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He glanced at the sky and back to her. He nodded.
“You have nothing to fear. You must have family who miss you. We can help you find them.”
His face crumpled into a look of devastating sorrow. “Nothing left.”
“No family left? We can—”
“No. Nothing left,” he whispered. “Ofme.”
Riona’s lips parted, understanding rushing over her as Dig hung his head in shame. He had spent so long in the tunnels that he had been changed irrevocably, his wits stolen from him by the ceaseless, merciless wind. Whatever remained of the man he’d been did not want his family to see what he had become.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed, her heart breaking. “I’m so sorry for what has happened to you. You have my eternal gratitude for your help today.”
Dig reached up and clasped her hand. His fingernails were broken and caked with dried blood in the places where they had torn to the quick on the tunnel’s walls. He offered her a fleeting smile before starting toward the entrance of the mine. As he approached, the Rennox turned and retreated to the tunnel. He did not look back as he disappeared into the darkness behind them.
ChapterFifty-Two
The Liar
It was all Auberon could do not to touch her.
He had chosen to ride at the rear of their group so he could keep a watchful eye on the brothers—whose names, he’d learned, were Callan and Halston—but his gaze never strayed long from Riona. She sat tall and proud in her saddle, her shoulders back and chin held high as always. Even after everything she had endured, she held herself like a queen.
Like an empress.
He fought the urge to dig his heels into his mare’s sides and ride beside Riona. To feel the brush of her leg against his. To reach over and run his fingers over the cut on her cheek. To remind himself, over and over again, that she was safe.
Auberon dragged his gaze away. In his periphery, he could see the gaping entrances to the Howling Mountain’s labyrinthine tunnels, and he tensed as the wind howled through the caverns. Their group rode along the edge of the mountains in anxious and weary silence. They were still in shock from what they had witnessed: Rennox—creatures of living stone—fighting for them.
Fighting at the madman’s behest.
Auberon shuddered at the memory. He was grateful for the creatures’ aid, but he couldn’t shake the terror that had gripped him the moment that Rennox had pointed its spear at his chest. Looking into its onyx eyes had been like staring at death itself. Only once in his life had he felt as helpless and small as he had standing before that creature, and that was a day he did not care to relive.
He reached down to run his fingers over the hilt of his emerald dagger and faltered when he remembered that it was still on the overseer’s body. In the chaos of Riona’s rescue, he hadn’t thought to retrieve it. He held back a sigh. The mine was far behind them now, the dagger lost to whichever miner was lucky enough to loot the overseer’s corpse. The loss wounded him more than he would ever admit. He had been carrying that blade for almost as long as he could remember. He had not regretted giving it to Riona, knowing that the blade might one day save her life, but it was different now that he knew he would never see it again. One more piece of his childhood, gone.
Auberon turned his thoughts to the mine. Not only was it real, but he knew exactly where it was located. He’d memorized every turn they had taken as Callan led them into the heart of the Howling Mountains. The fact that the miners were armed with eudorite blades complicated plans for an attack, but he could work around it. The weapons were extraordinary, but the men wielding them were not trained fighters. A complement of soldiers would easily overwhelm them, especially in tight quarters.
See, Drystan? You had no reason to doubt my loyalty,he thought, recalling the argument they’d had the night he left Innislee. He had accomplished half of his assignment, and all that remained was to convince the king to approve the alliance.
His attention snagged on Amaris, riding at Riona’s side.If you truly mean to hide your feelings from Riona, I want you to swear that after we return to Innislee, you will stay away from her,she had said that morning.Soon, she will marry a man she does not love and leave everything she has ever known behind. There is no reason for her to endure any more pain. You and your people have already hurt her enough.
They had been desperate to find Riona, and now their fragile alliance was broken. He understood Amaris’s wariness and suspicion. She couldn’t possibly know the lengths to which King Domhnall had gone to keep the mine a secret, but she was smart enough not to trust a foreigner with the knowledge that they existed.
Well. Soon enough, the whole world would learn that the king was mining eudorite ore.
Soon enough, the whole world would come for Rivosa.
* * *
They arrived in Crafford that afternoon. Auberon rode close behind Riona, ready to lend a hand should she need it. Her back was still straight, her stare fixed on the road before her, yet he knew that her strength had flagged considerably since they left the mine. She was exhausted, hungry, and in pain, but even now, she was too proud to admit it. It had taken them the better part of two hours to reach Crafford, and she had not once asked to stop and rest. None of them had. All they had wanted was to put as much distance between themselves and the Howling Mountains as possible.
Amaris rode at the front of their group with the brothers, who claimed to know the town well. Sure enough, Callan led their group down a few narrow streets and up to a large lodging house just off the harbor. Auberon breathed in the saltwater breeze sweeping off the Tranquil Sea, still marveling at the fact that they had made it out of the mine alive. Right now, he wanted nothing more than a hot bath. He had tried his best to scrub the blood from his face, but he could still feel the ghost of it on his skin. Under his cloak, his clothes were stiff with the dried blood of the men he’d killed.
Callan led them to a nearby stable. Auberon dismounted alongside the others, noting with a stab of concern the way Riona immediately set a hand on her ribcage once Halston helped her down from her mare. The pain must have finally gotten the better of her. The street was busy and several people paused to stare at their strange group, but Riona didn’t acknowledge them at all as Amaris slipped an arm around her waist and guided her toward the lodging house.
Auberon handed his mare’s reins to the stablehand, then pulled out a handful of coins and split them between the miners. “Get us some rooms and then tend to your wound,” he said to Callan, nodding to the bloody bandage wrapped around his thigh. “Halston, fetch a healer. Send him to Lady Riona’s room first.”
Callan grumbled something about being stabbed, but he didn’t try to argue. Auberon watched the brothers head off in different directions—he didn’t entirely trust them not to run off with the money, even though he had promised them a reward upon returning to Innislee. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and started toward the tavern after Callan. As he reached the front door, he glanced over his shoulder at the Erdurian ship’s sails, just visible through the gaps between the houses. Soon, he, Drystan, and Riona would sail to Torch and leave Rivosa’s court of vipers far behind.
