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Fyia nodded to the man whose knife was at the captive's throat. Red blood oozed from the wound he inflicted, and the captive fell to the ground.

'Hide the bodies. I don't care if the animals eat them, but I don't want a spectacle.'

Adigos watched every move she made, and Gods, she was magnificent. She did what was needed without hesitation or apology. She was eerily calm … always. In control, unphased. Some called her cold, calculating, aloof, but she had to be … anyone in her position did. When kings acted this way, they were applauded.

Adigos retrieved his horse, dismayed to find her lame. The Fae'ch could heal her, but there was no way he could ride.

'You'll have to walk,' said Edu, seeing his predicament.

Adigos' jaw dropped open. He hadn't thought Edu was angry about him and Fyia, at least, not angry enough to make himwalk. Or was Edu just angry at himself for the near miss, needing someone to take it out on?

Fyia rolled her eyes. 'He can ride with me,' she said. She moved her mount up next to Adigos, and offered him her arm.

'You don't have a saddle,' said Adigos. Fyia raised an eyebrow, ready to turn away. 'Which is absolutely fine,' he added hastily. He grabbed her arm and swung up behind her, her stallion prancing as his weight landed. He gripped Fyia's waist.

'The climb is steep. If you fall off, don't expect sympathy from me,' said Edu. He motioned to a guard at the back of the group to lead Adigos' lame horse. 'And if you do fall, don't take her with you, or we'll be having words.'

Adigos nodded, and as soon as Edu turned away, pulled Fyia flush against him. 'I've been imagining you in my arms all day,' he murmured.

She said nothing, but leaned her head against him, then urged her stallion on.

Chapter Five

THE CLIMB WAS STEEP, but they’d selected horses for this purpose, and they handled it with ease. Fyia luxuriated in the feel of Adigos' muscled chest against her back, the flex of his arms as he held her, the press of his thighs against hers. He was concentrating hard on staying upright, so had taken only the smallest of liberties; a stroke here, a squeeze there, a brush of his lips on her nape.

Fyia was used to riding this way. She had an affinity with animals—even those not in her Cruaxee—that allowed her to sense their emotions. She gave Adigos the occasional caress, but was careful not to distract him. Aside from the possibility of him getting hurt, and pulling her off too, she didn't want to risk delay.

They reached the mouth of the tunnel into the mountains as the sun dipped towards the horizon. The approach was a vast channel carved out of the rock, each side lined with circular cogs of various sizes. A portcullis blocked the entrance, but instead of metal bars, the structure was all whirling cogs, weights, and vials of suspended liquid. The barrier rose as they neared, every part of it seeming to come alive as needle-like points lifted free from the ground, steam rising from the holes that housed them.

Fyia had never seen this place for herself. She had to force her features into a calm mask, desperately wanting to gawk at everything.

A stooping man stepped under the portcullis, bowing low as he stopped before Fyia's horse. 'Welcome, Your Majesty.'

'Thank you,' said Fyia. She swung her leg over the front and slid to the ground, then took the man's hand in both of hers. 'What is your name?'

He looked into her eyes for a beat, seeming to search her soul. 'I have many names.'

She smiled. Of course he did. 'What should we call you?'

'Your errand boy, I suppose.'

'Is that what you would like us to call you?'

'I'd like for you to leave this place and never return, but what I would like doesn't matter, so why bother asking?'

With that, he turned and walked back under the gate, beckoning for them to follow. 'Your guards and horses will be taken care of here,' said the old man, pointing to the right, where three Fae'ch awaited them.

Edu nodded to the guards, who peeled off, only Adigos, Edu, and Fyia entering the mountain proper through a gaping black hole in the rock. By the time Fyia realized Rouel had tagged along—the only guard cocky enough to try his luck—they were all too preoccupied to send him back.

Fyia's skin bristled, her senses telling her both to run, and that she'd been nowhere safer. All around them, thick forest appeared. The sound of running water filled the air, and birdsong, and laughter. Fairies flitted across the path ahead, their wings lit as though they were fireflies, sprinkling dust behind them as they flew.

'Are you seeing this?' Fyia whispered to Rouel.

'If bythisyou mean an enchanted forest and literal fucking fairies, then yes.'

Okay, good.

'Was it like this last time?' she asked Adigos, who'd come up close behind her.