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Chapter twenty-eight

Nerys

N o sooner had Nerys laid her head down when she was woken by a maid, who bore unnaturally cheery tidings of the coming morning. A morning that was still hours away. Great. It was time to leave her bed’s warm cocoon to frolic in the wintery wood and slaughter helpless animals.

Nerys dressed in the tight breeches and knee-high boots, and a snug, long furry coat that the Kor’yitz had sent to her.

She shifted at the awkward feeling of the fabric against her legs.

It wasn’t…bad. Just unusual to have thick fabric encasing her like crust on a pie.

Though, Nerys had to admit—after taking a few jubilant long steps—that breeches had their benefits.

What would Idris say, after all the time they spent teaching her how to act in courtly dresses?

Once dressed, Nerys hesitantly picked up the hunting bow the Kor’yitz had sent.

The crossbow was heavier than what she was used to, but after testing if she could draw it back, she was confident she’d be able to load and fire it without embarrassing herself.

Whether she’d hit anything was another matter.

A knock on the door announced one of the Kor’yitz’s servants, who led Nerys down the halls.

Nerys’s stomach grumbled—she hadn’t had time to eat.

The servant must have heard her stomach because he turned to her, grinned, and said, “The Kor’yitz has ordered provisions for the day.

She likes to take her breakfast while she waits for the stag.

” Good. That meant the Kor’yitz wouldn’t be much of a walking hunter—that type of hunting was the worst. All one did was follow tracks and dung, try not to trip on a log or poke one’s eye out on a tree branch, all while having to stay as quiet as a pinecone.

If the Kor’yitz liked to wait, that meant she likely had a hunting place picked out, and Nerys’s main concern was going to be boredom.

And cold. The two things tended to go hand in hand.

Nerys met the Kor’yitz outside one of the palace’s side doors.

If Nerys didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have been able to tell the royal apart from any other hunter.

The Kor’yitz wore breeches, knee high boots, and a fur coat similar to Nerys’s own, all in demure brown and black.

On her back and side, the Kor’yitz bore various implements of deer destruction, including a bow and a long dagger to relieve the deer of its entrails.

She greeted Nerys with a surprised glance, followed by a smile.

“I half-expected to be told you weren’t coming.

And don’t you dare curtsey—no time for that. And it looks ridiculous in breeches.”

Though she tried not to, Nerys let out a very inappropriate yawn and covered it far too late, making the Kor’yitz’s smile bigger. “I can’t say I wouldn’t mind a few more hours in bed,” Nerys admitted, “but that’s not enough to make me miss this.”

“Forgive me for the assumption,” the Kor’yitz said. “You wouldn’t be the first to decide on the morning-of that romping through the woods is not to her liking. No matter the company.”

“I’ve spent more of my life in the woods than out of them—it’ll take more than a prospect of snow and ice to keep me indoors.” That was true—Nerys had spent a fair amount of her life in the woods. That didn’t mean she enjoyed it.

Nerys had apparently said the right thing, for the Kor’yitz nodded approvingly. “Come,” the Kor’yitz said, motioning towards the forest. “We have a long way to go and I want to be in place well before the sun rises.”

Nerys nodded and followed the Kor’yitz off the steps and across the yard towards the trees. “No guards?” Nerys asked, glancing at the armed men standing watch near the door.

“Why? No one outside of the palace knows that I’m the Kor’yitz.

160 Besides, I can take care of myself.” That wasn’t comforting.

While the Kor’yitz may have been able to take care of herself, Nerys definitely couldn’t.

If a bear attacked them in the woods—unlikely, but interesting to imagine—Nerys would be the clumsy, inadvertent sacrifice to distract the bear.

Nerys stayed silent as they made their way into the forest, a vast cornucopia of bare trees and brambles.

One did not talk on a hunt, or so her father had hammered into her from a young age.

For her part, the Kor’yitz seemed content to listen to the winter morning—the creaking snow, the rustling branches, the occasional chirping bird.

Meanwhile, Nerys’s limbs screamed from the effort of traipsing through untamed wilds.

Nerys tucked her hands into her sleeves, grateful for the thick mittens. This was going to be a long day.

After they walked long enough for Nerys’ s calves to beg for the sweet release of death, the Kor’yitz stopped and motioned Nerys into a brush blind next to a tree, creating both a shelter and a place they could hide from their unsuspecting prey.

“Eat,” the Kor’yitz whispered as they crouched to the ground. “The deer won’t start moving until the sky lightens.”

Nerys didn’t need to be told twice, though the Kor’yitz was wrong about deer movements. She broke into her pack and bit back glee upon finding various jelly-filled pastries and a small flask of some spicy liquor.

“Hungry?” the Kor’yitz asked, breaking apart pieces of her own pastry.

Nerys nodded.

“How is it you came to hunt?” The Kor’yitz pushed a lock of brown hair out of her face. “I can’t imagine it was boredom.”

Nerys nodded some more, using the chewing time to come up with a decent answer. It was best to stay as close to the truth as possible. “My father liked the meat and thought that leaving the village was good for me. And it was more within our means to hunt it ourselves.”

“Hmmm…still, most fathers would not let their daughters do something so…common.”

“Sword Man or not, my father was not most fathers.” Nerys pushed back the memory of her real father, the one who had dragged her hunting far more times than she could count. Her stomach twisted. There was little she wouldn’t do to have another such morning with him, miserable weather and all.

“I’m sorry,” the Kor’yitz said. “I know your loss was recent.”

“Thank you, Lady.”

“No.” The Kor’yitz chuckled. “Like I said at the palace—it’s just Adelyna. I have no use for manners here.”

“As you wish.”

“I do.” Adelyna picked at her pastry some more while her eyes surveyed the surrounding trees.

Nerys was settling back into the silence of hunting—and trying to ignore how her ass was growing wet from snow—when Adelyna said, “Everyone else asks, so I’m guessing you are also curious about why I do this—spend my time in the woods. ”

No, not really. Fina had told her already and thus Nerys answered accordingly. “They say in Cow’s Fancy that you were raised like a boy in every respect. That you can fight better than most men—and that you hunt better than any of them.”

An eyebrow flicked up. “Is that so?” Adelyna leaned back. “I can’t say there isn’t some truth to that. But I just like it out here. It’s quiet. ”

“Yes. That it is—no courtiers.”

Adelyna chuckled. “With that tone, you sound like you’ve lived at court your entire life.”

“One night was exhausting enough.”

“I’d say it gets better…but it doesn’t.”

Silence descended. What was Nerys supposed to say to that? Ah—more questions. That would work. People loved to talk about themselves. “Do you hunt often?” Nerys asked.

“As much as I can. Usually alone. But it’s nice to have company.”

“It is.” Damn—she wasn’t using this time as she should.

She had to get the Kor’yitz to like her, or their plan was in jeopardy.

As Qiana said, the Kor’yitz’s favor meant the court’s attention, and the court’s attention led to the R?ll’s.

What was she supposed to say, or do, being that she was next to the kingdom’s heir?

What would make her stand out from the hordes of women vying for this single person’s attention?

“What are you thinking?” Adelyna asked. “You look so solemn.”

“I’m debating eating that other pastry.”

Adelyna stifled a chuckle. Nerys relaxed—now she was on the right path. “I should have phrased my question better,” Adelyna said. “How do you like court? What do you really think of it? Other than it being tiring?”

“It’s an adjustment. A lot of people, lots of various rules, and so far I’ve already managed to anger someone.” Oh no, Qiana had told her not to say anything. Nerys watched the Kor’yitz for any sign she said something direly wrong.

“Who—oh, Nerine.” Adelyna sighed and rubbed her temple. “That was my fault. I’ll talk to her.”

“No. I mean,” Nerys said as Adelyna stilled, “it’s not something to trouble yourself with. Qiana said she’d handle it, and I think she has, and—”

“Callidora, I need to talk to Nerine anyway. She—well I’m surprised you haven’t heard—she’s my former lover. And is a little upset about the ‘former’ part.” Adelyna said it so casually, like she was announcing the type of butter in her pantry.

“Lover…oh. I see.” Nerys swallowed. “I understand. I’ve only been at court around eighteen hours. Give me another six and I’m sure I’ll have heard everything.”

Adelyna opened her mouth, as if she was going to laugh once more, and then stopped. Something crunched in the snow, approaching them. She bent forward and reached for her bow .

“Wait,” she mouthed. “Something’s coming.”