Winter Queen(28)

After a moment, he lay down beside her and pulled her head onto his shoulder. “It’s all right. We’ll figure this out together.”

Feeling safe for the first time in ages, she fell asleep quickly. She vaguely remembered the woman switching out the bucket of lukewarm water with cold river water throughout the day. Eventually, Ilyenna woke to a steaming bowl of thick stew beside her. She picked it up and ate it so quickly she burned her tongue.

When she finished, she lifted her foot out of the bucket. The skin on her ankle was dark purple and stretched tight. It would take days, perhaps even weeks, to fully heal.

Rone must have heard her stirring. He came in with a leather bag. “We have a few hours until full dark. Do you want to go back to sleep until it’s time to leave?”

“No. I don’t think I could sleep.” She tried to smile.

He sat next to her and handed her strips of rags, and a bunch of slightly wilted mountain daisies. “Mally said these help with swelling.”

Ilyenna shredded the daisies, then used the rags to wrap her ankle, with the daisies between her skin and the bindings. “Where are they?”

One by one, Rone showed her the supplies—flint and striker, a dagger, a wheel of cheese, dried strips of meat, travel bread, blankets, potatoes. Zezrom and Mally had given them enough to last a week if they were careful. “Zezrom went to scout ahead. Mally took the children and left. She doesn’t want them here if the Tyrans show up.”

Ilyenna shivered. “That’s wise of her.”

She inspected her wrapping. Satisfied, she rubbed her sore, stiff muscles. “You’d be better off without me. I’m slowing you down.”

Rone took her hand. “We’re together on this, Ilyenna. I won’t leave you.”

Together? Ilyenna looked into his eyes. Did she really hear tenderness in his voice? Her blood surged hot through her. Then she remembered Darrien, his roving hands and wet mouth. Why couldn’t it have been Rone? Tears sprang to her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Shaking her head, she glanced away. He squeezed her hand. “Tell me?”

She sighed. Chances were she and Rone would be dead in a few hours. If not, a worse fate awaited her. If she didn’t tell him now, she might never have the chance. “The first kiss I ever had to give was taken from me . . . by Darrien. I—I can’t bear to think he’ll take more.” She saw Rone stiffen and forced herself to meet his furious gaze. Softly, she said, “I wish it had been you.”

His eyes widened, and Ilyenna wanted to suck the words back into her mouth. Humiliated, she pushed herself to her knees. Rone shot up and locked his arms around her but said nothing.

“I know you’ve always thought of me as your little sister, but I’m not, Rone, I—”

At the look on his face, the words died in her throat. She was suddenly aware that he held her in his arms. Both of them were on their knees, their bodies only a few inches apart. He’d made no effort to move away. “Ilyenna, I haven’t thought of you as a little sister for a long time. I–I love you.”

She gasped. Unable to help herself, she pressed her fingertips to Rone’s lips as if to feel the words he’d just spoken. Her love for him swelled within her.

He leaned toward her. Trapped in his arms with no desire to escape, Ilyenna felt her lips pound in the rhythm of her heart. She felt his breath against her mouth—she could almost taste him. She leaned into him, and he cradled her head in his hand. His mouth met hers, his lips gentle at first. Then the kiss grew deeper.

Rone pulled back, kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose. He traced her jaw with his lips, then brushed them against her neck and her exposed shoulder. It surprised her that such gentleness could light a fire within her. They kissed again. Ilyenna gripped his shirt in her fists and opened her mouth. Rone responded, pulling her to him until she could feel his heart beating through their clothes. She splayed her fingers over his broad back, exploring his sinewy muscles.

And suddenly his tunic was too thick. She slipped her fingers under the fabric, touching the skin just above his navel. He shuddered. She felt his warm skin prickle with gooseflesh. He tightened his hold, pressing her against him as if they’d both die if he let go. His mouth went to her neck, and he gently took her skin between his teeth. She craved his every touch, demanding more. He pressed her back into the soft hay.

She had this one gift left to give—and by the dead, she’d give her first time to Rone. Then Darrien could never take it from her.





15. Raiders



On the outskirts of Kebholm, Ilyenna lay flat in a field of hay, her belly pressed against the grass, grit etching outlines on her palms. Her neck hurt from constantly peering at the barn where Rone had disappeared. And after a few hours of a horseback ride that had rattled the rabbits in their burrows, her behind ached mercilessly.

She kept her breathing shallow as she listened for the sounds of mirth inside the inn to change to sounds of alarm. If the Kebs inside discovered Rone, there was no way he could fight them all off. It was why he’d insisted she stay hidden instead of going inside with him. That way, at least one of them stood a chance of making it.

Ilyenna’s stomach growled again. Silently, she cursed its noises—and the warm smell of food that had set it off. Rich gravies, baked bread, and ham.

Behind her, the plow horse nickered. She’d thought she’d tied him far enough away from the other horses to keep him quiet, but close enough she could use him if she needed. Obviously she’d been wrong.

He nickered again. She turned toward the sound. If he made much more noise, she’d have to abandon her hiding place and move him farther away. She waited, sweat prickling her skin. Silence. With a sigh of relief, she turned back to the barn and muttered, “Rone, what is taking you so—”

Suddenly, she heard a boot against the ground. She pressed herself flat, hoping an inn patron had just gone to water a tree. He would pass her by without seeing her, if she just held still enough.

She strained to listen. Sounds from the inn. The singing of grasshoppers. The breeze through the grass. No footsteps. Had she imagined it?

No.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Someone was behind her. She could feel them. Sweat broke out on her brow. Had they seen her?

Keeping her movements slow and even, she glanced back. There was a blur of movement. Darrien must have found her! She tried to lunge to her feet, but he was already on top of her, slamming her into the ground. Should she scream? But that would rouse the inn. They would find Rone. Darrien would find Rone!

She reached for her borrowed knife. Another man gripped her hand, squeezing it so hard she almost cried out. He jerked the knife from her. They began dragging her away. She twisted and squirmed, digging her heels into the ground. Her ankle screamed in pain. They hauled her back to the cluster of trees where she’d tied the plow horse. The animal must have nickered a greeting to their horses when they came in. She should’ve known.

The first one hauled her around. It wasn’t Darrien. What she saw terrified her even more.

Raiders. A scream tore from her lips. The larger Raider’s hand clamped her mouth and nose shut, holding her jaw closed so she couldn’t bite. But she couldn’t breathe, either. The dead help her, she was drowning again!

“No move. I let you go.” His heavy accent sounded like a death march to her ears.

Terrified, she froze. He removed his hand. She gulped cool air as the two of them bound her hands. “The men in the inn, they’ll notice I’m gone. They’ll come looking for me.”

The smaller Raider’s skull tattoos were making her dizzy. “This why you hide? So they find you? This clan game?”

He was mocking her. But at least they didn’t know Rone was with her.

The two men conversed in their guttural-sounding language. Then they lifted her onto the plow horse and started leading her away. She distinctly heard Undon’s name. Her heart seized within her. “What do you want with me?”

The small Raider grinned lustily at her. Her whole body crawled with revulsion. She had to buy more time so Rone would come out. “I know who you are and why you’re here! You’re scouts for the Raiders coming down Shyle Pass.” Both men froze and stared at her incredulously. No doubt they were here to count clanmen, find weaknesses, and assess strengths. “Thought to have a little fun while you were out, is that it?”

They exchanged glances. “How you know?” the large man demanded.

“Undon isn’t the ally you think he is.” Ilyenna tried to say it confidently, but she trembled despite herself.

Moving a few paces off, they leaned toward each other, talking low. Idiots. She didn’t speak Raider anyway. They grew louder and motioned with their hands, seeming panicked. For the moment, they seemed to have forgotten her. She considered booting the plow horse, but they still had a firm hold on the reins and her hands were tied.

She eased one leg over the horse and dropped silently down, ignoring the pain shooting through her ankle. Hunched over and using the plow horse’s wide body to shield her, she hurried through the field and headed for Kebholm.

One of the men let out a surprised shout. Despite the pain in her ankle, she burst into an all-out sprint. But she knew they’d overtake her long before she reached Kebholm. She had to hide. She veered toward the thick trees clustered around the river.