoes of the Raven
Rífíor shakes his head. “We cannot. We have to go before the other guards catch up.”
“But why?” Calierin asks in a mocking tone. “It seems we have nothing to worry about.” She glances sidelong at the mounted statues. “I mean… if Princess Valeria is capable of doing this, why are we worried?”
I lunge forward, ready to strangle the bitch. “I don’t take pleasure in hurting others.”
Rífíor holds me back while Calierin grins, looking pleased with herself.
“Valeria,” Rífíor says softly. “We cannot go back.” A pause. “Think it through, we will get there much faster and end this once and for all. We shouldn’t take any chances.”
The fight drains out of me, turning my bones to sand. I go limp in his arms. He holds me up, but I quickly regain my senses. I can’t lose my resolve now. I must finish what I set out to do. Now more than ever.
“All right,” I say.
Rífíor nods, and we walk back to the horses—two of them, which means we will have to ride in pairs. There’s no way I’ll ride with Calierin or Rífíor, so I stick with Kadewyn, which doesn’t feel much better. Rífíor, however, has something else in mind. Quickly mounting Calierin’s horse, he offers me a hand.
The sorceress’s mouth twits in displeasure, but she doesn’t say anything. I don’t want to ride with him, but at least I know we have the same goal. I left Nido with him, after all. Resigned, I take his offered hand. He pulls me up, and somehow maneuvers me and the horse so I end up in front of him, his torso flush against my back, his arms caging me in as he holds the reins.
Before I can protest, he urges the horse forward, while Calierin and Kadewyn argue about who will control their horse. Rífíor doesn’t wait for them, he charges forward, guiding us west and further away from the troop. My heart hurts at the thought of Jago left behind, the threat of treason hanging over his head. I hope they were able to get away from the guards. I hope he isn’t on his way back to Castellina to face Amira’s wrath.
Calierin and Kadewyn finally catch up with us a mile down the road. The former won the argument, and the latter seems resigned to ride in the back.
Without the troop, we cover more distance as we ride late into the evening. I try to ask Rífíor who that fae sorcerer was—Galen, he called him—but his response is an ineloquent grunt. I think of Jago and Cuervo, who must have been hunting and will find me gone when he returns. Will he try to come after me?
We finally stop for the night, and only then, I realize there is no wagon where to sleep, not even a bedroll. Do we even have food? There are saddlebags on both horses, but they don’t look like they hold much.
In the end, my worries about food are unfounded. Calierin ensnares four rabbits using her espiritu, and within a couple of hours, the delicious scent of roasted meat wafts through our small camp.
I eat because I know I have to. I even drink their cheap wine and welcome the burn as it goes down my throat. Once I’ve eaten my share, I lean back against a tree, my eyelids drooping with exhaustion.
Images of the day unroll before my eyes: Jago’s worried face, a burning tree, horses and people made of stone. It all blends together, promising a night of restless sleep.
Despite the images, I drift off, but something rouses me. Blinking drowsily, I open my eyes. Through the thin plume of smoke rising from our fire, I spot Rífíor and Calierin standing some distance away. They face each other, their gestures sharp and jerky, indicating they’re engaged in an argument.
Frowning, I watch them with interest, trying to catch what they’re saying, but their words are unintelligible. As their exchange grows more heated, Rífíor makes a pacifying motion and gestures in my direction. Whatever he says seems to placate Calierin, and she nods as if they’ve reached some sort of agreement. An uneasy feeling climbs up my spine, suspicion settling in the pit of my stomach.
As Rífíor walks away, he looks in my direction. Swiftly, I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep again. I remain that way for several long minutes before I find another place where to rest, one far away from Calierin, though close enough for me to still keep an eye on her. I don’t plan on sleeping.
I will be watching her closely.
35
VALERIA
“Radina, my beloved mate, I pray to Niamhara that I shall embrace you and our daughter soon.”
Kadewyn Zinceran - Veilfallen - 21 AV
Ahand covers my mouth, and something sharp and pointed digs into my neck.
“Make a sound and I will bleed you,” Calierin hisses.
I inhale sharply, a cry stuck in my throat. I stayed awake well past midnight, but at some point, exhaustion won the battle. I curse inwardly, angry with myself.
“Make a sound,” she repeats, “and I swear I will give you a second smile, a very bloody one.” Slowly, she removes her hand from my mouth and starts patting my pockets. She comes up with my Plumanegra key and regards it, cocking her head.
“What is this?” she demands.
She pockets the key in a heartbeat, and I almost yell at her to give it back. It’s mine. Father gave it to me. In that instant, I want to turn her to stone, but a shiver runs through me remembering the guardias’ faces and the way Rífíor screamed in pain. I’m not like her. That doesn’t mean I’m helpless,though.
