A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)(19)

“And?”

“And,” he ground out, “we could use someone like you to help us arrive…undetected.”

Ah. Someone with magic like mine would be very helpful to mercenaries who needed to sneak into a city. “What exactly is it that you’re offering?”

“Three meals a day, a horse, blankets, and whatever clothes we can find to fit you. In exchange, you’ll help us at the city gates.”

“Wait. You want me to use my magic on purpose? In front of the king’s guards? Are you mad?”

My future flashed before my eyes. It featured flames, a jeering crowd, and my own agonized screams as I burned.

One dark brow lifted. “If you use your magic properly, no one will know we were there.”

“I don’t know how to use it!”

“I will teach you.”

“You…can do that?”

What if I could learn to wield my power? I could use it to keep myself safe. With my gift, I’d have a much greater chance of staying alive.

Oh, he was good.

I snarled, pushing him away from me. “A pack of mercenaries who can’t be seen in the city? I get caught with you, and I’m worse than dead.” Their enemies wouldn’t just include the king’s guards. I’d wager plenty of rival groups would be pleased at a chance to take out the competition.

His eyes met mine. They were surprisingly clear. “Have you ever seen anyone burned at the stake?”

I swallowed. “No.”

“You don’t want to. And you certainly don’t want that death. If we get caught, I’ll give you a fast death myself.”

What a charming offer. “I don’t need you.” My voice was high-pitched. Desperate.

I didn’t want to need him. That certainly wasn’t the same thing.

Lorian waved a hand, his expression bored. “You just tried to steal my horse. That impulsivity? It tells me you know nothing of surviving outside of your village. The very fact that you managed to last this long is a miracle.”

I hated that he was right.

I’d made it this far on stubbornness, rage, and blind luck. But traveling with the mercenaries meant food, warmth, and learning about my powers.

He was still studying me. I had a feeling those eyes of his could see far too much. “You wouldn’t have killed me.” He caught my chin between his finger and thumb. “You don’t have it in you to kill a man when he’s looking you in the eye.”

My mind flashed me back to the hunter’s last gurgling sound, and I took a deep, shuddering breath.

No. Focus.

“I made it this far. Alone.”

“Congratulations, you lived. But we both know you’ll never make it to the city by yourself.”

Gods, I loathed this man. I yanked my head. His fingers tightened on my chin.

As much as I wished I could deliberate, it wasn’t like I had many choices. I either died out here alone, I got caught by the guards who were trailing me, or I took my chances with these men.

He wanted a deal? I’d let these mercenaries teach me everything they knew about magic, and then I’d use that magic to abandon them close to the border. The way they’d abandoned me.

Sometimes, you had to take your revenge where you could find it.

“Okay,” I said finally.

He released my chin and took several steps away from me. “We need to eat and then get a few hours of sleep. We’ll be up before dawn.”

As soon as Lorian stepped away from me, his friends seemed to relax. Galon still looked displeased, but I picked up his cloak from where I’d dropped it, wrapping it around me. Narrowing my eyes, I gave him my best hard stare.

The cloak was mine now.

The corner of Galon’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing, merely wandering away to collect wood. From the surprised look one of the younger men shot him, that wasn’t his usual task.

I needed to watch this group carefully. Needed to figure out their strengths and weaknesses so I could exploit the latter.

“Come, have something to eat,” one of the men said. I’d nicknamed him Smiley in my head, and he flashed it once again as he gestured for me to sit next to him.

I wandered over to him, taking a seat a few foot-spans farther from the spot he’d indicated. He merely held out a dish for me, already laden with some kind of meat. My stomach growled in response.

I took it, and he passed me a bladder of water. “You can keep that,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“My name is Rythos.”

“Prisca.”

We ate in silence. I inched closer to the fire, still feeling cold deep in my bones. Most of the other men went back to sleep, but Rythos said he was going to be on sentry duty soon so was happy to cook for me.

Maybe it was his way of making me lower my guard around him. That wouldn’t happen, but I’d happily eat his food.

Lorian prowled restlessly around the camp, checking the horses, throwing an extra bedroll on the ground, and sending me the occasional narrowed-eyed look. I restrained myself from making any comments designed to alienate him even more than I had. It was clear that he was the leader here, and his little band of mercenaries didn’t do anything without checking in with him first.

I wolfed down the meat, gulped half the skin of water, and gathered my courage. My next task wouldn’t be enjoyable.