Page 4 of Tarnished Crown
Kirill let out a low chuckle, but brought an impressive looking black warhorse over to bind to the pale brown one. Evander gestured again for me to get on the horse.
He didn’t offer a hand to help me up, which was unfortunate because it deprived me of the pleasure of ignoring it.
I moved toward the horse, but my leg was less than halfway to the stirrup when I ran out of room to maneuver in my narrow skirts. I nearly pitched forward, catching myself on the side of the saddle.
A flush crept up my neck and into my cheeks, one of the many perks of my ginger complexion.
“Blasted Socairan skirts,” I muttered under my breath.
This was, at least, one of Mila’s dresses, but it was still far more restricting than the wide, flowy skirts favored in Lochlann. No wonder the whole kingdom thought women were incompetent, when they dressed us so we could hardly function.
And here I was, proving the bastards right.
To the stars with that.I hiked the dress up scandalously high, nearly halfway to my knees, to try again, but still couldn’t make it.
That time, there were a few titters around me, equal parts uncomfortable and amused.
Just as I was preparing to yank the entire thing up to my waist, if only to mount this stars-blasted horse on my own, there was an exasperated sigh behind me.
Before I could react, two hands came on either side of my waist, turning me and lifting me bodily up onto the saddle.
“The goal was actually to get therefaster, Lemmikki.” Evander stood next to me, his smug face level with my elbow and close enough that I contemplated the damage I might be able to do with a well placed jab.
Instead, I took a moment to adjust my skirts in my stupid side saddle position so I didn’t actually attack him. “You know, it really is hardly fair that I have such a charming nickname and you don’t. Tell me, whatisthe Socairan word for ‘arseling?’”
Evander only blinked irritably before mounting his horse, but Kirill helpfully chimed in. “I don’t believe there’s a direct translation, Highness, but I thinkaaliowould suit your purposes nicely.”
Theaalioin question shot him an exasperated look, and I bit back a smile.
“Excellent. Well then, LordAalio. Off we go.”
CHAPTER4
We rode for what felt like hours, though the sun had hardly moved at all above us. I was grateful for the little warmth it offered, especially since the air grew colder the farther north we rode.
Whatever residual fae blood I had gave me an awareness of the weather that had been fairly useless until I came to Socair. It was pretty worthless here, too, for that matter, since all it did was tell me I was going to spend the evening freezing my arse off.
Sure enough, only hours later, I was shivering. Gusts of wind whipped through my cloak, chilling me to the bone.
It wasn’t just the weather, though. The men were wary, on alert, and their tension permeated the air until I felt like I was breathing it into my lungs.
Kirill let out a low whistle.
One by one, the soldiers shifted ever so slightly in their saddles. Kirill continued casually talking to the man next to him, but his eyes darted back and forth over the hillsides. Several others did the same, yawning and stretching or talking as if they had no cares left in the world.
All the while their eyes roamed our surroundings.
Stars-blasted hells.
I had traveled with soldiers often enough to know when something was wrong. I risked a glance over my shoulder before Evander hissed a warning at me, not taking his eyes off the road.
My heart galloped wildly in my chest, and I took a steady breath through my nose. For all that Kirill had said we weren’t an appealing target to the Unclanned this way, we were apparently appealing enough. To someone, at least.
“Have you ever used a saber?” Evander asked in a low tone.
Furrowing my brow, I nodded.Once.
He visibly warred with himself before pulling one of the blades criss-crossed at his back and pressing the hilt into my hand.