Page 18 of Queen of War and Ruin

“That’s my godsdamned foal,” Toth shrieks.

The stallion finally staggers off the mare. He stands on the grass, panting, with his head hanging low. Lilias’s mare twitches her ears.

“We don’t even know if she’s pregnant,” Lilias says briskly. “It usually takes more than one breeding session to impregnate⁠—”

“I don’t think he’s got another session in him,” Gell snaps, and damn near everyone collapses into laughter again.

And, true, the poor stallion does look like he’s about to faint. I’ve never seen a horse look so much like he needs a pipe to smoke and a bottle of wine. Lilias smooths down the front of her shirt and walks over to the guards.

“Is that everything you need from us?” she asks.

The guards are still chuckling.

“That was one fucking show, lady,” Gell says, wiping his eyes.

Lilias stands there, looking like she is not at all amused.

“Yeah, we got everything we need,” Yves finally says.

Lilias makes a sound in the back of her throat, then turns to Toth.

“Then I believe this ends our arrangement,” she says. “Thank you for escorting us to the toll.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Toth growls. “That’s my fucking foal in there.” He turns to the guards. “You all saw it! My stallion, my foal.”

The guards snigger. I grit my teeth and shake my head. I think Yves and Gell will be talking about this little encounter for years, if not decades.

“When you reach Vsenrog,” Lilias says, “look for us two blocks from the palace, in the large white house along Golden Road with roses painted over the door. If my mare is pregnant, we’ll discuss ownership of the foal then.”

Toth grumbles under his breath, but he seems wise enough not to push the issue in front of Vsenrog guards. Not with a woman who just admitted she lives two blocks from the palace.

Lilias adjusts her saddle, which got shoved to the side in the heat of passion, then gets on her mare and trots down the road. The stallion stares after her with the most brokenhearted expression I’ve ever seen on an animal. I feel a sudden surge of gratitude for the poor beast. Thanks to his dramatic performance, Yves and Gell didn’t even look at me.

I can’t believe it was that easy to pass through the toll station. I could almost kiss that stupid, horny stallion.

I climb on my gelding, pull my hood low over my face, and trot past the guards. They’re still making dick jokes as I ride out of earshot.

It’s only once we’re both past the toll station and into the woods that I realize the place Lilias just described for Toth is the Golden Rose brothel.

Chapter 10

Lilias

A ROOM FOR THE NIGHT

It’s been raining all day.

It started sometime in the night, when I woke up gasping from another nightmare about the Dragon Mine and Prince Syvan, one where he didn’t fall to his knees but instead ran toward me, blood pouring from his mouth and turning his teeth scarlet even as he snarled.

I bit my finger to keep from screaming, but somehow Zarek woke up anyway. He didn’t say anything. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around me and went back to sleep as the first of the raindrops began to tap against the canopy of leaves sheltering us. I pulled the blanket over my head and, somehow, managed to join him in sleep.

When I woke up, we were both soaked. Zarek said the rain might clear as the day went on, but there was a little twist to his lips that made me think that wasn’t very likely.

It did not clear. Instead, the rain got stronger and heavier, until it felt like one of the gods was very specifically trying to drown us. We passed a few towns as we wound our way through side roads, bypassing the capitol entirely on our way to the mountains that used to mark the border between Vsenrog and Marion. At some point I realized we’re tracing the same path we took on our unity tour.

And now it’s getting dark. Our horses slowly clomp toward the center of yet another small town. There’s a white gazebo in the town square; a shiver traces down my spine as I recognize it. Zarek kissed me there as the crowd cheered. This was one of our early morning stops, so his lips tasted like tea instead of wine. He grabbed me around my waist and bent over the railing as he kissed me; the crowd screamed and clapped like we’d just won a battle.

My cheeks burn against the icy rainwater. I shake my head, then turn to the big building that must be the town’s inn. All the windows glow with light. I can hear the roar of the crowd inside, even from the road.