Page 49

I was not one of them. I wasn’t a warrior. At least not like they were. I wasn’t even, as far as they were concerned, a real princess. I was nothing.

Sitting atop my horse between the two groups, I felt all eyes on me.

“Tamsyn.” Fell finally found his voice. “Get back behind me.”

“No.”

He blinked in astonishment. He had not expected that. His destrier must have sensed some of his sudden tension, because he pranced in place and tossed his head with an agitated neigh.

The leader laughed, enjoying my show of rebellion. “Ohhh, I like her.”

Ignoring him, I lifted my arms to the clasp of the necklace I wore. It was a gift from my last birthday. Well, on the day we celebrated my birthday. No one knew my actual birthday. Not with any certainty. I couldn’t have been but a day or two old when I was found in the castle bailey.

I owned a few pieces of jewelry. All gifts from my family. Nothing too extravagant. All sentimental, now more than ever that I was gone from them.

But I would give it up. To save lives, it was a small sacrifice.

The clasp unhooked, and I lifted it away from me, fastening the clasp again so that the four charms did not slip loose.

“Here.” I stretched out my arm, the chain dangling from my fingers. “Take it. I’ll pay the tax.”

All my life I had been paying the tax. What was one more time?

“Tamsyn.” Fell growled my name.

I sent him a hard stare and declared, “There will be no fighting.” I looked back to the brigand. “Here. It is quite valuable, I assure you. Take it.”

He studied me thoughtfully before dragging his attention to the necklace in my hand. He inched his mount forward, crossing that remaining bit of space between us. He reached for the necklace, letting his fingers stroke my glove-encased hand as he did so.

Fell pushed up beside me, his destrier bumping into my mare. His warhorse flashed its teeth before nipping at my horse. Fell looked ready to flash his own teeth and take a bite out of something, too. Me, presumably.

The brigand tested the weight of my necklace in his palm, assessing the gold chain, examining the four hearts, each studded with a different gemstone, each one representing the four princesses of Penterra. Yes. One was even for me.

My heart had swelled that day when I opened the pretty ribboned box that contained the necklace. I had felt so touched, so included, soseen. The gift had been an affirmation, proof of the royal family’s commitment to me, their embrace of me into their family.

I experienced a little pang at the loss, to see it in the hands of this thief, to know I’d never see it or wear it again. Just as everything else I had left behind, I would be leaving this behind, too. Another thing lost, given up, tossed into the wind like dust.

I blinked my suddenly heavy eyes.It’s just a necklace.A material thing. It amounted to nothing.

Lives were more important. What was one more sacrifice? This one hardly felt as substantial as my body, my life, my freedom... all things I had already given over to Fell.

It was worth it. I knew this. Which was why I didn’t understand the fire in Fell’s gaze as he looked at me. Fire enough to reduce me to ash. I shifted uneasily upon my horse.

My mouth dried, but the coppery taste was gone. There was that. I scarcely registered the brigand announcing that he was satisfied with the barter. “We will take our leave of you. Safe travels.”

I didn’t spare him or his followers a glance as they turned and filed down the road. I couldn’t look away from Fell. Not while he looked at me with such fury and betrayal... as he had when he pulled off my veil to reveal my face.

I had done a good thing, but no one would know it from his expression.

He was only inches from me. The rest of his warriors stayed put, several yards away. “What were you thinking?” he demanded.

“I was thinking that we should just pay the toll and move on.” Simple. Logical.

He inhaled, dragging a hand over his face as though I’d just said the most ridiculous thing. Lifting the hand off his face, he blastedme with his icy gaze. “We don’t surrender to the demands of an enemy.”

“Never?”

He nodded once. “It is not a thingIdo.”