“What are you doing, Your Highness?” Riven asked, the riders slowing their horses.
“Securing her,” he mumbled, taking out a rope from his saddle bag.
“Excellent call, Asterious,” Wyran barked, his hollow hazel eyes gliding over her in a way that made her want to shrink. “Best not to take chances with these kind.”
The prince had told her not to try to take control of the horse, but she tried anyway. For all she knew he was lying, and she wanted to test him, if anything just to piss him off. She kicked with her heels as hard as she could, but the stallion stood in place like a statue, his ears pinned. Asterious laughed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Alofreise wouldn’t dream of betraying me.”
She rolled her eyes as the prince reached up and slid the rope around her wrists, binding them up so that she had no choice but to keep them clasped together in front of her. She tried to focus on the horse as Asterious mounted back up and settled behind her. With her hands so tightly bound, it was all the more difficult to scoot her body away from his.
“What are you so afraid of, Prince? Am I that much of a threat to you that you must tie me up?” she sneered.
Asterious chuckled low, the sound vibrating through her spine. “If I were afraid, you would already know. Fear has a way of making the best of us cruel. Reckless.” He leaned in, voice dropping. “And you haven’t seen me cruel and reckless. Not yet.”
They continued without further exchange. Her backside grazed his crotch with every stride, and it disgusted her that she blushed at the feeling. But as the hours passed she forgot about the sensation as the ropes irritated her skin, scratching and leaving her wrists red the more she maneuvered.
After a while, she found the warmth of the prince’s chest against her back almost pleasant. He was secure, like a wall holding her steady as the horse's body swayed underneath them. And every so often she could feel his breath on her neck as he exhaled, which made her skin fizzle in a way that was unfamiliar to her. But she reminded herself that it was normal for her body to react this way. She’d never known the touch of a man, and despite the ferocity of her natural desires, she wouldn't let her body’s physical reaction change what she thought of this selfish prince. Or what she planned to do to him.
As day slipped into night, the lights of Havenswood shimmered in the distance, a solitary beacon of civilization in the wilderness. It was a large city, surrounded by towering stone walls that followed the curves of the mountains. She expected they would pass through, as the main road went right through the center. Which is why it surprised Caramyn when the prince commanded his men otherwise.
"We’ll go around the city. Soldiers will be patrolling the borders by now and we can't risk being seen."
"Aren't you the Blackwynd Prince?" Caramyn raised an eyebrow.
"I am. But I no longer wear the Blackwynd chains.”
She twisted her face into a sneer at his cryptic answer. "Why go around? That'll take half a day, if not more."
His knuckles tightened on the reins. "Remember our agreement? You don’t get answers until I do. And as such you are in no place to question my decisions."
"And you are in no place to be such an ass," she replied boldly.
"Best watch your words before you find out what the prince is capable of." Wryan spouted off. Caramyn rolled her eyes.
"He's right. It's best not to provoke him." It was Tyrios who spoke this time, to her surprise, and something in his voice almost seemed pleading. She wondered what cruelty the princemust have shown them to make them bleat these warnings. But she refused to show any sign of fear. She would not be silent to make any of these men comfortable.
She was glad they would stay out of the city. The last thing she wanted was to bring more attention to herself and potentially have someone accuse her of being the Witch of the Woods in front of the witch-killer prince. The fewer who saw her, the better. She knew why she had to hide. But why did Prince Asterious seem to be traveling in secrecy through his own kingdom?
6
Coward
Caramyn
The mist crept along the landscape in the quiet hours of dusk. They urged the horses forward, keeping at a distance when they neared Havenswood's entrance. The unmarked mountain passes around the city wound through the terrain in tangled paths. Low branches, rocky hills, and uneven footing hidden beneath freshly fallen leaves created an ever-changing ride for Caramyn, and she struggled to adjust in the saddle, leaving her no choice but to rely on Asterious to keep her steady. Her legs and abdomen ached from straining to stay centered, unable to use her hands for balance.
"Keep your shoulders back a bit more." Asterious’ words rumbled against her back. "It will help you balance easier."
She did as he suggested, but not without a defiant tilt of her chin. "Untying my wrists would also help me keep my balance easier."
Caramyn felt the hum of Asterious' deep chuckle as she leaned into him further.
"I'm not sure why that's funny." Caramyn raised an eyebrow. "You're kidnapping me. All because I can’t tell you something I don’t even understand.”
"Don't take me for a fool, Caramyn. You were in possession of a relic that has only ever passed through the hands of High Lightborn royalty. Something that should have never even crossed this wretched side of the kingdom. You look at me through eyes marked with unfamiliar magic and you were found at the edge of death, quite literally and figuratively. I fail to believe you can’t explain any of it, but rather that youwon’t.”
“And I was at the edge of death because of that relic. The only thing I remember is that I felt like I was dying after I touched that thing. I don’t find it hard to believe that it could have erased my memory as well. So, since you know so much about it, perhaps you can explain why it almost killed me.” Caramyn’s words were riddled with venom, but secretly she hoped he really could explain it.
“Because you deserved it. Only a Vaerwynd can wear that ring. And only a Vaerwynd can remove it.”