Page 11 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘No. Don’t do that.’
‘And why not?’
‘Because…’ She faltered, frowning as if the words themselves resisted her. ‘I’ve no time for romance. I am valkyrian, a warrior. I am here to fight, to help. Not for…’ She gestured vaguely at him. ‘Whatever it is you intend with me.’
Arden laughed so heartily he doubled over.
‘I didn’t mean that as a jest!’
‘I know,’ he replied, still chuckling, ‘and that is precisely why it’s so amusing to hear you say it.’
‘Pardon?’
‘An inside joke,’ he said with a wink.
Ylva sighed, exasperated. ‘It’s reassuring, at least, that in times such as these you can still find cause for laughter.’
‘It is in times such as these, little wolf, that we must laugh hardest of all,’ he said gently. ‘For if not, then what is the point of any of it?’
Ylva opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, the words refusing to come. At last she gave a small nod and said, ‘Then tell me a jest, Arden Briar.’
His eyes gleamed with mischief. ‘Alas, I cannot.’
‘And why not?’
‘Because every joke I know is far too indecent to utter.’
Ylva’s lips curved despite herself. ‘Why does that not surprise me?’
‘Yet I made you smile,’ he said lightly. ‘Surely that must count for something.’
Her smile deepened before she could stop it, and she turned her face away to conceal the betrayal of her lips. But the moment dissolved as both caught sight of Rio Hawthorne striding towards the centre of camp. Their banter fell away, and they hurried to hear what the Fae princess would declare.
‘Before we set out, I would send two scouts ahead,’ Rio announced, her voice ringing clear. ‘Let them see what lies before us.’
Ylva could not help but look upon the princess with awe. She appeared scarcely younger than herself—perhaps nineteen summers—but carried the gravity of one who had lived centuries. Her form was slender, yet Ylva knew there was honed strength beneath the fall of her green robes. Her antlers, thoughnot yet as tall or splendid as they would become when she wore a crown, still lent her a quiet majesty. Her dark dreadlocks were shoulder short, granting her the freedom to fight without hindrance or so Ylva had heard.
And her eyes…
Deep green.
So very like Arden’s.
Many Fae stepped forward to offer themselves, but before any could speak, Ylva moved first. She ignored the weight of their stares, the way they regarded her as though she were some strange marvel they could not place. Perhaps, in truth, she was.
‘I volunteer,’ she said, her voice steady. ‘I am valkyrian, my sight and strength may serve us well in scouting ahead.’
Rio tilted her head in quiet contemplation before nodding. ‘I agree.’
A low curse slipped from Arden’s lips as he stepped to Ylva’s side.
‘What are you doing?’ she muttered.
He did not answer her, instead addressing the princess. ‘If the valkyrian goes, then so do I.’
Rio’s brow furrowed. ‘And why is that, Arden Briar?’
‘What better scout than a Black Lotus, your highness?’
