Page 137 of North Queen
The old man was silent, and his eyes darted to her guard. Footfalls came behind her, and she looked back to see the lord commander approaching, followed by Captain Artem and more soldiers. Had the commander not gone with the king? She groaned inside.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
It was none of his business. She pursed her lips. “I’m planting flowers.”
“North Queen, you can’t be out here digging in the dirt.”
“Bremhad has already done the digging,” she said flippantly. “I’m planting the flowers.”
Agitation rolled off his brow. “You can’t be out hereplanting flowers.”
“Why not? What am I to do? Sit in my room all day?”
“Something more proper for a queen.”
“You should let the queen decide what’s proper for queens,” Norah said shortly. “I’ll go back inside once I’m finished here.” She could feel the heat from his anger, but she focused on her next root ball.
The lord commander gave an order in the Shadow tongue, and each soldier quickly picked up a root bundle and dropped them into the holes lining the walkway, covering the roots with dirt.
“You’re finished now,” he told her.
Norah gritted her teeth, anger swelling inside her. She stood, glaring at the lord commander. His eyes returned her stare like pools of hell. But what could she do?
She turned to the old man. “Thank you, Bremhad. Perhaps I might come again? I’d like to see how things are coming along.”
“Of course, Salara. I’m here every day and would be honored.”
She gave the lord commander and the captain another scowl and then turned back toward the castle.
Four guards. Four guards now stood on duty as she stepped out into the hall from her chamber—no doubt a punitive response to the day prior. But she wouldn’t give the lord commander the upper hand.
She smiled at them. “Oh, perfect. I was headed outside for another walk, so we’re all ready.” And she started down the hall. They fell in step behind her. Close. Too close. Suffocating. She tried to brush it off as she passed the dining hall—where she’d originally intended to go. Petty rebellion was much more important than breakfast.
Her stomach grumbled in protest. She ignored it. She’d eaten a hefty dinner the night before, taken in her chamber. Nine hells before she’d eat alone with the lord commander. And being out for a walk wasn’t for naught. She hadn’t properly explored the castle grounds. She wished she’d thought to bring Vitalia.
The beauty of the Shadowlands was hard to deny. In every recess of the castle sat a garden area, meticulously kept. The walls and stonework were well maintained, and even the cobblestone walks appeared to have been scrubbed clean. Tall iron posts lined common walkways, holding oil lanterns for the night.
She turned the corner of the castle, and the walk opened to a broad green space. Within a short distance were structured activity fields, each filled with training soldiers. The fields were much larger than in Mercia, and on first observation, the training was much more aggressive. Where her Northmen practiced in an organized fashion, the Shadow fields could easily be mistaken for battlefields.
Norah stopped and watched, wide-eyed. With no reservation and no restraint, the Shadow warriors fought—lethal strikes with real weapons and devastating consequences. How were they not killing one another? Her pulse quickened. Even if they were Shadowmen, she didn’t want anyone hurt…
Suddenly, her eyes found Captain Artem.Except him.He could hurt himself all day. And so could the lord commander—wherever he was. The captain stood in the center of the far-right field as he scanned the soldiers, calling out commands of gods only knew what. And then, as if he sensed her gaze, he turned. The hair stood on the back of her neck, and she broke away to keep walking.
He’d seen her. But she didn’t dare look back to see if he would come after her. She focused her eyes ahead. And then she slowed.
The king was walking toward her. A surprise—he’d said he wouldn’t be back until late. It wasn’t an unwelcome surprise, though. Beside him strode the lord commander.Hewas unwelcome.
Thankfully, the commander forked away and headed toward the training fields, though not before casting her a dark eye.Good riddance.She turned her attention back to the king. The corners of her mouth turned up, and she pursed it back. But she certainly wasn’t unhappy to see him.
His own mouth held the hint of a smile, and her eyes moved to his lips. She hadn’t forgotten how they felt. She swallowed and tried to shake the path from where her mind was beginning to wander.
“North Queen,” he greeted her.
“Salar Mikael,” she greeted back, trying out the Kharavian title. It felt very… unnatural. She wasn’t sure why.
He tilted his head. “It’s not customary to use both names.”
She didn’t want to call him Salar—a name so… distant. “All right. Mikael.” That felt natural. She wasn’t sure if he’d be fine with her calling him by his name, but she caught the hint of a smile, and she smiled back. “You’re back sooner than I’d expected.”
