Page 39 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"A little," Ellie admitted, amusement wrinkling the corners of her eyes.
Kallie tossed her head back in frustration.
"Sorry, but you’re so gullible right now. I couldn’t help it," Ellie said.
As if that made up for it.
Ellie released a heavy sigh, and when she spoke, her tone grew serious once more. "Kalisandre, the mind is a powerful thing. Although you harbor much darkness, if you let yourself, you could be even stronger than you think possible."
Kallie blinked at the sky. Her eyes stung from the wind and the sour aroma—or at least that’s what she told herself. If only it was that easy to believe in her strength. She might have been freed from Domitius, but she still had plenty of work to do before she could fix the broken pieces inside her.
"We are often the ones who get in our own way of achieving greatness," Ellie added after a moment. Then, with a quick snap of the reins, she trotted down the makeshift path.
With no direction from Kallie, Winter followed.
As the birds flitted from one tree to another, the warrior’s words repeated over and over again in Kallie’s mind. Kallie knew there was some truth to them, but she didn’t know if she was capable of getting out of her way. Because even though she may have broken Myra’s hold on her, Kallie could still hear Domitius' voice in the back of her head.
She wondered if she would be strong enough when she faced him or if this was all a waste of time.
Chapter 16
GRAESON
"Where are all the fucking horses?"
Bengi, Ophelia’s little brother and the only stable hand around, blinked at Graeson, his face rapidly paling. To his credit, though, Bengi didn’t take a step back. Even with quivering hands, the young boy squared his shoulders. He was the spitting image of his sister in that moment, her fierce stubbornness and all.
"They’re not here, sir," Bengi said, voice trembling only a little as he rushed to follow Graeson into the stable.
"Where are they?" Graeson opened each stall he passed, slamming each door when he found only hay.
"They’re out."
The stall gate ricocheted off the latch.
Graeson’s jaw cracked as he bit down. "Allone hundredof them?"
Bengi nodded. Then he tilted his head and peered up at the roof, squinting. "Wait, no. That’s not right."
Graeson sighed with relief and leaned against a post. He could still make it. He could still get to her in time. "Thank the?—"
"There are one hundred andnineteenhorses, actually."
Graeson’s hand curled into a tight fist, his short nails carving crescent moons into his palm. His knuckles cracked. "Where could one hundred and nineteen horses be, Bengi?"
Bengi blinked as if it was obvious. "My sister and the others took them out for training."
"And they didn’t think to leave any behind in case of an emergency?"
Bengi shrugged nonchalantly. "I’m sorry, sir, but I am not privy to those decisions. They came, they mounted, and they left."
"When?" Graeson demanded, the syllable rough in his throat.
"Pardon?"
Graeson bit down on his tongue, trying to maintain his composure—the little he had left, anyway. "Whendid they leave?"
"Early this morning, sir. They’re not expected to be back until after dinner. I don’t think any of the horses will be in shape for another journey until tomorrow. I heard Ophelia talking about running them hard to?—"
