Page 45 of Bride of Ash & Dust

“Well, as soon as you know, please inform me,” he says. “We’ll want to make sure we greet your new brother-in-law as nobly as possible.”

“Of course,” I reply.

Fear dances across the back of my neck as I nod. Another mention of the king of Marion’s failing health, and an attempt to make it sound like Prince Elrick is running that kingdom. None of that is true; Lilias’s father is perfectly healthy, and the Kingdom of Marion is run by a council of mayors. The royal family is like an ornamental historical artifact for that kingdom, and it has been since they gained their independence from Vsenrog.

Not that any of that matters. If King Malrik says Lilias’s father is ill, that’s what everyone in Vsenrog will believe. And if he declares Prince Elrick the de facto ruler of Marion⁠—

Then my wife’s brother, Elrick, has a target on his back.

I shiver. Malrik waves his hand at the door, dismissing me, and my own words come back to taunt me. They think they can make me dance, I told Lilias last night, but they don’t own me.

I feel cold as I bow before the king, following all the steps in the dance he chose for me.

Chapter 25

Lilias

ON ZAREK’S BEHALF

“Come on,” Alia says as we lead our horses out of the stable. “I’ve got something to show you.”

I’m about to ask if she’s going to challenge me to another race, but one look at the horse she’s leading makes me rethink the question. The stallion who beat me earlier has developed a slight limp, and today, Alia is leading a young gelding who looks incredibly nervous. He might be able to beat the bitchy mare I’ve grown quite fond of, but I’d say there’s an even chance he’d throw Alia into the dirt and bolt for the hills.

We climb into our saddles as Alia fills me in on the stallion’s treatment regimen. I’ve been coming down here most afternoons to help where I can. At first, the stable hands treated me like they might treat a stray dog who wandered into the barn; cautiously, and like I might bite. Now, after almost two weeks of visiting, they’re slightly less hostile. Slightly.

It’s fair, I have to admit as I follow Alia up one of the winding trails that lead into the mountains. The stable hands have no idea who I am or what I want out of their horses. For all they know, I’m the type of noblewoman who will drive a horse into the ground, or ignore a limp, or get thrown and then blame the trainer. Hells, they have every reason to be cautious.

Still, it’s hard to be in a place that feels so familiar, surrounded by the sounds and smells of a working stable, and be treated like an inconvenience. Anura says it will just take time.

Well, the gods know I have plenty of that.

Alia’s gelding kicks and snorts at nothing. She murmurs to him as he puts his ears back at a sapling on the side of the trail. I wait, and Alia gives the gelding plenty of time to investigate the suspicious tree.

“What are you going to show me?” I ask. “Do I get a hint?”

Alia grins at me. “It’s from your husband.”

The mare tenses below me as I stiffen in the saddle. I’ve hardly seen Zarek since I woke up in our bed to find him bleeding in the dark. I told him to replace the bandage every night, or to let me replace it, but that was the last time we spoke. If he’s set foot in our room since that evening, it hasn’t been when I’m there.

I have no idea where he’s spending his nights. Or with whom.

Not that it matters. I swallow hard and sit up straight in the saddle. I’m not foolish enough to expect fidelity in a royal marriage, and his absence doesn’t bother me. But what in the hells could Alia have to show me?

Alia’s gelding apparently decides the sapling’s threat has been neutralized, and he huffs with relief. Alia guides him back onto the trail and begins a steady trot. I follow her, and together, we loop in and out of the forest. The little pond winks in the distance, reflecting the thick afternoon sunlight. Alia leads me past the pond, then stops at a narrow spur trail.

“See that tree?” Alia asks, pointing at a massive pine with a thick trunk. “The one that looks like it has tits?”

I snort a laugh before I can stop myself. “Really?”

Alia laughs. “It does, though, doesn’t it?”

The thick pine tree does have two almost symmetrical galls on its trunk. I suppose, if you squint and really use your imagination, they could almost look like breasts.

“Okay,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“That’s your landmark,” Alia says. “Turn up the hill at the tits. You can make it this far on your own next time, right?”

“Sure,” I answer.