Page 44 of Lucifer's Mirror

“Really?” She shakes her head. “You are so freaking predictable.”

Chapter 21

Where I get to Chat with Royalty

Itseemslikeanage since I slept in a bed, though actually, it’s only been a couple of days. Anyway, I’m unconscious the moment my head hits the pillow.

When I open my eyes again, daylight is streaming through the windows, and someone is banging on my door.

“Get up, or we’re leaving without you.” It’s Zayne, and I just grumble under my breath and roll over, burying my head in the pillow.

“I’m not joking,” he calls out.

“You can’t leave without me. I’m the reason we’re going.”

But I sigh and get out of bed. I stumble to the bathroom, use the toilet, splash some water on my face, then gulp some down. I slept in my panties and t-shirt; now I pull on the rest of my clothes. They’re stiff with dirt, and goodness knows what else.

I pull my hair into a quick ponytail, drag on my boots, and open the door. Zayne is still standing there, his fist in the air as if ready to bang again. He looks better than I feel.

“You look all nice and perky this morning,” I say.

“I feel better than I have in a while.”

“I’m glad.” I reach out and touch his chest. “I’m sorry I got you into all this.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

I follow him down the stairs and out into the courtyard. It’s busy this morning. There are crowds of people—mostly in the uniform of the guards, men and women. Our horses are saddled, ready, and waiting for us.

“What about breakfast?” I ask, unable to keep the whine out of my voice.

Zayne chuckles. “I think you missed that. We thought you’d rather have extra sleep than food.”

“Actually, I’d like both.” I catch sight of Thanouq and Therion standing side by side. They both have swords over their shoulders, knives at their waists, and are wearing long boots. They look like something out of a fantasy movie, in more ways than one.

My eyes are drawn—as they so often are—to another figure standing alone: Khaosti. He’s watching me. He does that a lot. Sometimes I think it’s because—against his better judgment—he likes me. Sometimes I’m sure it’s because he hates me. This morning there’s a scowl on his face, but hey, what’s new? He walks toward us and hands me a sandwich. “You slept through breakfast.”

Wow, maybe he does care. After all, actions speak louder than words, and he’s feeding me. In some cultures, that’s probably the equivalent of a marriage proposal. I take a bite. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t want you fainting off your horse halfway through the morning.” He also looks like he had a good night’s sleep.

“Okay, let’s go then,” I say around a mouthful of bread. Without waiting for an answer, I head toward Stella and stroke her soft nose. She nickers and gives me a good morning kiss.

“Did you sleep well?” Thanouq asks, coming up beside me.

“I did, thank you.” I give him a shy smile. He makes me feel a little… bashful.

“Right,” he says, “we may as well leave. There’s nothing else that can be done here.” He turns away and walks to a big bay stallion, mounting with ease. Therion follows suit, then Khaosti and Zayne. I look around at this place, which, after a shaky start, turned out to be the safest I’ve experienced in a long while. But it’s time to go. I put my foot in the stirrup, swing into the saddle, and heave a sigh. My ass still hurts, but not as much as it did yesterday. I’m getting tougher with each passing day.

We ride through the city in single file, Thanouq in the lead, then Therion—no doubt guarding his boss’s back—me, Zayne, and finally Khaosti bringing up the rear.

In the full daylight, you can see the devastation of the city clearer than ever. Some buildings are reduced to nothing but piles of debris. Others are still standing but look like empty shells of what were once, no doubt, beautiful homes.

I’m actually glad when we ride out under the main gate. We dismount to lead the horses down the mountain track, but we get back on as soon as we reach the bottom. Then we speed up, and my spirits rise as we leave the burnt and broken countryside behind, riding once again through green plains, though here and there, there are still signs of devastation—houses that have been destroyed, farms that lie derelict.

We don’t stop for lunch. Khaosti just hands out food from his saddlebags.

In fact, the first day passes without any incidents at all and very little conversation, just the occasional grunt from Khaosti when I ask him a question and he doesn’t deign to give me an answer. By evening, I give up. He’s obviously got a lot on his mind. I suspect Thanouq’s identity came as something of a surprise.