Page 33 of Tarnished Crown
“Go in peace,” one of the men responded through a thick accent.
Evander nodded, grabbing the reins once more, his grip on the tether binding our horses even tighter than before. He gently nudged his horse, leading mine to move cautiously forward, and the other soldiers followed.
I held my breath until we were back on the main road, worried Evander might change his mind.
Even then, I was haunted by the sunken cheekbones and jutting collarbones of the children who had done nothing to deserve that life.
CHAPTER25
Everyone stayed quiet after the encounter with the Unclanned, making our journey through the Socairan countryside far more ominous than it had felt before. By the time night fell, there hadn’t been a village for hours, and there didn’t appear to be one on the horizon.
I was both surprised and relieved when we finally got off the road, stopping at a farmhouse for the night.
“TheDedushkahere lets us stay in the barn in exchange for a few chores around the house,” Kirill explained.
“Dedushka?”
“Grandfather,” he supplied.
“Taras and I will chop wood tonight,” Evander cut in, earning a pointed glare from the slighter man.
“We’ll get set up in the barn, then,” Kirill responded.
We stabled the horses, two of the men I didn’t recognize offering to take care of them. The other six men and I headed to the barn.
Which smelled...like a barn.
A few cows mooed from their stalls, but Kirill led us past them to a spacious loft with plenty of clean hay. The mood was still somber from our encounter with the Unclanned. That, combined with the uncertainty and anxiety of the upcoming meeting, lent an oppressive weight to the atmosphere.
I tried to shake the feeling away, but watching the men quietly unpacking their bedrolls or rigidly sorting out meal rations for everyone didn’t help.
“Does anyone have a deck of cards?” I asked the room.
Good ol’ Kirill came through, handing one out.
“Not another game of war, Princess,” Dmitriy said, earning a laugh from the others.
“No,” I said, grinning at the small shift the mood had already taken. “I feel like it’s safe to assume you all have flasks...?”
“We are Socairan, aren’t we?” Kirill asked, pulling his flask from his pack.
Others followed suit, looking more and more interested in what we were going to do.
“Perfect.” I flounced cross-legged on the hay, settling my skirts around me, and gestured for them to sit as well. A couple of them did, while two held back, watching me shuffle warily.
I arranged the cards face down in a series of circles, each one larger than the last.
“What’s the game then, Highness?” This quiet question from Igor, the one I had mocked for touching my underthings.
“It’s called Kings and Arselings.” Saying the words out loud nearly stole my breath.
I hadn’t played this game since Mac died.
It was one of his favorites, one he had taught us all. His adopted father had been the leader of the rebellion before the war, and had always insisted on staying close to the people, so Mac tended to be a little more in touch with the villagers than we were.
Including their tavern games, and the bawdy songs that Davin was so fond of.
Blinking back the unexpected wave of emotion, I focused on the men around me, who were a fair bit taken aback by the name of the game.