“What about you?” I ask Rissa. “Are you wanting to leave the kingdom? Because I have to warn you, I’m not sure where in Orea is the best place to be right now.”
“Actually, I was thinking of…staying here.”
My brows jump up. “Staying?” I didn’t expect that. All Rissa’s been talking about is leaving. Traveling. Getting far away from everything that reminds her of her life as a royal saddle. Maybe she wants to stay to watch over Polly, but for some reason, I think it’s more than that.
“Yes,” she replies tartly, ending the discussion in that succinct single-word answer as she gets to her feet. “Now, I’ll need a bath and a dress too, and also a room where I can sleep. I can’t even tell you how utterly sick I am of sleeping in a tent and being caught in the shadow of that hairy oaf every night.”
That’s the second time she’s mentioned him.
“Did something…happen between you and Osrik?” I ask carefully.
The flare of irritation in her eyes is withering enough to make my brows lift. “Me with that lout? Of course not,” she replies hotly.
So hot that there’s another blush burned on her cheeks.
Interesting.
“Right,” I say slowly. “Let’s…go get you those baths.”
“Honestly,” Rissa grumbles behind my back as she and Polly follow me out of the room. “Me and him. The very idea.”
The very idea indeed.
CHAPTER 56
AUREN
It feels like all of my nerves have condensed right into the pit of my stomach.
Tonight, Slade has to give Manu his official answer. Night has already dripped from the sky and sunk into the land, slowly blotting out the last remaining hours.
I’m on the roof, my hair loose down my back, some of the strands tickling my cheeks. The sky is speckled with clouds that carry the scent of warm rain, but for now, it seems content to only bring a cool breeze.
My fingers are curled over the top of the wall as I look toward the army camp. I can’t see very much of it from here, since the mountain and the trees block most of it, and the castle itself hides the rest. But I can hear it.
I can hear the sound of thousands of soldiers down there, the same noises that I heard when I traveled right alongside them. I can see a few sparse fires through the trees lit up like little orange suns burning in pinpricks along the ground.
The army base is so full that roughshod buildings have been erected to house more of them, while the rest of the overflow has either been given lodging in the city inns or right here in the castle itself. To say it’s full is an understatement.
The Wrath have been sleeping down at the base every night, too. I think it helps the soldiers to see them down there, to know that their captains and commander aren’t just coming up to their plush rooms in the castle. I could tell Slade was torn, but he’s been staying here with me instead.
A noise above has me picking my gaze up and shooting toward the sky. I jump in surprise when a huge shadowy figure circles above, yelping when Argo lands right next to me.
I send him a glower. “You jerk. You scared me.”
He licks his chops, his long tongue grazing over his dagger-like teeth. Some of them seem to look darker than the others, maybe blood from an animal he hunted. When he licks his maw again, this time chewing something after, I wrinkle my nose. “Gross. Can you rinse before you come up here and slop your chops at me?”
He cocks his head, iridescent eyes flashing. The sheer size of him alone still makes me a little nervous in his presence, although I have to admit, he has grown on me.
But I still flinch when he suddenly walks up to me and nudges my arm.
I go ramrod straight, my heart skipping a step. “Did you want something?” I ask nervously.
I hear footsteps approach and turn around to see one of the guards walking up. “Pardon, my lady, but we’ve spoiled His Majesty’s beast. He comes up here for this.” The man digs into his pocket and holds out a piece of food.
Taking it, I look down at my hand, seeing the food isn’t jerky like I expected, but a large cookie of some sort. “Are you telling me that timberwings have a sweet tooth?”
The guard shrugs with a sheepish smile. “Don’t know about all timberwings, but this one certainly does.”
Laughing, I turn around, only to find Argo looming over me, staring at the cookie in my hand intently. “So, this is what you want?”
He makes a chuffing sound deep in his throat and blinks at me innocently.
I scoff. “Mm-hmm, nice try with the puppy dog eyes,” I tell him before I make my tone sterner. “If you bite my hand off, I’m going to be really mad.”