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As Mal and Ren continue to talk, my eyelids blink open and closed as I struggle to stay awake. Leaning back against Mal, I close my eyes. His smooth, deep voice rumbles in his chest beneath my ear, lulling me to sleep.
“You are fortunate, Malak,” Renard’s voice breaks through the fog of my exhaustion.
Mal gently nuzzles the top of my head. “I know,” he replies. “She is everything.”
Warmth fills my heart and a faint smile curls my lips as I drift away into sleep.
CHAPTER17
MALAK
Luna falls asleep against my chest and I cannot help but notice Renard’s curious eyes on us both. “There are posters of the two of you in Barrywick,” he says. “You are wanted by the crown.”
I narrow my eyes. “If you dare—”
“I am not going to turn you in,” he cuts me off. “I merely bring it up so that you are aware that there are many who are looking for you. The reward is… rather significant.”
“That is why we are keeping to the forests and the backroads,” I explain.
He leans forward in his seat. “If you are heading to Winterhold, I must warn you that I came across a house with three Bear-Shifters. They were rather prickly, so if you scent them, it may be best to avoid them entirely.” He pauses. “They did mention, however, that there are rumors of a blood witch in these woods.”
“Noted.” It’s bad enough that we have one blood witch hunting us, but to know that there is another claiming this territory is unsettling. I do not bother to correct him that we are traveling to the Vale, instead of Winterhold. I trust him not to harm us, but I am reluctant to share our true destination. “Anything else I should be aware of?”
“There were also three Pig-Shifters,” he adds. “Brothers. And they were very wary of me, claiming to have had some sort of run in with their Wolf-Shifter neighbor, so they do not trust any predatory shifters.”
I roll my eyes. Pig-Shifters can be very dramatic. They always think a predator is out to get them. My father arrested one once on suspicion of theft. He threw him in the dungeon and the pig cried out like a wounded animal all night long, keeping everyone awake in the castle, until my father could take it no longer. He excused his sentence and had him thrown out of the dungeonandthe kingdom, with a warning never to return.
“Honestly, you’d think I was there to murder them the way they reacted.” He shakes his head in mock frustration. “They were up in arms the moment I set foot on their land. And all I was doing was asking if they knew where the tower was in these woods.”
“Did they know?” I ask.
Sighing heavily, he shakes his head. “Almost everyone I’ve asked has heard rumors of it, but no one has actually seen it.”
“Perhaps it is more than a simple enchantment. Maybe it is something as sinister as a spell by a blood witch.” I arch a brow. “Have you considered that possibility?”
“Yes,” he replies gravely. “But it is my destiny, so I must press forward.”
He is a fool. If I were him, I’d do whatever I could to make certain I never crossed a blood witch. They are dangerous creatures, which is why I am impatient to reach the Vale. The sooner we’re in my lands, the better. Luna will be safe there. I’ve had the entire castle and surrounding grounds spelled to repel dark magic.
“Is this… treasure worth your life?” I ask.
“If it helps my kingdom repel any futher attacks by the Trolls, then yes,” he replies without hesitation. He studies me with a piercing gaze. “Surely you understand. Your own people lost territory to them during the war with Avalor, did you not?”
“They invaded the Vale while we were distracted with the war,” I reply. “But we have since retaken it.”
I do not tell him that I am now Lord of the Vale. He is a prince of Cambryn. When he returns home, he will learn soon enough. They were one of our trading partners, before the Troll invasion, and I have instructed my minister of trade to negotiate with them now that we are rebuilding.
“Have you sent word to your family?” he asks. “Asking for their aid?”
I have not. To do so, I would need access to a courier or a raven.
As if reading my mind, his brow furrows softly. “You’ve not had a chance, have you?”
“No,” I admit.
“I could send a message for you,” he offers.
It is tempting, but I am not unsure if I trust him that much. I’m also uncertain that my brother would even send aid. I defied his orders by coming here in the first place. My stepping foot on Avalor’s soil could be construed as an act of war. Even more so now that I’ve stolen Prince Duren’s betrothed.
