Page 34 of Tarnished Crown

Someone choked on a laugh, and another man snorted.

I explained the rules, which were fairly complex for a drinking game, but no less ridiculous.

Drinking games, I learned, were extremely common in Socair, though this one was new to them. However, they got the hang of the game quickly. So quickly, in fact, that it was me feeling a bit tipsy by the time someone pulled an ace--or an arseling, for the purposes of this game.

Then again, I was a great deal smaller than they were and we had eaten pretty sparse rations on the road. Regardless, I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt relieved that the oppressive weight from earlier had lifted just a little.

I examined the ace, pretending to muse aloud. “Has anyone ever noticed how the Arseling card looks an awful lot like Lord Evander?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I cringed, bracing myself to be chided by the men. It was one thing when I was going back and forth with the Bear lord, but it was another to speak about him so openly and disparagingly to his men when he wasn’t around.

The answering loud guffaws of laughter told me I needn’t have worried.

On my next turn, I pulled a king. “That means I get to make a rule.” I announced. “And I declare that Dmitriy here can’t stroke his mustache until he draws a six.”

The man in question was stroking his burly mustache as I spoke, but he hastily put his hand back in his lap. Play continued to my left, with Kirill drawing a four just as Dmitriy reached up to stroke his mustache.

“Drink!” I ordered, pointing a finger at him.

He happily obliged, and the next man, Reino, picked a card that allowed him to create an edict.

“I say that Henrik has to touch the princess’ hair.”

Silence fell as they looked to see how I would take that. All but Henrik, who had gone white with horror. He made the Socairan sign for warding off evil, and I laughed out loud.

“Touch it or I’ll rub it on your face,” I threatened, waving my loose curls in his direction.

A throat cleared behind me, a sardonic voice ringing out, “Quite the interesting time you’re having, Lemmikki.”

I turned to face him, the room spinning just a bit in my periphery. “Oh, look, Lord Arseling himself has come to join us. All hail Lord Arseling,” I announced in a louder voice, dramatically bowing from where I sat.

Another round of laughter broke out, a couple of the men echoing “Lord Arseling” and bowing as well, while Evander shook his head in exasperation.

Behind him, Taras gave a long-suffering sigh, mouthing what I was certain was the word “chaos.” He ordered us to pack up the game, much to our equal dismay, saying something about not being too hungover on the road tomorrow.

Well, I supposed that was valid, anyway.

We all climbed into our bedrolls. Evander, of course, settled himself only a few feet away from me, and I didn’t miss that he had positioned himself between me and the exit.

He radiated...something. Anger? Displeasure? Hunger? I was so tired it was hard to tell, but for once, I actually didn’t care. I was going to see Theo soon, and Davin.

And even surly Evander couldn’t rob me of that feeling.

CHAPTER26

True to Taras’ prediction, some of the men were a bit worse for wear the next morning.

And by some of the men, I meant me.

Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had experienced in the past, just a delicate stomach and slightly more sensitive ears. It was worth it, though, for the way the soldiers were visibly more comfortable around me.

Even Henrik no longer shot my crimson locks shifty sideways glances.

It was bittersweet, the realization that life in Elk wouldn’t have been as bad as I had worried about it being. All at once, the reasons I had for refusing to marry Theo felt childish and insignificant. Surely, those men would have come around, too.

Would I still have the chance to find out?

Fortunately, the ride passed relatively quickly, with the men joking on breaks between hard stints of riding. Dmitriy even gave me a few herbs he carried with him to help with the nausea. Even better, there were no more incidents with the Unclanned.