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Furtive glances were cast my way as I was escorted toward her. I scanned each person as I passed. The Bramblemen were dressed in the colors of the bramble fruits and flowers—deep indigos, burgundy reds, and purples. From what I could tell, no one was armed except the guards with me. Still, there were dozens of Bramblemen here. Too many to fight without Kah at my side. Too many to fightwithKah at my side, if I was being honest. I needed to come up with a plan, and that started with finding out exactly where Raven was and?—
“Jeddak!”
My attention shifted past the queen. There, sitting at the queen’s side, was Raven.
“Raven,” I breathed, shocked at the sight of her. “Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m all right.”
I exhaled, slowly uncurling my tight fists. She looked better than she had when I last saw her. The color had returned to her face, erasing any signs of the bramble poison. Thank Inaya, she was alive, she was safe.
She was seated cross-legged at the table, hiding her hand with the map in her lap. Her plate was empty, while everyone else’s was piled with delicacies. Her dark-blue eyes glimmered with relief as she held my gaze, causing my blood to thrum in my veins. It took every bit of willpower I possessed not to kneel at her side, tangle my fingers in her hair, and press my lips against hers right there.
Just as quickly, I glanced away, wincing from the sharp prickles of guilt in my stomach that were becoming too familiar.I’m just relieved she’s alive, I told myself, rationalizing my overzealous reaction.
“Welcome to the Hidden City of Nekhanan, home of the Bramble tribe,” the queen announced in a formal greeting, pulling me away from my rampant thoughts. The chatter in the room died down for a moment and then picked up again. The Bramblemen clearly weren’t going to let a trespasser in their midst ruin their good time.
“I am Queen B'kara,” she said to me when the others had settled back to their eating and chatter. She sat like an alpha Wolf, her expression regal and poised. A primal power radiated from her, telling me she was the leader of the pack, and not someone to cross.
She motioned for the guards to move back against the wall and then nodded at the empty space beside her. “Sit. The Festival of Shadows is just beginning. Tonight, we celebrate the one day of the year that the bramble flower blooms at night.”
With one swift movement, I could have easily relieved the guard of her spear, but I steadied my hand. Until I knew how I was going to get Raven, Kah, and myself out of the bramblelands alive, I needed to gather more information. Everyone had weaknesses. I would just have to find theirs.
When I didn’t move to sit, the queen continued. “We’re not going to harm you, Master Kovak. Your friend here has explained about the mountain pass and why you’ve crossed into our lands. Even though we do not deal much with the outside world, we understand the growing threat of the Rathalans. You both are now here in Nekhanan as our guests.”
I lowered my eyebrows in suspicion. Her tone seemed genuine, but I had no reason to believe her, especially after the brutal welcome we’d received so far. Was inviting us to this feast part of a cunning cat-and-mouse game that she was playing?
When I glanced at Raven, she gave a slight nod.Play along.
Reluctantly, I knelt at the table beside the queen, sitting opposite Raven.
“We’re glad you could join us,” said a male voice, his stiff words giving his sentiment a contrary meaning.
I glanced at the person who was speaking. I didn’t know how I’d missed him before, as he was sitting so close to Raven that their elbows were almost touching. He clearly wasn’t one of the Bramblemen. He looked out of place with his white-blond hair and light skin. Then again, his relaxed posture and impassive expression told me that he wasn’t a prisoner like us. Something about him seemed familiar, though I couldn’t seem to place him.
“Jeddak, this is Skyler,” Raven said, her voice unsettled. “Thebowman.”
I tensed. If he was the one who laid flat the band of Rathalans at Javan, it wasn’t a coincidence that he’d shown up in the bramblelands the moment we had. He was following us. That was certain. But what was he after? The map? The stone?Raven?
“Hail, Jeddak,” Skyler said with a curt nod that indicated he would have preferred to brave my absence a bit longer.
“To new friends,” Queen B’kara said, raising her goblet.
Skyler’s gaze was still trained on me like I was more of a threat than the Bramblemen. The feeling was mutual.
As the Bramblemen toasted, my gaze shifted to Raven. “Raven, are you all right? The poison?—”
“I’m fine,” she said reassuringly. “The queen gave me brambleflower nectar, which is an antidote. That’s why they took me from the cells. To help me.”
It would have been nice if they’d explained as much.
“Is Kah all right?” she asked.
“For now,” I said, though I was worried what might happen to him while I was gone. I had to remind myself that he could take care of himself.
Queen B’kara turned to me. “I must admit, although our kingdom is not a great distance from the mighty bear kingdom of Askeland, it is rare we encounter Kovaks.”
I wonder why, I seethed.
