Page 58 of Poisoned Kingdom (Secrets of Dagome #1)

‘It will be all right, child. The gods favour those with honest hearts. They won’t take your dwarf away from you.’

He took me by the elbow, walking me to his chamber, right to the large, plush sofa.

‘I don’t even know if he is alive. How could you say it’s alright when I feel like . . .’

My breath hitched, and the legendary executioner wrapped his arms around me again, pressing my head to his chest.

‘What if all they’ve found is his corpse, Boyan?’

‘Then his killers will lie at the foot of his funeral pyre,’ he said with such calm reassurance I felt the choking band on my throat loosen a bit. ‘But don’t yet mourn a man who may still live.’

Boyan’s embrace was comforting, and I wondered why I’d never questioned why the ruthless leader had always shown me more love than my father ever did.

I could barely recall the man who’d sired me—only his coldness, the absence of tenderness and affection.

His trade kept him away more often than not, and eventually, his face faded entirely, replaced by Boyan’s.

Unfortunately, as much as I shamelessly wanted to draw strength from the old man, I couldn’t stay like this. The weak were prey in the Brotherhood.

I tensed, gathering my courage to pull away, when Boyan stopped me.

‘Stay,’ he said, his voice wistful. ‘Wait for Irsha. He will escort you wherever is needed. When you return, we’ll talk.’

I frowned. ‘Talk about what?’ I asked, pulling away.

‘The past, present . . . the future.’ He reached out and took my hand.

‘But don’t worry about it now. Find your friend but be wary of the king.

He’s a good man, but even if he’s sincere, those like us don’t mix well with the nobility.

We’re like a blend of oil and water—you can shake it and stir it, but in the end, they will always separate. ’

‘How do you . . .? You had Observers follow me. Was that really necessary?’ I asked just as a decisive knock rattled the door.

A moment later, Irsha strode in, still in his training clothes.

‘You wanted to see me, sir . . . Sana, is everything all right? You look like you’ve seen an upiór.’ 1

‘She just received a message that her heart’s kin has been found,’ Boyan responded. ‘You’ll escort her wherever she needs to go. And Irsha—I trust you with her life. Do not fail me, Blade.’ His voice had lost all the gentleness he’d directed towards me.

‘Of course. When do you want to go, Sana?’ Irsha asked, and I realised I hadn’t even read the missive still clenched in my fist.

I unfolded it quickly, noting it was already late, and that the retrieval group was waiting for me to join them next to the city gates.

‘Shit, we need to go now. They’re all waiting. Fuck, wait. I need a horse. Can I take a horse?’ I rambled.

I stood rapidly, a chaotic whirlwind of energy, accidentally bumping the side table. Only Irsha’s fast reflexes stopped the small crystal rusalka displayed on it from smashing on the floor.

‘Yes, take a horse. Irsha can gather travel provisions and a change of clothes,’ Boyan said. He stood up, unexpectedly stopping me to grasp my face in a fatherly gesture. Irsha gaped as I awkwardly stood blinking in confusion. ‘Look after yourself, Sana. I can’t lose my shadow mage.’

There was more to his tone than a simple goodbye, but I was too distraught to think about it. We left his office in a hurry, and only when we got to the horses did I notice that Irsha was oddly silent, looking at me with a frown.

‘What?’ I asked, annoyed by his covert glances as we saddled the mounts.

‘Did you know that Boyan is from the Orcish Steppe as well? The way he treats you . . . It got me thinking.’

‘Let me stop you there,’ I snapped. ‘I know it’s a little odd, but maybe I just remind him of someone. Or he knows he’s dying, and I’m a convenient target for his affection.’

My hands stilled on my horse’s neck.

‘I’m sorry, Irsha. I’m not angry, it’s just too much to think about, especially now.’

‘I know, trouble,’ he said. ‘Come on. Let’s go get your wretched dwarf so I can teach him not to worry you so.’

I yelped when he effortlessly lifted me onto the animal’s back but didn’t waste any time.

People leapt to the side as we galloped through the streets to the city gates. We rode at a breakneck speed, but it still felt like we were taking too long, and the irrational fear that Reynard would set off without me grew stronger with each passing minute.

I bolted through the gates, pulling on the reins when I noticed the king’s strapping figure.

He looked even more imposing dressed in hunting armour. A black warhorse danced beneath him, massive and impatient, turning towards us as soon as the hooves of my mare thundered down the cobblestones.

Reynard didn’t wear a helmet, and instead of an eyepatch, a fragment of his wolf’s mask covered the scarred part of his face. He looked so otherworldly that I gasped when a stray sunray caught the iridescent blue of his ink-black hair.

He found Tova. Gods, he truly did it . . . for me.

I didn’t know how to defend myself from the warmth that flooded my body at the sight of him, but my eyes searched for the dwarf.

‘Where is he?’ I asked when I reined in my horse, facing the king’s guards.

‘Calm down. We’re heading there now. It’s a long journey, but the soldiers who found him are heading back—’ he said just as my horse reared under me. Irsha’s hand landed on my thigh, and I followed his command, tightening my muscles and shortening the reins to calm the animal.

‘Your Majesty,’ one of Rey’s officers said, ‘if we leave now, we can be in Ostrava before nightfall. That is, if Lady Roksana and her . . . eh . . . servant can endure the ride.’ He turned to Irsha. ‘You can ride at the end of the column, good sir.’

I was about to point out the man’s error when Irsha spoke first.

‘I’m Irsha Vilkor, Master of the Blades. I’m here at the request of Grand Master Boyan of the Dark Brotherhood to escort the Lady Roksana. And we can both endure the ride.’

I frowned, eyeing Irsha with surprise at his strange formality—but his sharp glare was aimed at the officer, staring him down as if he were questioning the man’s intelligence.

The officer shifted uneasily, glancing towards the king. Reynard’s brows had climbed so high I half expected them to vanish into his hairline. After a beat, Rey nudged his mount forward until it stood beside mine.

‘Master Vilkor, you’re welcome to stay, of course, but since my men are here, your skills might be better suited to aiding the grand master in the city,’ he said, an amused smirk arching the corner of his lips.

‘Perhaps, but right now, my duty is to Roksana, both by choice and by the grand master’s command. I hope we won’t have this discussion again, sire,’ Irsha answered calmly, his expression matching Reynard’s.

Oh, for the gods’ sake, not this again .

I wanted to bash their heads together for delaying our departure. I was clinging onto my sanity by a thread when Reynard’s smirk widened at the challenge, and I wondered when they’d draw their blades to find out who was the bigger arsehole.

‘I swear, I’ll dose both of you with sleeping powder if you don’t stop,’ I hissed quietly, before adding loudly for the soldiers’ benefit, ‘Sire, Irsha is my longtime friend, and I would feel better having him beside me in case the situation is . . . worse than expected.’

I placed my hand on Irsha’s forearm, frowning when Reynard’s eyes narrowed, the amusement vanishing from his expression.

‘Fine, Viper, but your bodyguard will ride with mine while you will travel beside me,’ he answered before addressing Irsha. ‘I hope that isn’t too objectionable, Master Vilkor?’

Reynard was behaving oddly. His gaze lingered on my hand on Irsha’s arm, his expression darkening with each passing moment.

‘Please do as he’s asking,’ I murmured to Irsha before moving closer to the king. ‘Can we go now, please?’

Reynard’s hand landed exactly where Irsha’s palm had been on my thigh, thumb trailing lightly over my skirt before he moved away.

‘When you visited my camp . . . I should have insisted on your promise,’ he said, signalling his men to move. My confusion lasted for a moment before I remembered him asking me not to let another man touch me. But Irsha wasn’t a man; he was a friend. Besides, I didn’t promise Reynard anything.

‘But you didn’t,’ I whispered, nudging the horse into a trot to match the king’s gait.

‘And we’ll have a talk about that later. For now, we need to go. Are you ready to go faster?’ he asked, his eyes on the road ahead.

‘Yes. After you, Your Majesty,’ I answered, my voice trembling with anticipation.

‘No, not after me—beside me, Viper. You’ll ride beside me, and you’ll keep the pace.’

That was my only warning before the warhorse leapt into a gallop, and I had no choice but to match it.

‘I’ll find a way to repay your kindness,’ I said softly, gazing at his face before staring at the cloak that billowed around the king like black wings.

It would be a harsh ride, but even with stiff, aching muscles and a headache from my sleepless night, I couldn’t stop wondering how the man I had blinded had found a way to break through the walls I’d built around my heart.

1. Upiór /pron: u-pi-oor/ — an undead being that arises from one cursed upon their death, appearing as a freshly deceased corpse.