Kingdom of Sea and Stone

He shrugged. All any of us had to go on were rumors.

“What if they turn us away?” Grig asked, poking at the fire with a stick. “Where will we go then?”

“If I can’t find reinforcements in Galeth, I’ll join my mother and sister in the south and pray for a miracle. But I would understand if you chose to journey onward.” He glanced at me. “All of you.”

I was surprised that he was already discussing the possibility of going separate ways. Only a short while ago, he had scoffed at the suggestion that Zadie and I head north alone. Then again, I had closed up like a clam when he mentioned marriage.

“There’s no reason to cry storm when the sky is clear,” Zadie said, as if sensing my discomfort. “Let us wait and see.”

I patted Titania’s neck. “I’m going to tie her up for the night with the other horses. Would you help me, Zadie?”

She nodded and hurried to my side.

“What is it?” Zadie asked when we had reached the horses. “Aside from all the obvious answers.”

Titania arched her neck and gazed down her long nose at me, as if to say, Do you really expect me to spend the night with these three again? I ignored her and tied her lead rope to a branch a short distance from the two geldings and Xander.

Zadie and I had spent very little time together on the journey. She rode with Osius every day while I generally rode next to Talin, unless the road only permitted for single file. During those solitary times, I was alone with my thoughts, which seemed to be caught in a whirlpool of fear and doubt.

We’d been riding later and later each night, afraid that we were taking longer than we should. There was no way to know if Ceren’s guards were following us, or what had become of the Varenians we’d left behind, and every day away I grew less certain that we’d made the right decision by heading north. Then, of course, there was...

“Talin,” I responded. “Sometimes I feel as if he truly loves me, and other times I can’t tell what he’s feeling.”

Zadie sat down on a mossy tree stump, leaving enough room for me to join her.

“I imagine he’s feeling quite torn, Nor. He cares about you greatly. There is no question in my mind. But he also loves his mother and sister. You can’t expect him to choose you over them.”

I winced at the suggestion. “No, of course not.”

“I think he was trying to give you a way out, so you don’t have to make a choice between staying with him or going your own way, either.”

I unraveled my braid and combed it out with my fingers. “You’re probably right. I’m just feeling insecure.”

“That’s natural,” she said, helping untangle my hair. “I’ve felt insecure with Sami, too.”

“You have?” I gazed at her with wide eyes. We were born only minutes apart (Mother would never tell us who was first, saying it didn’t matter; I secretly suspected she’d mixed us up and didn’t remember) but Zadie had always seemed wiser and more mature.

“Of course,” she said with a soft laugh. “After the scarring, I had no idea if he would marry me. But even before that, when I found out he was betrothed to you, I thought he was fine with that outcome. It was terrible.”

I felt selfish for not realizing what that must have been like for her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see it.”

She was about to speak when we heard rustling in the brush behind us. I reached for the knife Talin had purchased for me back in the city, which I kept tucked in my boot, and Zadie grabbed hold of a sturdy branch.

“Who’s there?” I called into the shadows.

Two strangers stepped out of the darkness.

“What do you want?” I demanded, but the man already had his hands in the air, and the girl looked like she was about to cry.

“We’re just looking for shelter for the night.” The man was dressed in clothing that had once been fine but looked well-worn from travel. The girl had the same green eyes and brown hair as the man, who had his arm protectively around her shoulders. She couldn’t have been over twelve or thirteen.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” I asked. We hadn’t passed a town in miles.

“We’re on the road, like you. We saw your fire when we were searching for a campsite.”

I cursed under my breath. We needed to be more careful when we chose where to camp.

I heard the girl giggle and realized I hadn’t been as quiet as I’d intended. “I’m sorry. We don’t have any shelter, just our bedrolls.” I studied the two of them more carefully. They didn’t appear to be carrying any weapons, other than a small knife at the man’s waist, which he hadn’t reached for. Despite the giggle, the girl was reeling on her feet, utterly exhausted. Talin wouldn’t like it, but we couldn’t leave them out here to wander in the dark. “You’re welcome to join our camp for the night.”

The man sighed in relief. “Thank you. We saw the men back there but were afraid to approach them. When we heard your voices, we thought asking you for help might be safe.”

“You’re safe,” Zadie said, reaching for the girl’s hand. “Come and meet our friends. One of them is a prince,” she whispered.

“I’m Nor,” I said to the man. “That’s my sister, Zadie.”

“I’m Shale. My daughter’s name is Ella.”

I shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Shale.”

When we reached the outskirts of the campsite, Talin, Grig, and Osius rose. Their posture was relaxed, but all three men had their hands on the hilts of their swords.

I gave a tight shake of my head to indicate the weapons were unnecessary. I didn’t want to frighten Ella. “This is Shale and Ella. They’re heading...”

Shale shrugged and waved in the general direction of north.

“Anywhere in particular?” Talin gestured for Shale to take a seat by the fire, though his hand never strayed from his sword. Ella was with Zadie, receiving a bowl of the stew we’d eaten for supper. We wouldn’t have any left for breakfast, but we would manage.

“Anywhere the woman king isn’t,” Shale said. He glanced up as Zadie handed him a bowl of stew and thanked her.

“What do you mean?” I asked before Talin could respond. I didn’t need to see his face to know he was offended.

“We’re from just south of Linrose Lakes. The uprising has been simmering in the south for years, but we thought we were safe, living as far north as we were. But in the past few weeks, it has become untenable. She started conscripting every able-bodied male between the ages of fifteen and forty. Ella is just thirteen, and my wife is gone.” Shale glanced at Ella. “I can’t leave her alone.”