Page 81 of The Shrouded Queen
Her brows rose. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
Siv guided me to a tent that was cramped with cots and utterly freezing. Even through my thick tunic and fur cloak, I shivered.
A solitary girl sat on a cot, legs drawn up, spine hunched.
“Milena,” I said softly, unclasping my cloak and wrapping it around her, smiling faintly as she snuggled into the warmth. Her big blue eyes gazed up at me with gratitude. So small, so helpless, so alone, and left in this ice cave of a tent. I joined her cross-legged on the cot. She didn’t talk at first, so I did. I told her she’d be safe here, looked after. That I was sorry for what she’d seen. That her grandfather was happy where he was. I had no way of knowing if the last bit was a lie, but it was the first one I’d happily told these past couple of weeks.
Her shoulders relaxed as I jabbered on, and when she leaned her head against my shoulder, I smiled softly. “If you ever need me,” I told her, “I’m in the cabin across from the longhouse. You can always come find me. All right?”
She nodded. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
I gave her a squeeze and left with the promise that I’d be back to check on her again. Just before I exited the tent, Milena called, “Wait, Queen Amunet, you forgot your cloak.”
“It’s yours. A gift.”
Milena looked down at it with wide eyes and happily squeezed her doll, which I could see now was a rudimentary rendering of Ketet.
As Siv helped me back to my cabin, I asked, “Isn’t there something that can be done for the people from Netherridge? A proper house to stay in? Or a fire, at the very least?”
Siv shook her head. “All the cots are made of straw, Your Majesty. It would be too dangerous for an open fire. But the king is working on finding them a permanent place to stay. They’ll probably be sent to Keenforge. I think they have space there.”
“But until then, they need warmth. Maybe one of the braziers from the longhouse?”
“I suppose you could ask the king.” Siv paused by my cabin door and gave me a considering look. “You’re not mean. Ashorans are supposed to be mean.”
I chuckled softly. “Thank you?”
Siv flushed. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay. Some Ashoransaremean.” I looked over and noticed Keir watching me by the longhouse’s entrance. Though he was speaking with one of the other Shifters, his eyes were locked on mine. “Just like some Kaldfolk are.”
He cocked a brow, bright eyes searing against the kohl, fixing me with a look that reached across the dozens of feet separating us to make my face burn and my heart give a powerful kick. I knew I shouldn’t antagonize him, but fear took second place to the deep satisfaction of knowing he’d heard me.
Sympathy and kindness hadn’t worked. Seduction was out of the question. I guess that only left fighting back. A thought that lit up my nerves with trepidation and the slightest inexplicable hint of a thrill.
THIRTY-TWOAMUNET
I woke with a groan, my face crushed against a pillow. Gods, I felt like shit. Someone was beating a drum in my head, and my limbs weighed a ton each. With effort, I pushed myself upright and wiped drool from my chin, grimacing. My mouth tasted like metal, and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
I blinked once, twice, three times before the room came into focus.
Dim. A single candle in a wall sconce lit the space, seeming to throw more shadows than light into the room. I could just barely make out the decrepit narrow bed beneath me, smooth stone walls, and the outline of a window that was entirely blacked out. When I squinted, I noticed the glint of metal in the window, sheets of it lined up like boards to fully block the outside world.
Events came back to me with startling speed. Instant panic, sharp and biting, burst inside me. I ran to the door and yanked—
It didn’t budge. Locked.
I slammed my palms against it. “Hello?” I called, my voice cracking. I cleared it and tried again. “Hello!”
There was no response.
“Jasim? Are you there? Open the door!”
Nothing.
Sara probably killed him after she knocked you out, said the king.You really are all alone. In thedark.If I recall, you’re deathly afraid of the dark. Something to do with me?
My breathing picked up speed, sawing in and out of my chest. There wasn’t enough air in here. Too dark. Too much like my nightmares. I pounded both fists into the wood, wincing when I hit the slats of metal built into it. “Hello! Hello, can anyone hear me!Hello—”
