Page 11 of The Shrouded Queen
It became impossible to hide my trembling.
The Kald from the throne room. I was too terrified to remember the name he’d given.
He was massive. From the balcony, he’d seemed big, but up close, he was nothing but height and bulk. At least a foot taller than me, if not more, and nearly as wide as the wardrobe behind him. Both sides of his head were entirely shaved, his thick brown braid so long he had to wrap it around the back of his head and pin it, though its tail still hung to the small of his back.
And his face. Gods, his face was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Where Ashoran men all wore beards as soon as they were old enough to grow them, this man’s face was clean-shaven and decorated with ocean-blue tattoos. Those foreign symbols slashed across his strong jawline and all the way down his throat, disappearing under the neckline of his tunic. Kohl encircled his yellow eyes and then bled to his forehead, making his eyes stand out even more frighteningly than they already were, hiding his face in a sea of darkness.
He grabbed my arm and jerked me forward roughly. I clamped my lips shut against my scream. The Kald put his nose to my throat and inhaled. His lips pulled back, revealing white teeth as he grinned.
I couldn’t help it. Fear sapped all my strength, and a warm river flowed down my leg.
His grin widened, no doubt scenting that I’d wet myself. “Princess Amunet Khada,” he greeted me, voice somewhere between a growl and a purr, man and beast. “Or I guess we’ve made you queen now.”
For Ashorah, I reminded myself.For the Gods-Chosen.
The Kald’s eyes swept over me, making a vile shudder slither down my spine.
“P-please,” I stammered, “whatever you’re g-going to do, make it quick.”
He blinked those luminous eyes at me. “What is it you think we’ve come to do?” His Kald accent was heavy, the ends of each word too harsh and the vowels too long.
“K-kill me.”
“Oh gods, no. No wonder you’re shaking like a leaf.” The Kald clicked his tongue in mock regret.
I looked from him to the other Kaldfolk, still bears. Their eyes glimmered with laughter. My dread mixed with humiliation, and I squeezed my thighs together to stop from embarrassing myself further.
“We’re not going to kill you, Majesty.” The Kald moved behind me, and I fought every instinct that screamed at me to turn around, to never give my back to a predator. He put his lips to my ear and said, “We’re taking you captive.”
“Wha—” My air cut out as his enormous arm wrapped around my throat, forearm pressing down. My hands came up to yank it away, but my fingers couldn’t even fully grasp his massive arm. I bucked wildly, eyes bulging.
The Kald hung on easily, batting my hands away like they were nothing more than a nuisance, and pressed down harder.
My pulse echoed in my ears, face too hot, chest on fire. My mouth opened and closed like a beached fish, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t manage even a small sip of air. Stars popped across my vision as my arms fell limply at my sides. The world went blurry and then—
Dark.
SIXSAMIRA
I was rocking. Back and forth, back and forth. My back was cradled against something soft and warm. It was comforting, especially compared to the frigid chill raising goose bumps on my arms and legs. I curled further into the warmth, turning my head to bury my frozen nose against it.
A gravelly chuckle sounded in my ear—rightin my ear.
My eyes snapped open, and I jerked away so sharply that I nearly fell out of my seat.
A large arm caught me around the waist and pulled me back against a fur-covered chest. The still-healing lashes on my back barked in protest, bringing everything into startling focus.
Hooves clomped loudly against stone. The hard seat beneath me was a saddle.
I was on a horse.
It carried me calmly through a stone tunnel, unnaturally smooth, like a chisel had speared straight through the earth. I was cold. So cold. My panicked breaths fogged in front of me.
And then I heard more clomping behind me.
I whipped around—and nearly fainted again.
The Kald who’d strangled me sat directly behind me in the saddle, holding me firmly against his torso. He smirked. “Good morning, Majesty.”
