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"Where are you going?" Bach demanded, frowning at me.
I headed toward the door, but stopped to look back at the men behind me one last time. "To the stables to sleep with the griffins." I sneered. "The dung is bound to be a far better companion than the likes of you four jackasses!"
I exited the room, slamming the door behind me. Petty and childish? Probably. But it felt damned good.
Let them be mad at me. Or feel bad about not listening to be before. Or whatever else they might think or feel. I didn't care anymore. I was Lady Katrina Bellflower, duchess of Mistvale and steward of Larkwood. I was stronger than this.
I only had to put up with them for a year. After that, Larkwood would be more or less settled, our bonding could be annulled, and I would be free of this whole damned mess.
Chapter 4
I woke up the next morning in a pile of straw and blankets with a cat-shaped pooka curled up on my chest.
I was stiff, cranky, and dirty from travel and straw chaff. But at least I had managed to get some sleep. Despite my comparing the men to dung, the stables were actually quite clean. The space was dry and warm, and the stall I had bunked down in was empty. All-in-all, I had been warm, dry, and blessedly alone, apart from the soft shifting and muffled snorts of the griffins and horses who shared the barn. It was much preferable to trying to sleep in the same room as the males I was shackled to.
I woke early thanks to my lumpy makeshift bed and the unfamiliar surroundings, but that just gave me plenty of time to use the communal bath with Currant and eat breakfast with the guards.
My mates joined us shortly after, and I did my best to ignore their pensive looks. I wasn't in the mood to hear their half-hearted apologies. And if I was being honest…I was embarrassed about how I had lost my temper last night. A grown woman who was steward of her own territory shouldn't have tantrums. No matter how well deserved and cathartic the tantrum was.
We packed up to leave a short while after, ready to start the longest leg of the journey, which would take us over the Old Scourge mountains. We would leave the carriage here for easier travel. So even if I wanted to, there would be no more awkward rides with my mates in the enclosed space.
I was about to swing up onto Balefire, who had once again taken horse form, when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed anyone approaching.
Bach's blue eyes delved into mine as he looked down at me. "You really slept in the stables last night?" he asked softly.
I huffed and rolled my eyes. "No. I went and bunked up with one of the other inn patrons. Male. Large. Much more handsome than you."
He gave me a lopsided smile. "None of your mates would have a right to complain if you did. I hear they're all lower than dung. I only hope this mysterious patron treated you well and gave you all the affection you've been denied."
I lifted my nose in the air, not wanting to joke with him, but also not quite able to refuse what I thought might be a gesture of peace. "It was amazing," I lied. "But…I suppose I've had better, once upon a time." Like in an inn in the capital city, before all this tournament nonsense started. That male had been perfect. Not like the sullen stranger Bach had become since our bonding.
He sighed. "Kat, I'm sorry for not listening to you. For not giving you a chance. I know I can get…too focused on self-righteous nonsense sometimes. If what you say about that spell is true, then we've all been unfair. I know things are strained, but…we're about to have a challenging journey over the mountains. Can we at least agree to be civil to each other from here on out?"
I finally forced myself to meet his eyes again. "I'll think about it," I said in an unimpressed tone. What was it about these men that brought out the petulant child in me?
I swung myself onto Balefire's back and urged my mount up to the front of our party to ride with commander Currant. I appreciated Bach's attempt. But I wasn't above a bit of pettiness. The kind brownie in me was at war with the human and highborn fae bits–the bits that weren't so forgiving.
Still, I looked back over my shoulder as I rode away, and made sure that Bach knew I was looking.
He could make of that what he would.
The roads were fairly well maintained, even here in the mountains. But they did tend to be a bit rougher than in other places in the kingdom, simply because of the effects of the elements and erosion here. However, the biggest challenge was the twisting, sloping nature of the road. The incline was quite slight at the moment, but would become taxing as we neared the top. And traveling back down would be nearly as tiring. That was why it wasn't worth dragging the carriage along.
The pack griffins carried some of Raven team's belongings, but most of their things had been sent to Larkwood the long way round by wagon, avoiding the mountains. The men currently had just what clothes and possessions they needed to get by.
I would outfit them with some new clothes and such when we reached Larkwood, as part of their welcome to my House. But for now, they traveled light.
The weather was fair, and there was a delicious coolness in the shadows where we passed through long stretches of old, towering evergreen forest. I had always enjoyed the mountains…when I wasn't required to travel all the way across them with a bunch of reluctant travel companions.
As a child, my father had hunted in the mountains, and I had often rambled along with him, foraging for herbs and edibles, and all the other magical wonders a child finds in nature–like pretty rocks and abandoned starsnail shells. Despite their name, the Old Scourge mountains always seemed magical to me–and not in the caution-invoking way of the Untamed Wood. This was softer, a presence still demanding of respect, but more like a watchful old grandparent than the mercurial, mischievous energy that lurked in the Untamed Wood. The spirit of Old Scourge was sleepy and content.
I dropped back a bit as we rode, and eventually Jasper joined me. The young squire had been spending nearly all of his time with the guards, staying out of sight and out of mind like a well-trained servant. I didn't think that was his usual role with Bach and the others, but I certainly understood why he might prefer to be invisible in the current circumstances.
"How was your evening?" I asked as we rode around a curve and up another sloping section of dirt road. "Were the cots passable?" I grinned and leaned in to whisper behind my hand. "Does Currant snore like a trumpet?"
He chuckled, his good-natured young face showing wry amusement. "Nah, I'm sure Gar is far worse." He tossed a nod toward a big, burly old guard with a long, drooping gray mustache. "Thankfully, I didn't have to spend the night in there. The stars were much better company."
I glanced at him in surprise. "You slept outside?"
