Page 90 of Winter Gods & Serpents

The princess murmured under her breath some sort of curse in Calgnan, still letting me hold to my word.

The man stood silent for a moment before cautiously revealing, “You caught Van and Aster, we figured we did not have long before we got discovered in your lands, before you came hunting for us.”

Lie, shades and specks of lies, yet I did not tell her and to my prayers neither did Mal.

“Why are you on Isjordian lands to begin with?” I questioned, hoping to find reason to his lie.

“Most for work or trade, some with families to move to Hanai and Solarya, and some to hunt her since they found out she rose from wherever her father had been hiding her. They would rather have her dead than have their freedom and lives back,” he lied once again.

I saw her eyes shift at his words, though her face never read of fear and her shadows still empty. It felt wrong for me to allow her to hear those words. I had failed today to protect her—having to still hear those words from the people that once tried to kill you, from those who had hurt you, must have wound your insides more than a blade.

“You?” I asked, hoping to find a pattern pointing to their lies, but the princess interrupted before I could bring another word out.

“Whatever he is here for, is in illegality and he just attempted murder,” she said rising to her feet, “deal with him or I will.”

Was she was really letting me give him the honourable death that I had promised? I stared at her half confused, half thankful and she rolled her eyes.

“The men—” I started.

“Will be sent with half of my soldiers back to the wall, now stop tiring me, I am hungry.”

Relief fell through all my breaths, but I stood still blinking in surprise in her direction. What had just happened? Was I trying to read too much into it?

We were back on the road mere minutes after I had to kill the man, quick and painless with my magic. She had instructed half of the soldiers to separate with the dead Adriatians to head back to Highwall.

Her head bobbed side to side fighting her sleep. Every time it dropped to her left she winced and clutched in pain.

“Lean back,” I ordered.

She straightened, pretending to make herself comfortable. “I would rather die.”

“Why did you let them go back? What about the burning, burying, drowning and all of that good stuff?”

I felt her tense for a moment. “Exactly to avoid discussing with any of you, as I said I am famished, whatever got me on the road the quickest. I guess I had been wrong, since I am still being questioned as you can see.” She narrowed her eyes at me over her shoulder displeased with my questioning.

A lie—that was most definitely a lie, but as much as she was too hungry to get into discussion with me, I was glad not too. It was not beyond her to change her mind and run to do all the good stuff she had mentioned if I annoyed her enough.

“Lean back,” I repeated, pulling on her jacket.

“Again, I would rather die.” She pushed my arms away and further apart not to rest on her waist as they had been. She clutched the hilt of the mount to balance herself, the force probably sending pain to her shoulder. A small whimper escaping her lips in proof.

“Since we are on the jolly topic, could I request a favour?” she asked, adjusting her shoulder.

“What favour?”

“Hypothetically of course, if you do manage to kill me, could you make sure is done with your magic. I’d hate to strut around midworld with a bloodied attire and a dagger protruding my chest. You see, I am very partial to my chest and that image would be very inelegant of me.”

I rubbed my eyes intensely. “Congratulations, Your Highness, you just added mad points to the list of most madness I’ve heard in this lifetime.”

“You keep a list of the sort? What do you have on me?”

I could not tell anymore, if she was joking or being serious. “There is only you there.”

“I am one of a kind,” she said, puffing her head high almost in pride. “But the issue is, you have not spent enough time in Isjord. It shall fill in no time.”

“Such praises for your people.”

“They are far from being my people.”