Page 178 of War Queen
“Let me do the talking,” she told him. “I don’t know how eager they’ll be to help, considering how we left things last.” Not that he remembered; Naavi had stripped him of his memories of the Wild, except the memory of him nearly being forced to kill Mikael. “It’s important this goes well. They’re the only ones who can help. I just hope they know how. They should. They have a magical pool that should be able to show them. And even if it can’t, they have a great library of magic that might have other options.”
He said nothing as his eyes combed the trees around them. She sighed—he wasn’t even listening. She’d made him leave his weapons at the tree line. All of them. And he wasn’t happy. A twitch in his eye told her his mind was turning in thought—no doubt with something very unpleasant, something she wouldn’t like hearing, but she couldn’t help herself.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“How I’d kill myself without a weapon.”
She knew it—something unpleasant. She rolled her eyes. “You could be thinking of how beautiful the forest is.”
“Why would I be thinking about that?”
She scrunched her face at him. “Why would you be thinking about killing yourself?”
“Because if the Wild is to kill me, they’ll make me do it myself. That’s likely. So I’m thinking about it.”
Well, shedidn’twant to think about it. She puffed a small breath through her lips; she shouldn’t have asked.
“I think I’d rip out my throat,” he said.
Norah gaped at him, her eyes wide. “Gods, what?Why?”
“Were you not listening?”
She sputtered formless words. What was wrong with this man? “I mean, why would you pick that? That’s terrible!”
“It’s not what I’d pick for myself. It’s what I would pick if I werethem.”
Norah shook her head, her mouth still open in silent disgust.
“What?” he asked with a shrug. “I couldn’t choke myself. I’d pass out, continue breathing. I don’t think I could rip out my heart.” He looked down at his forearms. “I could probably open my veins, I’m not sure with what, though. This is why you should’ve at least let me keep the dagger. I could have killed myself quickly. Now you’ll make me suffer.”
“Can you stop? Gods, Soren.” She shook her head again. “You’re not going to rip out your throat, or open your veins, or whatever your twisted mind can come up with.”
He gave her an annoyed scowl but said no more.
Something had changed in the forest around them. Even the wind seemed to disappear. Sephir shook her head.
“Soren,” she said as her pulse quickened.
They brought their horses to a stop and slid down. She looked at him, and he tapped his fingers to his throat, as if placing a bet.
“Shut up,” she whispered.
He chuckled.
But it wasn’t funny.
“Norah,” sung a voice from the forest, and Naavi stepped out from between the trees.
Norah smiled. “Naavi!” A wave of emotion hit her. She wanted to go to her, hug her, but that seemed… perhaps too forward. She was happy to see the Wild woman again, though.
As if in answer, Naavi swept forward and pulled her into an embrace. “I knew I’d see you again, but I didn’t expect so soon.” She pulled back with a smile, but that smile fell when she saw Soren. The Wild woman glared at him. “You weren’t welcome to return.”
He shrugged. “I get that a lot.”
“Naavi, I need your help again,” Norah said, trying to pull her attention off Soren. “I need to know how to break a tether.”
Naavi’s focus snapped to Norah, forgetting Soren. Her eyes widened. “You’ve been tethered?”
