Page 132 of Queen of War and Ruin

I shiver again. An idea whispers through my mind, low and soft. It’s been spinning through my mind all night, growing louder and louder. An idea about where we need to go.

“We should warn Lisal,” Zarek says in a low, soft voice.

Gerard laughs again. It’s even louder this time.

“Oh, there is no way in all the hells,” Gerard says, shaking his head. “I’ve had my fill of dramatic escapes from palaces controlled by the Vsenrog army.”

“Lisal is part of the Seven Allied Kingdoms,” Petrys replies.

“There are only Five Allied Kingdoms now,” Gerard snips. “And I don’t want to be in Lisal when it goes down to four.”

We all fall silent. That owl calls from the darkness again, soft and haunting. Gerard turns to me.

“Princess,” he says. “Don’t you think we should at least tell your brother you’re alive?”

I sigh and twist the reins in my fist. Ebony snorts; she’s uncomfortable in the dark. Hells, so am I. Petrys sniffs. Zarek turns in his saddle, his face a pale ghost in the dark folds of his cloak.

“Do you want to go to Marion?” he asks me, in a voice so low it’s almost a whisper.

I frown. That thought slips through my mind again. Where we should go. Where we need to go.

But I clench my jaw as Ebony shifts her weight under me. I don’t want to bring it up now. Even saying the words, here, in the darkness, feels like a risk.

“Yes,” I whisper. “That makes the most sense. For now.”

Zarek nods, then turns to Gerard.

“You really think you can get us to the hunting lodge?” Zarek asks.

“Of course,” Gerard replies.

“Fine,” Zarek sighs. “We’ll go to Marion. For now.”

Petrys starts to say something, but Zarek cuts him off with a shake of his head.

“At least until we can be sure we won’t be followed to Dungal,” Zarek finishes.

Petrys grumbles under his breath. Gerard’s smile flashes again in the darkness.

“Now,” Zarek says, “do the two of you think you can go ten godsdamned minutes without bickering like an old married couple?”

Petrys sniffs again. Gerard clears his throat. But Zarek doesn’t wait for a reply; he turns his mare in the direction of Marion and begins to walk through the darkness. I nudge Ebony forward, following my husband. Behind me, I hear Gerard muttering something about not starting it, and I roll my eyes.

I’ve spent the whole night thinking about where we should go next. But it sounds insane, impossible. I don’t even want to hear how Gerard will react. So, I’ll wait until we’re somewhere safe. Settled for the day, maybe. Or perhaps in the hunting lodge, with Elrick and Anura.

Or in a private room. In the dark. With my husband.

I shift in the saddle and try not to think about Zarek pressing me against the wall in the servants’ passageway, his breath hot against my neck, my heart pounding so hard I was certain the guards in the hallway would hear it. He was still unsteady on his feet, his mind probably cloudy from whatever it was the elf did to make us sleep. And maybe I should have stopped him when he fell to his knees and picked up my skirts⁠—

Ebony tenses beneath me as my thighs tighten.

“Damn it,” I mutter. “Sorry.”

Zarek turns in his saddle, his dark eyes glinting in the thin gray light.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Fine,” I answer.