Page 122 of Shadow Queen
“Why do you have a big one?”
He shrugged. “More blood when I kill someone.”
“Lord Commander,” Norah scolded, but the boy grinned.
Soren reached behind and pulled a smaller battle-axe from a sheath belted around his waist and flung it at a nearby railing, burying the head into the wood. Thomas let out a small laugh in amazement.
Soren walked to the railing column and pulled the axe free, then returned to the boy. “Try it,” he said, holding out the weapon.
Thomas’s eyes grew even larger, and he took the axe, positioning himself toward the column. He moved his arm to swing.
“Arm up, boy, not out. You want it to fly straight and not arc sideways.”
Thomas raised his arm upward and flung the axe toward the column. It fell short, clanging on the cobbled walk. The boy looked back at Soren, waiting for his reaction.
“Don’t expect a hit on your first try,” the commander nodded. “Go fetch it.”
Thomas ran and grabbed the axe off the ground and brought it back, holding it out.
“Do it again.”
The boy flung it harder this time, and it hit the column but bounced back, onto the ground. Soren nodded again, and the boy ran to fetch it. When he came back, he held the axe out to Soren.
The commander paused. “Keep it,” he said. “Practice.”
“Yes, Lord Destroyer,” Thomas exclaimed, grinning and holding the axe tightly. Surely it was now his most prized possession.
“Soren,” Norah said softly, “I hardly think this is an appropriate gift for a child.”
He looked at her for a moment, seemingly surprised. Then he shrugged, turning back to Thomas. “Don’t go throwing it at your friends. It’s a weapon. You’ll kill someone.”
“I won’t kill anyone,” the boy grinned. “At least not my friends.”
Norah raised an eyebrow.
“One more thing,” Soren said. He pulled off the belt with the axe sheath, holding it wide and eyeing its size. “It’s big, but…” he stopped. “Hang on,” he said as he drew his dagger and used the tip to cut notches down the length of the belt. Then he looped it around Thomas’s waist and fastened it. “A little thick, but you’ll grow into it.”
Thomas beamed.
“Run along now,” Soren told him.
“Thank you, Lord Destroyer!” the boy said with a clumsy bow, then darted away, into the sun.
The commander chuckled, a genuine chuckle, a sound she hadn’t heard from him before. “He forgot about you,” he told Norah.
She let out a laugh. “He forgot about the world, I think. That was very kind. You made for a very happy little boy, but… let’s not give any more weapons to children.”
Soren shrugged with a smirk, and for a moment, it was hard for Norah to believe he could hurt anyone. Especially a child.
Chapter thirty-five
Norahsteppedcarefullyasshe made her way through the darkness of the cave. It had been a long time since Alexander had shown her the hidden hot springs. She realized now that perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to be traipsing into the darkness and down a path she vaguely remembered, and also having not told anyone where she was going. But the wine she had finished off just a short while ago had been very convincing of the adventure, and away from the bustle of the castle and the weight of the crown, she already felt her energy returning. She just needed to escape for a while.
The wet walls seeped cold into her fingers as she felt her way deeper into the darkness. She stayed to the left, following her touch. The cave was longer than she remembered, and for a moment, she feared she might find herself lost. But she calmed. She’d followed a singular wall, and she could merely turn around and feel her way back out at any time. She continued.
Her persistence paid off as the darkness started to fade. She could make out the walls of the cave now—she was almost there. Just as she remembered, she turned a small corner, and the tunnel opened into a massive cavern. It had been day when she had last come with Alexander, with the large opening at the top spilling in the sun. She had thought it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Now, moonlight lit the cavern, and it was even more magical than before. She smiled as she saw the pools of water. In the sun, they’d shimmered a beautiful turquoise. Not tonight. In the night, they were pools of darkness. But she liked the darkness now.
Her teeth chattered as she pulled off her shoes and wriggled out of her gown. She paused at her undergarments, but then chided herself for being silly. She was alone, and she stripped everything off. She rolled her clothes and put them beside a large rock, then walked to the edge of the pool and dipped her toes in the water. Its warmth made her grin, and she stepped out farther, letting herself sink down into its abyss. The rush of heat surrounded her body, and she breathed out her worry as it enveloped her.
