I clear my throat. ‘Something like that. I’m going to go check with Kyor. See that we’re still on track,’ I tell her.
She smirks at me. ‘Sure.’
But before I can move further afield, Ruben and Benny approach me. Ruben makes small talk, and over his shoulder I see Caz pointedly making the sign of a triangle at me with her fingers. Fucking Benny.Of coursehis nonsense is catching on.
I ignore her gesture and wait for the first available opening to excuse myself. Then, with a flick of my reins, I quicken my mare to the front of the group.
With no idea where to head, I asked Kyor to get Elska to guide us back to the part of the forest where the trials were held, and I assume that’s what she’s doing.
‘Come to see me?’ Kyor’s eyes light up, and the closest thing I’ve seen to a full smile for a long time crosses his face. ‘Careful, Thorn. You might end up looking like you still feel something for me.’
I sigh, the nickname feeling like the first sip of fresh water I’ve tasted since everything crumbled between us. Yet before the feeling can settle, I remember exactly what caused it to crumble. My body stiffens. ‘WhatIfeel has never been an issue in all this. Unless you’re talking about trust.’
‘I’m going to earn that b?—’
Before he can finish his declaration, a scream breaks out from the back of the group. Without so much as a misstep, Elska pivots and charges back in the opposite direction, causing the other horses to rear and buck.
‘Get down!’ Kyor yells as lightning flashes in the daytime sky.
Thunder cracks and splits the air, and I kick my horse into a gallop and race towards Kyor and whatever the hell he’s fighting.
My body is flat against the neck of the animal as my clothes and hair snag on branches. When I reach the group, I see Caz standing on the ground, clutching her shoulder as she tries to keep her horse steady.
‘He came out of nowhere,’ Caz says, her voice trembling.
I look around to see who she is talking about and find that Kyor has dismounted from Elska with his sword drawn. Six feet away from him, a figure stumbles forward. He’s hunched over, muttering, hands clawing the air.
Kyor is just watching, almost as if he’s trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. I, on the other hand, am very aware of what I’m looking at: a threat.
‘What are you waiting for!’ I yell, lifting my hands up, ready to strike. The ice magic surges to my fingertips, but before I can release it, Benny slams into me from the side.
‘Wait!’ he screams, rushing towards the figure, arms wide as if in protection – not for Caz or me, but for the shambling man.
‘Wait!’ Benny bellows again. ‘It’s Loch! It’s Loch.’
Chapter 26
Istand watching as Benny runs headlong towards the gaunt, ragged shadow.
Supposedly, Etta picked her Rettlings for more than just their strength in battle – I’m evidence enough of that – but there’s no way this could be the man I remember from all those weeks ago. A Rettling who survived the first trial. A member of the court in the Eastern Isles.
This man barely looks human.
And yet Benny’s pace doesn’t falter.
‘Loch, buddy.’ He reaches the figure and kneels on the ground in front of him, unthreatening, calm. ‘It’s me, Loch. It’s Benaris. Benny. It’s me.’
The man falters and his muttering subsides.
‘Idiot’s going to get himself killed,’ Kyor whispers beside me. His voice is so quiet I doubt anyone other than myself could hear, and yet, despite his distance from us, the man’s eyes spring up and look directly at the prince, as if he’s got some kind of magical hearing.
‘By the Mother.’ My words leave me on a gasp. ‘Benny’s right. Itishim. It’s Loch.’
No quiet comment went unheard by the former Rettling of the Eastern Isles. Conversations behind closed doors, fields away fromwhere he stood, or in a private corner of a busy ballroom were no barrier to Loch. He could pick out a single utterance the way a wolf can catch the scent of blood on an autumn breeze.
Incredibly useful when you need someone to spy for you.
I remember the first ball, when Benny sent Loch out to listen. I’d thought it harmless then. Now, knowing what I do, I wonder who he was really listening for.
