Despite my intentions, I slowly relaxed against him, even as my father began to bluster and shout.
“Give me back my cloak, you monster!” he cried. “I’ll freeze to death out here.”
“Ye will no’,” Kragorn scoffed, “unless ye’re far weaker than I assumed.”
“My horse—give me my favorite horse.”
The sound Kragorn made could only be described asdisgust. He clucked the horse into motion and the animal leapt across the stream, leaving my father cursing behind us.
As we galloped away, I realized why Kragorn had been so disgusted. Father had demanded the return of his favorite cloak and his favorite horse…but hadn’t mentionedme.
I tried to crane my head around Kragorn’s shoulder, to see if my father was upset aboutmykidnapping, but with a growl, Kragorn tucked my head beneath his chin.
“Be still. Get warm.”
The commands were short and surly, and I realized the precariousness of my position. I’d been stolen from my home by anorc, a fierce warrior who was riding for what I had to assume was his safety. He’d left my father, his best hostage…but kept me.
I could only assume my new role in life was as Kragorn’s hostage. His…assurance of safety. I would be betraying my family, my people, to go along with him, but what choice did I have? He was so much stronger than I, and…I was scared of the future.
Of the unknown.
I had no more tears, and I wasn’t even sure if my fears were worth such a response. Instead, I wrapped my arms around my waist and tried not to fall off the horse.
With a muttered curse—at least, I assumed ‘twas what that was—Kragorn shifted his hold on the reins and reached for me. I flinched away, the feel of the cold manacles against my skin startling me, but his touch gentled.
“Give me yer hands,” he muttered, his gaze still on the track ahead.
Reluctantly, I did so, forcing my fingers to unclench. He huffed—a sound of disapproval—his breath fogging the air over my head, then pressed my palms to his chest.
By the Lord, his skin waswarm. My fingers and hands tingled as feeling slowly returned, until I was aware I was touching his bare chest again. Not as an act of charity as I cleaned his wounds, not as a lady of the castle visiting a prisoner in the dungeon…but as a helpless hostage, clinging to her captor.
I should be terrified.
Instead, I fell asleep.
The day passed in a blur, with me tucked in Kragorn’s lap. He pulled my booted feet up so I was curled in a circle ofhis warmth…and, thanks to my father’s cloak, wewerewarm. Blessedly, thankfully,finallywarm.
I couldn’t help but remember the months my captor had spent in the frozen cell, only that thin blanket for protection…until he hadn’t even had that. No sunlight, no warmth, no hope.
Was it any wonder he rode like a demon now?
I dozed throughout the day, and when I was awake, we said little. Once, I did catch him grumbling as he wheeled the horse in a different direction, and I risked lifting my head, trying to guess where we were.
He glanced down at me.
“Humans spread everywhere. This is virgin forest in my world, nae villages.”
I tried to understand. “Your world…”
“And mine are mirrors,” he explained lightly. “Same landscape, same animals, same plants. Only yer people are far more populous, and ye’ve destroyed more of the land in yer quest for gold and power and?—”
He bit off the words with a little shake of his head, as if he didn’t want to insult my people.
But I chewed on my lower lip and tucked myself back into his warmth, because I couldn’t disagree with him.
This was the farthest I’d ever been from home, aye, but even at Tarbert Keep I knew my father’s influence extended far. His men and allies cut down forests to build keeps and castles to protect his land and power…dug into mountains for the ores they needed to build weapons…tookdown stags and boar and hundreds of fish at a time to feed the Keep...
What would the world be like without such destruction?
