I swung down from the horse with metal legs—Kiyan had told me his name was Cheeni.
The horse’s mane was soft, like underwing feathers, and I patted it awkwardly, as it swung its silvery eyes to me. Its legs shimmered like they were made with molten iron, and I had the distinct impression it knew all my secrets.
Hastily, I took a step back from it, nearly colliding with Kiyan, who reached out a hand to steady me but dropped it from my shoulder in nearly the same moment. I glanced up at him, feeling my face flush.
Desperate to change the awkwardness between us, I cleared my throat to speak. “Won’t the rebels attack us as we are? There aren’t very many of us.”
“We’ll be a bigger target with a whole company of soldiers instead of a small outfit,” said Kiyan, though he scanned the tree line when he said it, as if looking for an imminent ambush.
I exhaled, thinking of the rotting forest animal and the feeling of burning when I’d been inside it, before that strange cooling feeling coated my skin.
My mother’s bangles still sat on my wrist, and I pressed my fingers to them for reassurance. They felt like a talisman from her, and no matter what I had told Kiyan or Ramishah, I knew they had something to do with what happened to the beast.
Or perhaps they had protected me from burning up too?
Whatever it was, I knew they weren’t ordinary pieces of gold.
Kiyan’s eyes flickered down to my wrist where I touched them, but he said nothing. It felt odd even wearing them out in the open—the Citadel had banned all our jewelry and made it impossible to own any gold lest there be fae power imbued in it. The only reason I was still allowed my spectacles was because I worked for the Citadel. And eventhathad required extensive approval.
But here, gold graced the wrist and neck of every hag and pixie and peri that walked through the forest.
One of the soldiers conjured a tent, magic sprouting out of his hands like rain, and I stood fascinated as its shape formed from trees and canvas. It looked as if it were spun from leaves and earth and tree bark, a miniature house that had grown from the forest floor in a matter of seconds. Three tents were set up, with the guards sleeping outside in a semicircle around us with a fire. The Salt soldiers’ silver helmets hid their faces from view, their tails swishing back and forth as they worked to make camp. The effortless magic made me uneasy, and once again I was reminded of how powerless I was here, of how easily they could crush me if they wanted.
I nervously shoved my spectacles higher up my nose, pushing down my fear and anxiety and burying my head in what I knew best—books and parchment.
I pulled out the map, studying it again, trailing my gaze over the path outlined to the vault. There was a large mountain that stood out in the far corner of the map, and I knew from what Mishah said that it was the place where River’s royal family was trapped. Tirich Mir.
It looked as though we were already very close to the vault and perhaps needed another day of riding on the incredible half-metal horses.
A shadow loomed over me as I continued to study the parchment. The Viceroy stood behind me, examining the map as well. He was close enough that I felt the same uncomfortable sensation slither through me as when he touched my hand at dinner. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, that greedy gaze reminding me of the children of the Citadel who would taunt starving Astolan street kids with fried honeycomb, only to eat it themselves.
“You’ve never searched here before?” I asked him, gesturing to the map, focusing on the task at hand and diverting attention away from me.
The Viceroy looked up at Kiyan who was walking past us, though he looked like he’d rather not make conversation.
“Kiyan knows this area of the River Court better than I—was this area searched before?” The Viceroy’s voice was bored, as if he truly didn’t care about the answer, but I sensed an underlying threat in his words.
Or maybe it was always Kiyan’s reaction to the Viceroy speaking to him, like he wanted to throw up and commit murder all at the same time.
His eyes sparked so much flame I was surprised the Viceroy wasn’t scorched.
Kiyan surveyed the map intently, lifting his finger to the paper and frowning. “May I?”
He moved so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck, the soft, warm air sending prickles of awareness down my spine. His intense demeanor still set me on edge, but it was mostly difficult because of how aware I was of my own body whenever he was near. As if my clothes were burned off me every time he so much as cast me a glance over his shoulder, or touched my ear when replacing my spectacles. My skin came alive; every movement I made felt so much bigger. The scent of him took over everything—the smell of brand-new spring and fresh pine and an uncurling vine.
“Yes, of course.” My voice came out as an unnatural squeak, and I cursed myself for being so disturbed by him.
He blinked at me and took the paper in hand.
“We haven’t searched the lower mountains, given the rebel attacks.” He placed a finger on a point in the map that I assumed was where we were. “It’s also a place with limited access to magic because of protection spells cast by the ancient peris.” He flexed his jaw and looked up at the Viceroy. “You might not have to worry about that given that you are from Salt.”
The Viceroy smiled, a thin, reedy grin that reminded me of the slash of a blade. “Oh, I think I’m limited by the same conditions you are, Kiyan, since all my powers now primarily come from the Court of River.” He placed a hand on the gold sunken into his skin and traced the jagged peaks of it.
I didn’t know what that meant, but Kiyan’s gaze shadowed, and I could tell it wasn’t a positive thing, whatever he was saying.
“Interesting that you didn’t think it was necessary to look here, with the Queen Azari’s connection to the lower mountains.” The Viceroy’s voice had an edge to it.
Kiyan shook his head. “There was never cause to. And with all the trouble with the rebels, it became a matter of balancing priorities.” His own words were level, and I was impressed at how steadily he held his own against the Viceroy.
