The Shadow Queen (7 page)

“Skies above, now
that
is a worthy human.” Trugg clapped his meaty hands once and glanced over his shoulder. “Trouble coming. Better hope that girl can open a gate as fast as she can climb a wall.”

“My sister can do anything.” The girl’s brother leaped from the roof of a building to Kol’s right, rolled forward as he hit the ground, and came up to his feet like jumping off a building was as easy as walking down the street.

The gate swung open, and the girl met Kol’s eyes. “Hurry up.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. The Eldrians raced through the open gate, followed by the girl’s brother, and then she shut and locked it behind them. In moments, she’d led them deep into the trees where the shouting from the village couldn’t make a dent against the forest’s hush.

As soon as she stopped moving and turned to face them, Kol dropped to one knee and touched his brow in the Eldrian gesture of fealty.

“Why are you bowing to me?” The girl took a step back and
gave her brother a look Kol couldn’t decipher. “You don’t bow unless you’re before royalty.” A thread of worry wrapped around her words.

Kol slowly raised his head. “I’m not—this has nothing to do with royalty. You saved our lives. We owe you an incredible debt.”

The girl glanced at her brother again, who spread his arms in a grand gesture and said, “We humbly accept your fealty on behalf of the— Hey!”

The girl punched his shoulder and glared at him.

He frowned and rubbed at the bruise. “I was just—”

“About to say something you shouldn’t.” She gave him a look that must have meant something to the boy, because he dropped his eyes and kicked the ground with the toe of one boot. The girl met Kol’s gaze. “You don’t owe us anything. You should leave. Now.”

“That’s kind of rude,” Jyn said.

“Be quiet, Jyn. Have respect for the human who can run up walls,” Trugg said.

“May I have your names?” Kol asked.

“We’re nobody.” The girl’s brown eyes were guarded. She had a smudge of dirt on one pale cheek, and her long dark curls were tangled from her sprint through the village, but even so, she was beautiful in a way that made Kol want to keep looking. He smiled to show her he’d meant no harm and slowly rose to his feet.

“You need to be much more careful. The people are starving, and they still owe taxes. Taxes they can’t pay. Unless they find another source of coin or food, they’ll either starve to death or
be thrown in one of Irina’s dungeons. The last Eldrian refugees who came through here paid for food with jewels worth fifty times the price of their bread. The lucky people who gained those jewels were able to take their families and escape Ravenspire. Walking into one of the poorest villages in the kingdom looking as rich as Eldrian royalty is a tremendous risk.”

Trugg cleared his throat and stepped forward. “We look as rich as Eldrian royalty because he”—Trugg pointed at Kol who suddenly felt like his collar was too tight—“
is
royalty. I present to you King Kolvanismir Arsenyevnek, son of Ragvanisnar III, holder of the sky scepter and supreme ruler of Eldr.”

L
ORELAI STARED AT
the Eldrians, her cheeks heating. The handsome boy with the golden eyes and wild hair was a
king
? What would a king be doing walking into Tranke with only two escorts, both of whom looked no older than Lorelai herself?

The boy seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt. He waved a hand in the air like he could swat his title away. “There’s no need for formality, really. I’m just Kol—”

“You’re not old enough to be the king of Eldr, Kol.” Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Did he think she was stupid? She didn’t know what the Eldrians hoped to gain by making such a ridiculous claim, but they weren’t going to get it from her. She’d spent years learning everything there was to know about the kingdoms that surrounded Ravenspire, and the king of Eldr was old enough to be this boy’s father. “I don’t know what you want here, but it’s time for you to go.”

“You dare speak to him this way?” The girl with the short dark hair and sharp green eyes stepped toward Lorelai, but the
huge, dark-skinned Eldrian boy put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

Kol met her gaze, and grief lurked in his. “My father died in the ogre war. My older brother and my mother also.” His gaze drifted from hers as he opened his cloak to reveal the Eldrian royal seal—a bronze dragon with emeralds for eyes and wings studded with rubies—pinned to the inside just above his heart. “I’m the king of Eldr now.”

She believed him. “I’m sorry for your loss.” And she was. But more than that, she needed to understand why the king of Eldr was in Tranke and whether that posed a danger to her people or to Leo, Gabril, and herself.

She waited until he looked at her again before saying, “What are you doing traveling through Ravenspire with such a small escort? And why would you bother stopping at a village like this when Nordenberg—which is a far wealthier town—is just north of here and its people are used to nobility—”

Leo nudged her with his elbow and whispered “manners” before giving Kol a huge smile. “Forgive us, my lord, for you have us at a disadvantage. My sister is frankly deplorable at conducting courtly conversation. The only thing worse than her ability to make appropriate small talk with royalty is her attempt to let a man lead her on the dance floor. Your timely interruption has saved me from the chore of attending dance lessons with her. My feet thank you.”

Stepping back from the Eldrians, Lorelai snatched Leo’s shirt and pulled him close so she could whisper, “We aren’t royalty here. We’re supposed to pass as peasants. That means—”

“We aren’t peasants. We’re the Heirs—”

“Not to him. We need to send them on their way and go meet up with Gabril and Sasha to make sure everyone in the village is all right.”

“This is getting weird,” the female Eldrian called out.

Leo flashed her a smile. “It’s our first time meeting royalty in the woods. We really don’t have a precedent to call upon.” Turning to Lorelai, he whispered, “One day Irina won’t be on the throne. You will, with me as your charming and loveable assistant. And when that day comes, you’ll need a working relationship with the king of Eldr. It might be best if he didn’t remember you as the girl who saved his life and was then unspeakably impolite.”

He was right. Plus, she wanted to know why the new king of Eldr was in Ravenspire instead of in his own country where he belonged, and she wasn’t going to get that information without trying to use a little bit of Leo’s charm. Mustering a smile, she let go of her brother’s shirt and stepped toward Kol again. Behind her, Leo whispered “courtly conversation” as she reached one gloved hand toward the king as if offering him a dance.

Kol took her hand in a gentle grip. She looked up and found his amber eyes fixed on hers, while the wind teased his red-brown hair and the sun glowed against his golden skin. The corner of his mouth quirked in a half smile, and heaven help her, every lesson she’d ever learned on proper etiquette for Eldrian royalty flew right out of her brain.

Leo made a sound behind her, and Lorelai realized she’d been stared into Kol’s eyes, her hand resting in his palm, for who knew how long while the king’s escorts frowned at her, waiting for her to break the silence.

She should bow—no
curtsy
. She was a princess. Princesses
curtsied. She should curtsy and say . . . something.

The king’s half smile grew, and he opened his mouth as if to speak. Hastily, Lorelai swept into an elegant curtsy—no small feat considering her current attire—and said the first thing that popped into her head.

“You look most fetching today, my lord.”

The large Eldrian boy snorted. Kol’s eyes widened, and his smile froze. And Leo—curse his miserable hide—made the kind of strangled choking noise that meant he was trying desperately not to laugh.

“Oh no.” Lorelai pulled her hand from Kol’s, her skin prickling with heat from absolute humiliation. Maybe if she prayed hard enough, the forest floor would open up and swallow her. If there was any justice in the world, it would swallow Leo too.

“I . . . thank you?” Kol glanced at his escorts, but they were both smirking at him.

“This is
your
fault.” Lorelai glared at Leo, who stopped trying to swallow his laughter and sagged against the closest tree trunk so he could truly enjoy her embarrassment. “You and your stupid courtly conversation jokes, and now look what happened.”

“I myself have always found Kol quite fetching.” The Eldrian boy stepped forward and held out a hand twice the size of Lorelai’s. She gingerly placed her hand in his. “I’m Trugg and that beautiful but surly Eldrian is Jyn. We’re both grateful for your help.” His brows rose. “You can call me fetching as well, and then allow me to demonstrate my gratitude by—”

“That’s enough, Trugg,” Kol said. Trugg grinned at Lorelai, his teeth a slash of white against his dark skin.

“Why is the king of Eldr traveling through this part of
Ravenspire?” Lorelai asked because even though she’d mangled her attempt at making a good impression as a princess—not that Kol even knew she was a princess—she was determined to get the information that mattered.

“I’m on my way to see your queen. We stopped hoping to find a decent meal and a bed in one of the mountain villages—a mistake I won’t make twice.”

“You’re going to see Queen Irina?” Lorelai stepped back, icy calm washing over her as Leo stopped laughing and moved to her side, his eyes guarded.

“I am.”

Lorelai’s hands slowly closed into fists as magic raced down her veins to gather in her palms. “You said you owed me a debt.”

He inclined his head graciously, though a watchfulness had entered his gaze.

“Then do me a favor and forget any of this ever happened.” She leaned toward him. “Forget this village. Forget my bird. Forget the two of us. Don’t mention any of this to the queen. She punishes those who displease her, and this village has enough problems without adding the queen’s wrath to the list.”

Kol touched his brow again, and said quietly, “I owe you a much greater debt than simply omitting today from my conversation with Irina. You saved our lives.”

She met his gaze. “And by keeping silent, you will save ours.” She glanced at the village again. “Ours and hundreds of others.”

He held out his hand. “You have my word.”

She slowly laid her palm over his. He pulled her closer and slid his hand up her arm to cup her elbow in the traditional Eldrian greeting. Heat unspooled in her stomach, and her heart
quickened—a foolish response she had no time for.

Casting about her lessons for a polite way to say good-bye to an Eldrian, she said, “May the skies grant you protection on your journey.”

Kol’s eyes widened as though surprised that she knew the phrasing, but he responded, “And may heaven watch over you on yours.”

She gave him a tiny smile as she pulled away from him and then turned to disappear into the forest with Leo.

“One more word about courtly conversation from you, and it will be the last thing you ever say,” Lorelai said as they hurried through the woods toward the village.

“I wasn’t going to say a thing!” Leo protested as they leaped over a fallen evergreen. “Though I do think the entire conversation was very—”

“Leopold Arlen Wolfgang Diederich, don’t you dare.”

“Fetching.”

She opened her mouth to insult him—not that she could ever think of an insult that could get the best of him—when Sasha’s thoughts arrowed into her own, a silver-quick image of Gabril sagging against the back wall of the pub, blood pouring from a wound in his chest and puddling on the cobblestones at his feet.

The breath left Lorelai’s body, and panic curled through her stomach. Not Gabril. Not like this. Her lips trembled as she started running for the village.

“What are you doing?” Leo demanded as he caught up to her.

A rush of magic burned down Lorelai’s arms, and she clenched her fists. “Gabril is hurt.”

Bleeding fast, fast, fast. Big wound.
Sasha’s thoughts darting
through Lorelai’s mind, showing Lorelai an image of a crudely made spear lying beside Gabril, its sharp tip covered in blood.

A homemade spear one of the villagers had thought to use against the Eldrians but had used against Gabril instead. Why? Because his wards were helping the Eldrians escape? Because Gabril had tried to stop the mob himself instead of going to the mayor’s wife, Risa, for help?

It didn’t matter how Gabril had been wounded. All that mattered was that they get to him in time to save his life.

Lorelai leaped over a tumble of stones and skidded around an oak with drooping brown leaves still clinging to its branches. Leo sprinted past her, his longer legs eating up the ground. He reached the gate ahead of her, threw the bar to the ground, and heaved it open, his eyes full of the same desperate fear that pounded through Lorelai with every beat of her heart.

Gabril was all the family they had left. He was their surrogate father, their protector, their mentor, and the rock-solid foundation upon which they’d rebuilt their lives.

He was
not
going to die.

It only took a few moments to run from the north gate to the alley behind the pub, but it felt like forever, the distance stretching endlessly before them while Gabril’s blood poured out of him with every passing second.

Leo reached him first and wrapped his arms around Gabril as the older man stumbled toward him on legs that shook.

“We’ll take him to Risa’s. She can send for the physician,” Lorelai said as she put her arm around Gabril and helped Leo support him.

“The physician left town a month ago,” a woman said from the pub’s doorway.

Lorelai turned to find the owner of the pub standing behind them, her watery blue eyes full of anger.

“Then Risa will know where to find medical supplies.” Lorelai turned away. “Come on, Leo.”

“There be no medical supplies in Tranke. And even if there were, you wouldn’t be getting any of them.” The woman spat on the cobblestones and crossed her arms over her chest as Lorelai turned to stare at her again. “Best be leaving now, girl.”

Magic stung Lorelai’s fingertips, and it took effort to sound calm as she said, “We can’t leave. He’s badly wounded. Risa will know—”

“Risa won’t have anything to do with you after what you just did. Not if she knows what’s good for her.” The woman’s voice was as hard as the look in her eyes.

“But we’ll help you. We’ll get food for the village, I promise. Just as soon as Gabril is stable, we’ll—”

“What good is your promise to help us sometime later on when you just denied us help we need now? You get out of here before I stop telling my husband he doesn’t get to kill all three of you and take your possessions as payment for the Eldrian riches you just stole from us.”

“You think you can kill us?” Leo’s voice vibrated with fury. “Do you have any idea who we are?”

“You’re the fools who chose loyalty to a pack of Eldrian strangers over your own people.” The woman spat again, only this time she aimed the spittle at Lorelai’s feet. “If you aren’t out of this village in the next few minutes, I won’t be held responsible for what happens to you.”

Leo opened his mouth, but Lorelai beat him to it. “We’re leaving. Come on, Leo.”

“But Gabril—”

“Will die if we don’t get out of here.” Lorelai’s hands burned, her power begging for release she wouldn’t give. The woman was right. Lorelai and Leo had taken the possibility of Eldrian riches out of the villager’s hands, and the desperate people in Tranke weren’t concerned with the morality of saving innocent strangers when it meant condemning their children to starve to death.

The only way to help Tranke and villages like it was to step up her plan to take down Irina. Hit another garrison and steal more food. Break loved ones out of dungeons where they were rotting away for the crime of being unable to pay taxes to the queen due to the blight.

But she couldn’t do any of that until she saved Gabril’s life. Without another word to the pub owner, Lorelai and Leo helped Gabril back to their tent outside the village, bandaged his wound as best they could, and then quickly left Tranke behind.