Page 93 of Thief of Hearts

“To keep us docile and under their control. If they’d had any idea how strong you actually are, they wouldn’t have given you any.”

The leader yelled, “Put the dress on now, Your Majesty! Or I will send some men in to help you with it.”

I grimaced. I didn’t want any of them touching me.

The back of the cart didn’t close, and it seemed most of the Dracanians had gathered there to watch me. Zain sat up and I turned around, facing him, making it so that the Dracanians would only see my back.

I took off my rope and handed it to him, and he put it around his own waist. The silk dress was wrinkled and I didn’t understand why they wanted me to put it on. It looked terrible.

When I took off my tunic, I heard their lewd laughter and jokes but ignored it. I glanced down at Zain and he had turned his head away from me.

So that he wouldn’t watch me change.

I ignored the strange pang this caused and quickly put on the silk dress. I heard sounds of disappointment from the Dracanians that I was now clothed.

“I’m dressed,” I said to Zain.

He looked up and I wondered if he was thinking about when he’d given this to me.

Something metallic clanged behind me. “Wear that, too.”

It was the gold laurel crown from the tournament. I put it on my head.

“Now get out. King Actos has requested that we walk to the palace.”

I climbed out of the cart. Zain handed Dagger to me and then climbed out himself. He wasn’t as weak as he’d been even a few minutes ago.

I didn’t want to speak to him but he was the only person here I could talk to.

“Why do you think they’re making us walk?” I asked.

“The king is going to parade you around to show off his prowess for having stolen you from Ilion.”

“He didn’t steal me.”

“But he paid the men who did.”

There was a loud creaking and cranking sound as the gates were slowly opened. It felt as if it took forever until there was a space big enough for us to pass through.

The leader walked through the gate and spread his arms wide. “Queen Thalia, welcome to Epirius.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

We followed behind the leader and entered the city. It was strange—this wasn’t somewhere that I’d ever thought I would be.

Unless I had come to raze it all to the ground.

The streets just past the gate were empty. It wouldn’t be much of a parade to humiliate me if no one showed up for it.

About five minutes later we reached the agora. There were Epirians everywhere. I recoiled and instinctively reached for my sword, which wasn’t there. Every single person had the swirling black lines to indicate their successful thefts.

I watched them carefully but none of them seemed to notice us. It was strange—I had never thought of them as people. But they lived here the same way we did in Thrace. Women chatted in the market while their children scampered around their feet. Men were telling each other terrible jokes and laughing. Merchants called out to potential buyers to come and see their wares.

“Not the monsters you imagined them to be?” Zain asked quietly.

I hated that he could tell what I was thinking. I tried to ignore him.

Then he asked, “Why did you save me?”