Page 39 of Spirit Rites
“So, you just step through? And then it’s a two-hour ride after that?”
“Are you going to repeat everything he says?” Reika, the one who held a knife to my throat, asks in obvious annoyance.
“Are you going to be a—?”
“Harper.” I cut off whatever she was going to say. She doesn't look happy that I did, but I am really trying to get along with Kaldar’s people. So far, we’re not off to a great start. Harper smirks at me but doesn’t say anything else to Reika. I release a breath. I have a feeling those two are not going to get along. Ever. I take in the sights and sounds of the Wolf Kingdom as we ride towards the city gates and wonder absently when I’ll be back. I can’t help but smile at all the spirit wolves visible. I’m confident that Kaldar will bring me back like he said. I’ll miss this place. I haven’t lived inside the city walls for long, but it’s been a good experience.
Before long, we’ve left the Wolf Kingdom behind us. We ride faster now, and I hold on with both hands and will myself not to fall off. I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job of faking the fact that I can’t ride until Kaldar pulls his horse close to mine. “Kinsley, would you be more comfortable on my horse with me?” He asks in a low voice so nobody can hear him, but I still feel my face heat.
“I’m good. Thanks.” I may be a terrible rider, but it’s a better option than sitting that close to Kaldar. Being that close to him with his arms wrapped around me to hang on would be much, much worse. So, I endure the bumpy ride and will it to pass quickly. My arm aches after a while, and I keep myself occupied by spinning ideas and thoughts and imaginations of what the Jaguar Kingdom will be like. I also check in with Veyra. But after about the third time, she basically tells me to leave her alone. She’s strong and all that.
We stop sooner than I thought we would. I take in the area but don’t notice anything that looks like a portal, not that I have a clue what a portal looks like. Jorren, the big guy with the ax, turns his horse to face all of us. “We go through in groups of two.Once you’re through, move quickly out of the way for the others coming behind you. Keep your weapons ready and stay alert.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound ominous or anything,” Harper quips next to me. Reika glares at us, but we both ignore her.
“How much interaction have you had with a guivre?” Kaldar asks us.
“Some,” I say at the same time Harper answers, “Not much.”
“But you know what they are?” he asks.
We both nod. Guivre are terrifying creatures that used to be dragons but were cursed and are now stuck in their animal form, half serpent-half dragon. They’re basically flying nightmares that are blind and use their sense of hearing to attack. They can breathe fire, rip you apart with their claws, or poison you with their tail. Oh, and their saliva can burn you. Real pleasant creatures. I shudder when I think of the one that tried to take us out during the Spirit Trials while we were trying to escape the fire it set. “We’re familiar with them,” I finally manage to answer Kaldar’s question.
“Well, they are much more prevalent on our side of the portal,” he explains. “We need to travel quietly.” His eyes drift to Harper.
“Why are you looking at me? I can be quiet.”
I hide my smile, even as my nerves ratchet up. Guivres were terrifying. As of yet, I hadn’t had to face one up close. We’d had a few scares over the years, but for the most part, they didn’t come close to the Wolf Kingdom. Which means they never really came close to the banished community. I, of course, grew up hearing about the terrifying creatures. “Why are they so prevalent on your side?” I ask.
Kaldar shakes his head. “We’re not sure. They’ve been growing in numbers over the last couple of years, and the stretch between the portal and where our people live is the worst stretch.”
“If you’re done with your questions, we should probably keep moving.” Jorren’s words lack heat, but I still feel his admonition.
“Sorry.”
“You have no need to apologize, Kinsley,” Kaldar says, leveling a look at Jorren.
“Of course not, My Lady,” Jorren says with a respectful head bow.
“Oh, I’m not...you don’t need to do that.”
“He does,” Kaldar says quietly but with authority from beside me. His gaze meets mine, and I see the seriousness reflected there.
I swallow down my protests and settle for a nod, even as every fear and insecurity I’ve battled over the years threaten to overwhelm me. I’m not sure that I’m queen material; in fact, I’m quite sure I’m not. But I don’t really have a choice. I lift my head and fake a confidence I don’t have. “Okay.”
Jorren walks towards us, his axe out and ready. “The portal is open.” I glance behind him and don’t see anything. “Taren will take the other female, and Arielle will take your mate.”
“Theotherfemale has a name, Big Dude,” Harper says from beside me. I give her a look, hoping she’ll rein it in. But she just shakes her head in exasperation.
Jorren stares at her. “Big Dude?”
She shrugs. “If you can’t bother to learn my name, why should I bother to learn yours?”
Jorren glances back at Kaldar, seemingly bewildered. Kaldar shrugs. “She has a point.”
Jorren scowls as he faces Harper. “What is your name again?”
Harper’s smile is saccharine sweet. “It’s Harper, thanks for asking, Jorren.”
