Page 29 of A Queen’s Betrayal (Legends of Worldbinders #1)
Smeeds Port was everything Arenna remembered a port to be. Massive wooden ships bobbed in the clouded water, their sails standing tall above half-timbered homes and shops that flanked the narrow road. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the salty waters until she came back to them.
Arenna glanced at Koltin, who walked beside Solaris, holding her reins steady.
He had arrived at their camp early that morning, bringing only good news: there had been no sign of any Brookworth soldiers following their path, nor any whispers in the small towns about the queen’s disappearance.
But she had only hours left with him, and then she would be truly alone.
He would return to Brookworth, to Isabella, and she might never see him again.
The trio strolled past vendor after vendor, each closing up their stalls for the night.
Arenna’s gaze wandered to the shops behind the stalls, where twinkling candles flickered in every window, offering small glimpses of the treasures within.
Some shops displayed clothing, others boasted random trinkets and furniture of all shapes and sizes.
One shop caught her attention with its floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with books, covering three walls. Curiosity danced at her fingertips, urging her to run her hands across the wilted and worn spines, uncovering tales she could only dream of.
Isabella had always snuck books from her parents’ home, and the two of them would lose themselves in those pages for hours.
One story in particular stood out—a tale of star-crossed lovers on distant planets, betrayals, and magic.
A smile tugged at Arenna’s lips at the memory, but her heart clenched with worry.
She hoped her best friend was safe.
“The tavern is just up ahead,” Koltin said. A whitewashed building with a red-tiled roof came into view, vibrant portfolk in roughspun clothing spilling out of the doorway. Arenna heard the lively strains of music from a distance, humming and vibrating like the wind through the night.
They tied the mares to a wooden post outside the tavern and stepped toward the rickety staircase. Standing two stories tall, Kleo’s Tavern loomed even larger up close.
“Kleo should be inside.” Koltin walked ahead, quickly swallowed by the crowd as he entered.
Kayson stayed close behind her as Arenna crossed the threshold. Wooden beams crisscrossed the tall ceiling, while wood paneling lined the walls. Round tables, both short and tall, filled the space, not a single chair left empty.
Koltin guided Arenna through the throng of people until they reached a bar top made from a single slab of mahogany. They each slid onto a stool, watching the barkeep dart between taps and tables, keeping everyone’s tankards filled to the brim.
Kayson muttered something quietly to Koltin before he left them, moving up to the second story. Arenna watched him until he slipped into a chamber, the door clicking shut behind him. “What is he doing?” she asked.
“Said something about meeting up with a friend.” Koltin shrugged as he waved down the tall, thin barkeep.
Arenna’s stomach tightened as she eyed the door. Whatever friend Kayson was meeting only heightened her suspicions and made her more anxious about trusting him to get her to Vlazias alive. What was he doing having friends in a place like Smeeds, being the Emissary from Forx?
“Bloody hell!” the barkeep exclaimed.
Arenna’s eyes darted between Kleo and Koltin, the resemblance uncanny. From her messy, dirty blonde hair to her bright eyes, Kleo was the spitting image of Koltin.
A broad smile spread across Koltin’s lips as he pulled his sister into a tight embrace. “Kleo,” he said, “it’s so good to see you.”
“I can’t believe it.” She pulled back, placing her hands on Koltin’s cheeks and squashing them together. Tears rimmed her lower lash line. “My wee lil’ brother, it’s damn good to see ye! How long has it been? Three ? Four years?”
“Four,” Koltin replied. “Business has been good?”
Kleo threw her hands up in the air. “Aye, too good! The lads and lasses never leave this damned place, even after I try to hurry them out. I suppose that’s a good problem to have, though.” She set a tankard in front of both Koltin and Arenna, amber liquid splashing over the rims.
Kleo’s gaze shifted to Arenna, curiosity replacing the joy on her face. “Is this Isabella?” she asked.
Koltin choked on his drink.
“No, definitely not,” Arenna spluttered “My name is—”
“Iris,” Koltin cut her off smoothly, glancing side to side to make sure no one was listening. “This is Iris . A good friend of Isabella’s. I’m helping her get through town and was hoping you could assist us.”
Kleo folded her arms across her chest, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. “Ah, that friend.” She winked, then nodded. “So, ye only come to visit when ye need somethin’? Brothers, damn them.” She turned her gaze to Arenna and winked.
“Let’s talk upstairs,” Koltin suggested.
Uncertainty flared in Kleo’s eyes, but she nodded. “Give me a few more minutes to finish up, and I’ll meet you both there.”
Conversations faded into a distant hum, but a tug in Arenna’s thundering chest drew her gaze back to the second story. Kayson leaned against the railing, arms spread wide, gripping the iron with both hands.
For reasons she couldn’t understand, Arenna stared back. She hated that she couldn’t decipher his thoughts, especially when he looked at her like this.
They held each other’s gaze until a woman with fiery red hair stepped beside him, whispering something into his ear.
Arenna glanced away, heat blooming in her cheeks. The tug in her chest persisted, compelling her to look back toward the railing, where the two of them remained locked in the same position.
Even as Kayson leaned down to hear the woman better, his eyes never strayed from Arenna’s. It was only when he followed her into a private room and shut the door that he finally looked away.
She shuddered as a held breath released. “I need to get out of here for a minute,” she muttered to Koltin, suddenly desperate to escape the crowded tavern. He shot her a look of unease, but did not stop her.
Arenna rushed outside, inhaling the night air.
Above her, no rain fell, no clouds gathered. And yet, it was still all she could smell.
* * *
Koltin led Arenna to a private room on the second story of Kleo’s tavern. Inside, the warmth from the roaring hearth enveloped her, and she shrugged off her cloak, draping it across a chair by the fire. She had never done well in crowded rooms but hadn’t had a choice but to be in them as queen.
Now, though, with no need to fit into that role, spaces like the tavern felt overwhelming. After short minutes of breathing in the night air outside, she quietly walked back in, where Koltin instructed her to follow him up the stairs.
Inside the room, beneath a chandelier shaped like a carriage wheel, a long, rickety table dominated the space, its surface covered by dents and nicks, likely from years of metal cups and weapons resting upon it.
She slid into an open chair near the middle, her fingers tracing the grooves etched into the wood.
Koltin waited near the door, his hand idly moving across the handle of his blade.
A few moments later, Kleo strode through the door, kicking off her boots and sending them skidding to a corner of the room.
“This is for you,” she said, placing a box on the table.
She pulled out a change of clothing and a piece of parchment rolled and sealed with a glob of red wax.
“Your permit to travel,” she added, tossing it to Arenna.
“And a change of clothes. If yer gonna pass as a Brookworth commoner, ye’ll need to dress the part. ”
Arenna ran her thumb across the serpent symbol pressed into the wax. “How did you get King Jaksen’s brand?” she asked, bewildered. As far as she knew, only one such seal existed, kept in Jaksen’s private study.
“Never underestimate the power of a woman who needs to make some coin,” Kleo replied with a wink, then sank into a chair.
“I have a friend inside the castle. She managed to send me a drawing of the king’s symbol, and my jeweler created a near-perfect replica.
That little symbol has earned me quite a bit of coin. ”
“Quit gloating,” Koltin muttered, sliding into the seat next to his sister. “It’s not a good look on you.”
Kleo stuck out her tongue, her messy blonde hair bobbing at her shoulders. “Only the truth, lil’ brother. You’d be surprised how many people need to cross the ocean but can’t obtain a permit.”
“You’re helping humans cross the border?” Arenna asked, her curiosity piqued.
Kleo glanced at Koltin, who nodded slowly. “Humans seek sanctuary in Vlazias from the dying land and the monsters lurking in the dark,” she explained. “Vlazias is just as magical as its inhabitants. Its soil is rich; its forests lush. Nature hasn’t wilted to the same extent that it has in Varios.”
Arenna folded her arms and sank deeper into her chair. “How is it possible that Vlazias hasn’t been devastated by the Rot?” More so, why had Jaksen never told her as much? Her entire continent lay in shambles, its people teetering on the brink of starvation and madness with each passing day.
Koltin shrugged. “Magical ruler, magical lands?”
Kleo hummed in agreement. “No one knows for sure, but I’d reckon it’s because of the Reaper.”
The air thickened, and Arenna shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the male who haunted her nightmares.
When she closed her eyes, she could still hear the sound of his scythe scraping against the stone cottages of her old port, could still see the way his golden crown glistened as he strolled through flames.
“Humans are willing to live in enemy lands just to escape the dying continent?” Arenna asked, hoping to distract herself from the darkness creeping into her mind.
“Yes, and they know the risks,” Kleo replied. “But there are places they can hide. Fae I trust.”