Page 77 of The Seeker

The sun was already high overhead, and I hadn’t acquired any food or horse feed for the trip. I glanced back toward the city, wondering if I should spend my last few coins on provisions, but one glance at the steadily growing crowd reminded me it was time to go.

Digging my heels gently into the horse’s sides, I urged her toward a group of men on horseback loitering near the road. I stopped a horse-length away. “Hello! Are you headed toward Heimland?”

A look passed between the men, and their surprise filtered toward me. “No!” a man with red hair called back. “Most groups headed that way leave early in the morning. It’s a long road.”

I nibbled on my lip. It was exactly what I feared. “Which direction? I’ll try to catch up!”

A wave of surprise hit my gift, but the man raised his hand nonetheless, pointing.

I didn’t linger, nudging the horse into a gallop, struggling to maintain my grip on the reins and desperately wishing I’d had more experience with horses prior to this journey.

The horse followed the road, but after what couldn’t be more than an hour, I pulled back on the reigns, my butt aching with the pace. I wanted to catch Heimland travelers, but I needed to be alive when I reached them as well. It wasn’t a hot day, but it wasn’t a cool one either, and the horse glistened with sweat, its sides rapidly expanding and shrinking as it fought for breath. I sipped from my waterskin, scouring the sides of the road for somewhere for the horse to drink.

I’d thought the journey would be easier with a horse, but it’d neglected to think of all the things the horse would need to survive the trip, something I deeply regretted now.

Luckily, we didn’t have to walk long before the road curved, passing alongside a river. I stopped at the edge of the road, sliding down from the horse before leading it forward to the riverbank. My knees buckled, and I sank into the cool grass, allowing myself to lean back and breathe for the first time since running from the throne room earlier that morning.

I grimaced at the shame that rolled through me, at how I acted.

But even though I loved Otho, he’d lied, and I could no longer trust him.

And I knew running was the only way he would let me go.

There was a dull tug in my chest, likely the bond, furious at the distance between me and the general—prince. I rose to my feet, digging in my saddlebags for another dose of poison.

“If you run the horse like that, she’ll tire before you reach whoever you’re trying to find.”

I jolted up, panic exploding in my chest, spinning to find the red-haired man from the stable on his horse, standing on the roadside.

I didn’t answer. I knew I couldn’t trust this man.

My hand flew to my hip before I remembered that I left the bulky sword behind. I grimaced.

He sighed. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m only trying to help.”

I crossed my arms, wishing for the first time I hadn’t taken the belladonna, so I could hear his thoughts and verify his truthfulness for myself. “You said you weren’t headed to Heimland.”

“I’m not.” He held up a hand in a motion that was probably supposed to be comforting but definitely wasn’t. “The men I was with . . . well, they aren’t good men. I’m worried they’re going to come after you.”

My gaze found my horse, still happily drinking from the river, and I debated whether or not I could believe him. I looked back at him, giving him a once-over. While he wasn’t dressed in opulence like I’d seen on the king, he definitely wasn’t hurting for coin either. His clothes were clean, well-made, and his horse well-groomed, “And why should I trust you aren’t just like them?”

“You have no reason to trust me, I agree. And I honestly don’t even know what to say to make you believe me but . . .” He ran a hand through his hair and my mind flashed to Otho, who did the same thing when he was thinking. My heart clenched as I shoved that thought away. “Listen, I have a little sister and . . . I know if you were my little sister, I would never forgive myself if I didn’t at least come and warn you, okay? I’ll head back now but . . . please, be careful. This path isn’t known for its safety.”

He guided his horse in a circle, turning back the way he’d come.

“Wait.” I sighed, knowing this could probably be my end, and that I shouldn’t be trusting him, but if the group of men I saw really was coming after me, I wouldn’t make it back to Ralheim anyway. “What’s your sister’s name?”

“Anna.”

He didn’t hesitate with his answer, which was a good sign. Still, I couldn’t stop my fingers from twisting. “And where is she?”

“With my parents in Frieran.”

I raised my eyebrows. He had living parents. “Forgive me, I’m not familiar with Frieran. Where is it?”

“Up north,” he replied. “The other direction on this road. It’s where I and those men were headed.”

I didn’t uncross my arms, still trying to think of a way I could discern this man was trustworthy without magic. My empathy gift did gauge worry coming from him, but it was impossible to know if that worry was for my safety, or worry that I would ruin his plan to cause me harm.