She frowned. He’d already struck a horse from underneath her, and she knew he’d do it again. Away from the enclosure, she slid off the horse, sure the mare would immediately bolt, but she didn’t. Norah reached out and ran her hand under the thick mane, reveling in the warmth. “You’d be crazy to stay,” she said, “but I could really use a friend right now.”
The mare gave a snort and shook her head but seemed even-tempered and calm. Norah gave her a pat, leaving her there and making the short distance back to Mikael and King Abilash.
Mikael’s eyes had a look that she didn’t understand, but he turned to Abilash with a nod. “I forgive the transgressions of your people. Restitution has been paid.”
“We look forward to your return,” Abilash told him. Then he gave another stiff nod and turned back to his waiting Horsemen.
“I’ll ready the men,” the commander told Mikael as they walked toward the center house.
“What?” She didn’t understand. “Are we leaving?”
“We are.”
So soon? “We can’t leave. You can barely walk. You’re not fit to travel.” She followed Mikael into the house.
He paused, gripping the back of a chair and leaning against it to rest a moment.
“Why the hurry?” she asked.
“We need to get back to the army before Abilash changes his mind and thinks about the fact that his men outnumber the few of us here.”
Norah shook her head, still in a cloud of confusion. “Why would he change his mind? You showed mercy on all those innocent families.”
“You required his most prized possession,” he snapped.
“Are his people not what he cares for most?”
“No,” he growled with a fury that shook her. “That is a horse of the Wild, and his mastery over it can make him a very powerful man among the tribes. I shouldn’t have taken it from him.”
“If you’re so angry about it, then why did you?” she cut back.
“Because you asked it of me!”
Norah’s breath faltered. He looked just as surprised by his words as she was to hear them.
Mikael pulled his eyes away and picked up his cloak. “Get what you need,” he said, pulling it over his shoulder. “We leave now.”
Chapter thirty-one
The dark was fading; it was almost morning. They’d traveled in haste the day before. She’d ridden a small packhorse, not being trusted with an energetic mount, but the mare had followed along behind her. Tension still hung around her, with the commander’s hatred for her seeming to grow with each passing hour.
Her whole body was sore, but she readied quickly after waking. Outside came the sounds of metal and leather packs: men preparing to leave. She pulled her hair back from her face and tied it behind and then slipped into her boots and jacket. Snow fell from the sky as she ducked out of the tent. There wasn’t enough to coat the ground but it was enough to warn of the coming storm. The sound of the Shadow King and his commander in a heated conversation made her pause.
They stopped when they saw her emerge, and the king broke away toward her. “A storm is coming,” he said as he neared. “You’ll go with the lord commander.”
She didn’t like the idea of that at all. “Where are you going?”
Mikael paused with hesitation on his face. Then he said, “Gregor brings the Japheth army to join me against your army. I’m going to meet him.”
The fact he’d answered her question surprised her, but the mention of his allied forces more than surprised her—it filled her with a sickening horror. Mercia wouldn’t have Aleon with them, not yet. She didn’t even know if Phillip was aware she’d been taken. The Shadowlands and Japheth against Mercia alone—her army would be decimated.
His eyes burned into hers. “This is my one opportunity. Did you think I wouldn’t come with everything I had?”
There was nothing she could do, and the weight of the threatening devastation crushed her. “So, you’ve planned a slaughter? There’s no honor in that.”
“I told you, I’m not an honorable man.”
No, he certainly wasn’t.
“You’ll go with the lord commander,” he told her. “And I’ll meet you in three days’ time.” He looked at the horse of the Wild. “He has orders to spear the mare should you try to ride her.”
Norah wasn’t sure why riding the mare would be such a concern, but his threat only fueled more fire inside her. “After you’ve risked so much to give her to me?” she asked angrily.
“Don’t make that risk be in vain,” he warned.
Norah’s cheeks burned with fury. She pursed her lips and looked out into the frost of the morning. There was nothing she could do to help her army—nothing she could do to even warn them. And she didn’t want to go with the commander. Her chances of escaping him were slim, and he’d surely see her dead.
“North Queen,” the king said, seeming to read her mind. “You’ll be safe with the lord commander. You have my word.”
“What good is your word if you’re not an honorable man?” she asked coldly.
Norah and the commander rode in silence as snow continued to fall. The mare followed behind without a lead. It was so peculiar. It was as if the animal knew her.
She watched the large, fluffy flakes as they landed on her arms and melted into her jacket. Wet snow was dangerous, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her. “How much farther?” she called.
He didn’t respond. Naturally.
“Did you not hear me?” she pressed.
“Before nightfall,” he clipped shortly.
Norah pursed her lips in agitation. His answer brought little comfort. Nightfall was still a far way off. Despite her cloak, the wetness had begun working its way into her layers, and she started to shiver. As they rode on, the wind picked up and the air felt colder. The snow began to layer on her arms and legs. The winter wind burned her face, and she buried her chin into the fur collar of her jacket. Time passed slowly, and Norah found just breathing to be difficult.
She couldn’t bear it any longer. “We need to stop,” she called to the commander. “We should build a fire.”
“We can’t stop.”
They continued into the late afternoon. Norah couldn’t control her shaking. The cold stabbed the inside of her chest, and she couldn’t draw a breath.
They trudged on, with their horses starting to struggle in the snow. The reins slipped from her frozen fingers. She couldn’t make her hands work to get them, but her horse followed his. Her teeth chattered, and she bit her tongue but didn’t feel the pain. Sleep called to her.
The commander looked back at her and mumbled what she assumed to be a slew of curses. He reined back beside her and pulled her from her horse, sitting her in front of him. She would have rather frozen to death, but she didn’t have the strength to fight him. He wrapped his cloak around them both and urged his destrier forward again.
The temperature dropped quickly as nightfall drew near. The commander held her close as they rode, trying to build warmth between them. Norah could barely hold her head up. Her body was so cold that it no longer shivered.