48. Chapter 48
R en slung her knapsack over one shoulder, the worn leather creaking against her earth green cloak. Beneath it, she wore plain leather armor over a brown tunic, just enough protection should trouble find them on the road.
“Maybe find boots that match your cloak!” Mirella called in a singsong voice that was annoyingly chipper and grated at Ren’s already frayed nerves.
To high hells with matching colors, Ren thought as she opened the door to her room.
She was immediately blasted with the last bitter cold of winter, and despite her thick cloak, a shiver racked down her spine.
Ren couldn’t wait till winter finally loosened its tight grip on the world.
While she didn’t hate winter or the cold, she did find it to be a nuisance the longer it stayed.
Ren continued her journey down the hallway before finally stepping out of the building into the frigid morning air, heading toward the horse stables.
The nearer Ren drew to the stables, the louder the morning chorus became – a symphony of hoofbeats thudding against packed dirt, the low murmur of voices, the steady huff of horses snorting.
A splash of movement caught her eye. Lucan sat tall on a snow-white stallion whose mane had been braided with meticulous care, each plait tied with a strip of silver and blue ribbon. “Glad to see you joining us,” he called. “This should be interesting now.”
Ren smiled back. To Lucan’s right, Kaelin swung gracefully into the saddle of her midnight-black mare.
Lucan’s expression shifted slightly when his gaze flicked to the horse.
“Name’s Whisper. Proud and temperamental, that one.
She decides whether you’ll ride her on her terms. She accepts Kaelin without question, but most of the stablehands keep their distance. ”
As if to punctuate the point, the mare’s ears flicked back, head lowering as though she were approving.
“She is exceptional in both speed and agility,” Kaelin stroked a hand down the mare’s rippling mane. “Whisper can weave through the chaos of battle like water around rocks.”
Talen led his own mount past them then, a brown gelding with warm, liquid eyes who trailed after him like an old friend. “And she refuses to be handled or mounted by anyone but Kaelin,” he remarked dryly. “Which makes her useless to anyone else in an emergency.”
Whisper’s head snapped up at that, ears flicking forward before she stamped a hoof and tossed her head.
“She heard you,” Kaelin murmured, eyes glinting wickedly as she smoothed a palm over the mare’s neck.
“Ah, yes. My mistake,” Talen grumbled. “She’s just selectively cooperative.”
Ren shifted her weight, gaze finally leaving Kaelin’s as she scanned the line of horses that the other fae mounted. She counted—once, twice—and came to the same uneasy conclusion.
There weren’t enough saddles.
Talen didn’t miss the way her face fell. “Ah, looks like you’ll have to ride with one of us.”
Lucan’s brow lifted, but he only gave a slight shrug. “Don’t look so grim, I can make decent conversation.”
Ren’s gaze leapt back to Kaelin, who was still watching her with an expression that was all effortless calm except for the gleam in her eyes that made Ren’s pulse stumble.
“Whisper doesn’t usually share, but I think she’d make an exception for you,” Kaelin purred.
Ren deadpanned, “Generous. ”
Kaelin’s mouth curved. “ Practical . You’d see more of the road from up here. And,” she added with deliberate lightness, “I’ll behave, unless you’d rather I didn’t.”
“Tempting. But no.”
Kaelin’s brows lifted the smallest fraction. “No?”
“I’ll take my chances with Talen,” Ren said, stepping toward the gelding.
Talen grinned as if he’d won a wager. “Wise choice. My horse doesn’t bite.”
Ren felt Kaelin’s gaze on her back all the way to Talen’s saddle.
And, Saints help her, something in her responded.
Her hips swayed a little too easily, her hand brushing a strand of hair over her shoulder as if by accident.
The moment she caught herself, irritation flared hot beneath her skin.
What in the hells was she doing? She was supposed to be ignoring Kaelin, not inviting her attention.
Still, she felt that gaze linger all the way to Talen’s saddle.
From behind them, Lucan gave a low chuckle. “I’ll wager by the end of this trip, you two will be tangled up in each other.”
Talen shot him a glare. “That’s not a fair bet. It’s painfully obvious.”
Lucan winked. “Then I suppose I’ll just collect my winnings early.”
Ren muttered, “One more wager out of either of you, and I’ll drag you off your horses myself.”
Ren swung easily onto the gelding’s back, the worn leather of the saddle creaking beneath her weight. Her knees settled just behind Talen.
“Name’s Cider,” Talen said over his shoulder, patting the horse’s muscled neck.
“Loves hay and rolling in the mud right after a fresh bath. Bit of a menace if you ask the grooms. Luckily for you, Cider’s got a smooth gait and an even smoother gallop.
” His eyes glinted with mischief as he turned forward.
With a soft click of his tongue, Talen guided the gelding forward, hooves drumming a steady rhythm against the frost-hardened earth.
The rising sun poured over the land in a wash of molten gold, so bright Ren had to squint through her lashes.
For a few minutes, the world was nothing but the glare of light and the thunder of hooves, her hands gripping Talen’s broad shoulders as Cider carried them across the open plain .
As the minutes stretched into an hour, she glanced back over her shoulder. Pyraelia was already shrinking into the horizon, its gleaming spires softened by distance until it seemed more dream than stone. The cold air tasted sharper out here, clean and tinged with pine.
Out of the corner of her vision, she caught Kaelin astride Whisper. The princess rode with effortless precision, her spine straight, her gaze fixed ahead. Whisper’s dark coat rippled beneath her. Kaelin’s brows were drawn in deep thought.
Ren studied her a moment longer before looking away.
They rode through the morning and into the heatless glow of midday, the sky a pale winter blue overhead.
When Talen finally drew Cider to a halt beside a babbling stream, the sound of water was almost startling after hours of nothing but hoofbeats.
They dismounted, letting the horses lower their heads to drink.
Ren crouched at the bank, cupping icy water into her hands to splash over her face.
The shock of it cleared the road’s haze from her mind.
Talen passed her a hunk of dark bread and a wedge of sharp cheese from his saddlebag, both of which tasted far better in the cold air than they had any right to.
By the time they set off again, the wind had a sharper bite. The land began to change, rolling hills flattening into open stretches of frost-silvered grass. Farther north, the horizon darkened with a fringe of evergreen forest.
They entered the woods as the sun dipped toward the treeline, shadows stretching long across the path. The air here was quieter, hushed beneath the weight of thick branches overhead. Pine needles muffled the sound of the horses’ steps, and the scent of resin and damp earth hung heavy.
Talen slowed Cider, scanning the darkening undergrowth. “Here,” he called to the others. “We’ll make camp before night falls.”
Ren glanced upward. The last shards of sunlight were bleeding out of the sky, replaced by the deepening indigo of approaching night.
Somewhere behind them, Kaelin’s voice was low as she soothed Whisper to a halt. The mare stood proud and still, pale eyes catching what little light remained. Ren looked away quickly, focusing instead on Talen as he swung off Cider’s back with practiced ease.
It was going to be a long night.