Page 55 of Shadow Queen
He shifted and moved on top of her. “Right now, I’m going to make love to my wife.”
Norah smiled as he lowered his lips to hers.
Chapter sixteen
Norahwokewithachill. Her eyes fluttered open, and she reached across the empty bed beside her. She knew Mikael wasn’t there. He had mentioned he’d be leaving early with Soren, but it wasn’t his absence that disturbed her. Something unsettling hung in the air. She sat up. And gasped.
A strange man sat in the corner chair.
He wore fitted clothes, dark. Black. His head was covered with a formfitting cloth that showed only his eyes, similar to the Kharavian head wrap. But it wasn’t a Kharavian wrap. And he wasn’t Kharavian.
He waited quietly, watching her.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “And what are you doing here?”
He let out a low chuckle.
“Guards!” she cried. But the room was quiet. “Guards!”
“There is no one else,” he said, then there was a sickening lull. “Only you and me.”
Mikael stood with Soren around the remains of a small campfire in the hills, deeply bothered. They’d traveled out after Soren had spotted it on his return to Ashan. There were intruders in Kharav. He studied the campfire. It had aged a day or two, with very few clues around. Salara had just traveled through the area close by. The intruders had been near her, and the thought unsettled him.
“Large enough that it’s more than one man,” Soren said as he kicked over a charred limb in the ash. “And no sign of horses. They have to be on foot to leave no trace.”
“They’re bold to build a fire.”
“They’re bold to be in Kharav,” Soren replied. “Do you think they’re in the city by now?”
The thought seeded Mikael’s anger. “Quite possibly.”
There were only three ways to enter Kharav. One was through the labyrinth of one of the two canyon passes, under the watchful eyes of the Uru to the west and Kharavian forces to the east. Another was by sea, but cliffs lined Kharav’s coasts and were violent with waves. A man could neither land a boat nor swim ashore. Kharav held only two ports safe for a ship’s entry, and they were heavily guarded. The last option was crossing the river from the southwest kingdom of Osan, but since the incident with the Osan prince, where Soren had killed the group of trespassing young men, Mikael had increased forces along the border.
A man would have to be incredibly skilled to enter undetected. For several men, it was near impossible. Yet they were here. How?
“Find them. I want to know who these men are.”
“What do you want?” Norah asked angrily, slowly sitting up more and getting her legs underneath her. She cursed her long nightgown. It would encumber her in a fight if there were to be one. And there would definitely be one.
Although his face was covered, she could see the wicked smile in his eyes. He stood slowly and then stepped toward the bed. He wasn’t a large man, but the ease of his movement told her he was dangerous.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned, backing toward the opposite edge. Almost quicker than she could react, he leaned forward to grab her. She narrowly escaped his reach, slipping off the bed and bolting for the door.
But he was fast and he caught her arm, twisting her back toward him. She fought against his hold, and the dagger at his hip brushed her stomach. Norah whipped it from its sheath and plunged it into his side, just under his armpit. A solid hit. She wasn’t sure if it had reached his heart, but it would steal his breath.
The man grunted, releasing her, and stepped back in surprise. He looked down at the blade as the wound poured blood down his side, and he struggled to inhale. Then he fell to his knees and forward onto the stone floor as his strength left him. A hit to the heart. She’d been lucky.
But there was no time for relief. She threw open her chamber door and froze at the sight of the empty guard post. Blood streaked the wall and puddled on the floor. Whose blood was that? Who had been on guard? She fought back her panic and dashed out, but another man with a covered face stood in the middle of the hall.
“Impressive,” he said. “You surprise me, Queen Norah.” His accent wasn’t entirely foreign.
Confusion hit her as she glanced back toward the bedchamber. Had he seen her stab the first man? But that would be impossible.
“Who are you?” she seethed.
“Let’s say, a very old friend.”
“Friends don’t kill each other,” she snapped.
