Page 91 of War Queen
“I don’t snore.”The nerve.But she would get more comfortable. She accidentally kneed him while slipping off her boots, and he grunted—served him right. Then she stuck her freezing toes under the warmth of his calves, eliciting a growl.
“What about Serene?” she asked as she got settled. Serene would be cold, too, although she doubted her Mercian maid would be keen on cozying up to the Destroyer.
His lips thinned in irritation “Fine,” he hissed. “Come on.” Surprisingly, Serene sidled in on his opposite side, shimmying close. “Curse the North gods!” he spat. “Are all women’s feet made of ice?”
Serene gave a giggle, and Norah smiled as she tucked her frigid fingers in the fold of his arm, drawing another snarl.
Despite the cold, sleep came quickly.
They rode for two weeks, stopping late into the night to make camp and rest. It warmed as they traveled south, and Caspian was grateful. The first few nights he thought he might freeze to death, but thoughts of seeing Tahla again warmed him. He wondered how she was and if she missed him. Surely, she knew what had happened, what had kept him away. He prayed she knew he’d find a way to return to her.
Evening came again. They set up camp in the low of the rocky hills. Caspian laid out his bedroll bedside Bhastian’s. They were far enough south that the air wasn’t freezing, but it was still cold, and while they didn’t use the tents anymore, the warriors still slept back-to-back for warmth. He checked on the men taking watch, then took off his sword to settle in, but he paused when he saw the lord commander walking toward him. Bhastian moved to give them some space to speak privately.
The commander swept his eyes around the camp as he drew near, and when he reached Caspian, he stepped close—uncomfortably close. “We’ll reach the Uru tomorrow,” the commander said quietly. “But circumstances have changed since you last saw Tahla.”
Caspian’s pulse quickened. What did that mean? “Changed how?”
The lord commander let out a long sigh and pulled down his wrap. “This isn’t my news to tell, but I don’t want you caught unaware, and I need you to remember your duty.” He clasped Caspian’s shoulder. “You have a child, Caspian.”
Caspian sucked in a breath. His mind swirled around him, and he swayed. A child.A child.
The commander’s hand gripped his shoulder tighter. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I needed your mind clear in the North.”
His mind clear. Yes, this would have certainly muddied it.As it did now.A child. “Does Norah know?” he asked finally, his voice barely a whisper.
“She knows of the babe, but not that it’s yours. No one knows. Tahla hasn’t shared who the father is, but she was heavy with child when we last passed through.”
He couldn’t imagine Tahla with child. “And you’re sure it’s mine?”
The commander’s eyes blazed with anger. “Who else’s would it be, you dumb fuck?”
“No, that’s not…” He didn’t mean it like that. “I want it to be my child.” It would crush him if it weren’t his. “I want it to be mine.”
The commander settled and finally nodded. “Well, I’m telling you because you need to remember your duty. You’re lord justice now. Salara needs you more than ever. Take tonight before we get there. Steep your mind in it, figure out a way to manage yourself.”
Caspian nodded.
The commander cuffed him on the shoulder and left him alone in the dark.
The night passed without bringing sleep. Caspian didn’t know if he was warm or cold, happy or sad. Did Tahla want a child? Surely this made her life harder now. It would make things between them harder. Would she deny him still?
Caspian rose well before the sun, while the rest of the warriors slept. He joined Kiran, who stood watch.
“Can’t sleep?” the warrior asked.
Caspian smiled weakly. “Just a lot on my mind.” He nodded back toward the camp. “Go get some rest before we leave. I’ll take over.”
Kiran nodded his thanks and headed to where the other men slept.
Caspian breathed in the sharp air. In a day’s time, he would see Tahla. What would he say when he saw her? What would she say to him? The possibilities swirled around him—ones that made him smile, ones that gutted him. But deep inside, fear sprouted, and that fear gnawed at his soul.
Footfalls behind him made him turn. The lord commander approached. Caspian shifted his gaze back over the hills. He hadn’t realized the sun had started to peek over the horizon.
“Did you sleep?” the commander asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Is your mind right?”
