Page 96 of White Raven

Spotting the stunning black beauties and their riders, the people in the village rushed out of the way, bowing their heads in reverence or cheering at the Night Hunters as if they were royalty. Audible gasps murmured in the air at seeing Onyx, like he was their king. Their mouths gaped in awe and fear at the man and the strange beast he rode in on.

“Awww . . . it’s good to be home,” Bjørn yelled out to his comrades.

We galloped up the hill to the castle. Onyx reached the gated entrance before us, where Sven was already dismounted, chatting and clapping hands with guards outside the castle entry. Four sentries stood on duty, wearing thick brown leathers with the Night King’s raven emblem burned into the middle, but their uniforms didn’t have the skull like the Night Hunters did.

“You’re back?” A tall guard glanced over at Brynn with a wink. “Maybe we can grab that drink when I get off duty.”

“She’s married,” Renyx retorted, and I could see the realization of his statement flinch painfully over his face. She technically wasn’t, anymore.

“So am I.” The guard smirked, his gaze hungry. “Just a friendly drink between two shields.”

She crooked her finger, the guy strolling to her with a self-assured grin. Brynn leaned down, her fingers tracing his short beard with a smile before her fingers pinched his chin, her smile fading to indignation. “I could flay your ribs open before you even reached for your sword, liten pikk.” Little dick. “Do not ever confuse me for a basic, grunt shield, like yourself. I am a Night Hunter. You bow when I walk by. Understand?”

His eyes only lit up more, like he loved her dominance. “Yes, ma’am.”

She huffed, straightening up on her mount. “Now, open the fucking gate, we have a prisoner for the king.”

The guards finally took notice of me, my hood and Bjørn’s bulky figure blending me into the background. This time when they looked, they saw the silver hair under the cloak. Their eyes widened; mouths parted.

“That’s really her?” one whispered in astonishment. “That’s the White Raven?”

“Open the fucking gate. Now.” Onyx’s growl sliced through the air, shivering up into my bones.

His order was like a shockwave, the sentinels reacting instantly to his command. Chains squeaked, the gates releasing with a crack as they parted, opening for us. The Night Hunters raced up the cobble street, to my doom waiting inside.

“ . . . a prisoner for the king.”

Any sense of safety I had felt before dissolved. My throat knotted up, fear gripping my chest. There was a change the moment Brynn uttered those words, separating me from them with a slice of her tongue. Bringing me back to reality. To what we were.

Enemy and foe.

No manacles bound my wrists, but the ghost of them wrapped around my arms, shifting the air from being protected, to hostage. A commodity they would hand over to their ruler without a thought. This had been the outcome from the beginning, but it had felt far away, something I would deal with in time.

The time had come.

The five horses passed through the gate to the inner bailey, coming to a stop. More “shields,” as they called themselves, came up around us.

“Hersir, you’re back! The king will be so happy to hear of your return. He’s been very anxious for word.” A woman shield spoke to Onyx, while the man went for the reins of his horse.

“Fy faen . . .” He jumped back. “Is this a draugrhest? You tamed a ghost horse?” he exclaimed. Fluffy’s teeth bared, nipping out at the guard, making him squeal and lurch out of his reach.

Bjørn howled in laughter, as a warmth bubbled in my chest for the horse, a kinship between us. Both foreigners in this land. Plus, I loved him biting at anyone else but me.

“You can never tame them,” Onyx replied sternly, dismounting the huge steed. “Their respect is earned.” The horse rubbed his nose against Onyx’s shoulder as he took off his reins. “Feed and brush him with the others if he wants, but he’s free to come and go. Tell all the shields if they try to stop him or get in his way, I will dig out their lungs myself, if it hasn’t killed you already. Got it?”

Onyx was always commanding, a force that you willingly bent to, but I could hear the shift in his tone. The authority and command he had over everyone here.

“Yes, Hersir.” The male guard bowed, swallowing, his eyes nervously darting to the draugrhest. Fluffy’s lips curled, showing off his razor-sharp daggers, like he was taunting him. The man squeaked and stepped even further away from him.

Bjørn climbed off, reaching for me. Scooping Munch up in my hands, I tucked his sleeping body into the pocket of my dress, hoping the moment he woke up he wouldn’t start eating through it. He felt like my touchstone. Something giving me comfort.

Bjørn’s hands gripped my sides, lifting me down to the ground. A burning tingled at my neck, darting my head to the side. Black eyes burrowed into us, Onyx’s shoulders pushing back like he was ready to fight, his nose flaring. Then he snapped his head away, marching through the lattice-style arches into the castle.

Brynn, Bjørn, and Renyx handed their reins over to the guards, Sven the only one looking sheepish to do it, speaking with the guards with familiarity of kinship. It made me think it wasn’t long ago he was one of them, a basic shield, and then bumped up to a position way above his station because of his relation to the king.

“Come on, White Raven . . . you are about to meet the rightful king.” Brynn grinned derisively at me, strolling under the arch, her ponytail swishing behind her.

Feeling Bjørn’s hand press on my spine, spurring me forward, I felt my breath start to falter. Anxiety pressed on my airways, spinning my head. I tried to suck in air while the instinct to hide any vulnerability screamed in my head. My hands trembled and I rolled them into balls. My father’s conditioning kicked in, fighting against my panic attack.