Page 88 of North Queen
“Must I do this forcefully as well?” he asked.
She stewed in her anger but held out her hands to be bound. The skin was raw, and she grimaced as he pulled the cord tight around her wrists. His eyes locked with hers as he finished—they were almost apologetic, but only for a moment.
He called for another bedroll, and her stomach turned at the realization she’d be sleeping in the same tent as him. A bedroll was brought quickly, and she eyed it irritably before settling onto it.
Norah turned her back to the Shadow King and tried to imagine herself alone. She didn’t hear him behind her, and it made her uneasy, but she didn’t dare look back at him. Tears threatened. She bit her lip sharply, forcing an even breath. She couldn’t allow herself to cry.
Despite the circumstance, and the binding, she did sleep. In her dreams, she saw Caspian’s face. She saw her men falling, one after another, and all she could do was watch.
Chapter twenty-six
Norahwoketoanempty tent. The king was gone. She combed her fingers through her hair, re-braiding the locks and tucking wayward strands behind her ear as best as her bound hands could manage. What had they done with her things when they captured her? She found a basin of water, which she hoped was fresh, and washed her face and hands. Then she stepped outside. The sun hadn’t yet come up, but light seeped over the hills. Crisp air chilled the dampness that remained on her skin. She shivered.
The massive Shadow army had started assembling, but there was no sign of the king. She turned and, almost colliding with a soldier, jumped. It wasn’t a soldier, she quickly realized, but the king’s brute. She couldn’t see his face with the wrap on his head, only his eyes, which were like the king’s—dark pools of night. There was something unnatural about him, and she swallowed back her fear. He wasn’t really a demon, she told herself. She had hurt him.
He held a horse for her, remaining silent.
“Where’s the king?” she asked, taking the reins and being careful not to touch his hand.
He didn’t respond as he turned and mounted his own horse.
“I know you can speak,” she muttered, and settled onto her own mount.
“Don’t try to escape,” he warned.
“I’ll take your request into consideration.”
The brute looked back over his shoulder, his impatience with her obvious. “Don’t try to escape, or I’ll walk you naked behind me with a rope around your neck like a dog.”
Norah swallowed back her horror at the thought. She suspected he was just trying to frighten her, but she decided it was better not to test him. She’d made a spectacle of him the day prior, and he seemed like he would enjoy humiliating her if he could.
“Well, lead on,” she mumbled.
They headed west, breaking away and leaving the army behind. Frost covered the ground, and the wind stung her cheeks. They’d hit snow before the day’s end. She wished she had her belongings—the thicker gloves, the warmer clothing.
They rode in silence. She resisted the urge to ask questions. She knew he wouldn’t answer. The army fell farther behind them as they rode. She wanted to turn back. It wasn’t that she wanted to be back with the army but rather that she didn’t want to be alone with the brute.
Time passed, and she grew more uneasy. Where were they going? Where was the king? Was the commander planning to kill her? Why else would they have left the army? Why else would they be alone?
The smell of smoke interrupted her thoughts. As they reached the top of the hill, she gasped at the sight. A small walled city lay in ruin before them. They drew closer, and the magnitude of destruction hit her.
Impaled heads lined the front gates, a grotesque message for anyone who passed. Her stomach turned, and she looked away, but there was nowhere to look that didn’t show the horrors that had happened. Charred bodies littered the ground, and buildings smoldered. Her horse snorted nervously. A child’s shoe lay in the mud, and Norah’s breath quivered. What had happened here?
The king met them at the collapsing town center, waiting atop his horse of night, and she looked at him in horror.
“How could you…” Norah couldn’t finish.
“This isn’t my hand,” he said.
“Then who?”
“That’s a question for you, North Queen.”
Confusion needled her. “What?”
“These are lands protected by Mercia, and this isn’t a normal attack.”
Norah swallowed back the bile in her throat. “That doesn’t mean this was an attack against Mercia.”
