Page 48 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

She huffs a breath—but her eyes snap past me, and Captain Zale must be watching, because her cheeks flush as pink as my own must be.

Yesterday, I would’ve agreed with Charlotte. This all would have felt too bold.

Today, I’m not sure I mind.

I bump her with my shoulder. “Let them all watch,” I say. Then I swing aboard the horse, take up my reins, and ride out.

AS WE TRAVEL south, the snow fades away entirely, leaving lush grass alongside the roadway.

A chill still hangs in the air, but it’s not stinging my face anymore.

The soldiers have shed some of their outerwear, tucking fur gloves and caps into their saddlebags.

As the road becomes less flat, we ride over hills and down through shadowed valleys, always avoiding towns and settlements.

Eventually even the grass begins to turn sparse and thin, the ground turning hard enough to make the hoofbeats echo.

Ky’s soldiers wordlessly change their patterns, hanging closer as the sunlight begins to fade.

No words are spoken, but bows are unhooked from saddles, quivered arrows sitting ready.

Their vigilance is contagious, and Charlotte and I fall silent, our eyes searching the darkness, watching for danger, too.

At twilight, we crest a hill, and there, in the fading light of sunset, I see the distant mountains of Incendar. To our right, the sky is still a vivid red that melts into purple behind the mountain range, with the first scattered stars flecking the sky overhead.

“ Oh ,” I breathe.

Ky looks at me in surprise. “Have you never been to southern Astranza?”

“Not this far.” I can’t look away from the mountains. I’ve seen paintings, of course, but that’s nothing compared to the massive earthly formations that somehow seem to be right in front of us, yet also a hundred miles away. It feels like something else Dane has kept from me.

I look at Charlotte, and her mouth is hanging open. At least I’m not alone.

Beside Ky, Asher is also staring, but there’s no awe in his expression. Just wariness.

“Have you seen the mountains before?” I say to him.

“From here, yes. Never up close.”

“This is nothing,” says Ky, as we descend into yet another valley. Shadows have grown longer as the sun sets, and the mountains shrink over the crest of the next hill. “Wait until you’re looking up at them.”

Up ahead, one of his soldiers gives a shout, and my breath catches.

I look up in alarm. It’s hard to see much detail in the fading light, but it seems like two dozen armed men have appeared from nowhere to block the road.

For an instant, I’m fifteen again, clinging to Asher while bandits attack our carriage procession.

Captain Zale touches his heels to his horse’s flanks, and the animal sprints ahead.

Beside me, Charlotte’s eyes are searching the horizon, too, but her voice is cool, the only sign of her worry. “Are we in danger?” she says.

“No,” says Ky. “They’re mine. Border guard.”

As he says it, Captain Zale reaches the group of armed men.

They’re all too far to hear any words exchanged, but they shift to form a line on either side of the path, standing at attention.

I expect Ky to hurry the pace, but instead, we stop in the hollow of the valley and he reaches down and untethers Asher’s horse from his saddle.

Then he unwraps the reins from where they’re tied by the animal’s head, holding them out.

Asher looks startled.

“I don’t want gossip that we brought a prisoner back from Astranza,” Ky says. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Asher takes the reins. “No promises.”

Ky gives him a look, but the rest of his soldiers have caught up, so we ride on.

At the crest of the hill, the border guards stand at attention as we ride past. All motionless, all silent.

They’re all in the same black armor as Ky’s soldiers, and I feel the weight of their gaze as they take stock of me and Charlotte.

In these clothes, it would be impossible for them to know which of us is the princess.

The king says nothing, so I don’t either.

At the end of the line, a man steps forward, and his bearing tells me that he’s likely an officer. He holds out a hand to Ky and says, “By fury and flame.”

Ky catches his hand and grasps it. “For valor and truth.”

The men behind us slap a hand to their armor. “For Incendar.”

It makes Ky smile, and the relief in his expression is profound. “For Incendar,” he says in response.

Riding past the border guard seems to lift a weight from our group, as if Ky’s soldiers have all released a collective breath. They’re on their own soil, with allies at their back.

But Asher glances back at me, and the tension still clings to his eyes. He’s not relieved. Not yet.

Neither am I.

The king nods down at his officer as we pass. “Hold the border, Lieutenant.” Then he taps three fingers on his opposite shoulder, and rides on.

But as my own horse begins to move away, I’m still looking at the guards, so I see the lieutenant’s eyes widen slightly.

There’s a new alertness to his stance, and he turns to the other men and repeats the three-fingered gesture.

“Hold the border,” he says sharply. None of them say a word in response, but I see the same awareness in their figures as they shift to move into new positions.

Ky’s own soldiers fall into line to follow us, but their bows are strapped to their saddles again, their vigilance less urgent.

My eyes shift to the king. “What did you tell them?” I say.

“To hold the border,” he says dryly. I huff a breath, and he adds, “No passage into Incendar.”

“And what was the secret order?” When his eyebrows go up, I tap three fingers on my shoulder.

He looks back at me and says nothing. His expression is still easy, but now there’s a cunning look in his eye that I absolutely cannot ignore.

“The morning we met,” I add, “you said that once we were in Incendar, you would show me anything I desire.”

“I’m not quite sure that was my promise.”

“Please?” I say sweetly.

The king heaves a sigh, then lets it out through his teeth. He glances at Asher. “Is this how she convinced you to force me out of the castle?”

Asher keeps his eyes forward, and his voice is flat. “Yep.”

I scowl, but when the king looks back, he smiles.

“Very well, Princess. It’s not really an order at all.

It’s a measure of severity.” He holds up one finger, then taps it against his shoulder.

“Hold the border—but use your discretion. Question merchants and travelers, and let them pass if it seems legitimate.” He holds up two fingers, then taps them as well.

“Hold the border, but restrict access. Don’t allow anyone through without a valid reason to be here.

Inspect wagons, search carriages, that kind of thing.

” He shrugs a little and repeats the two-fingered gesture.

“Basically, don’t pick a fight, but stand your ground . ”

I remember he tapped two fingers last night, when Roman and Nikko were moving into the hallway to stand guard. Now I understand.

“You used three,” I say, and this time Captain Zale glances back, over his shoulder.

“Yes,” Ky says. “I did.” A note in his voice tells me his lesson is over.

But Asher was paying attention. He taps three fingers. “Hold the border,” he says. “Use lethal force.”

The king says nothing. His captain says nothing.

But that says more than enough.

Asher glances back at me, and there’s a look in his eye that reminds me that the king and his men seem relieved...but Asher doesn’t.

I remember the way the king tricked him, then let my brother’s guards take him away—to protect himself, and to protect his soldiers.

I consider my very first impression of King Maddox Kyronan, the way he stood in my chambers and faced me, somehow knowing that I had a weapon hidden in my palm.

The king must sense the weighted silence between us, because he looks back at me, and his eyes search my face. He’s been gentle with me, and honestly, he’s been gentle with Asher, especially in moments when my friend likely didn’t deserve it. I thanked the king for his kindness—and I meant it.

But I’ve also seen his other side. I dabbed that blood off his face, but I know how it got there. Behind that honeyed voice and those searching eyes is a man who knows how to put emotion aside. A man who knows how to be vicious.

Hold the border. Use lethal force .

That doesn’t just mean Hunters who could be on our trail. That means everyone .

Astranza’s army. Palace guards. My brother. My father .

Anyone who might want to harm me—but anyone who might need to protect me, too.

I look back at Ky, holding his gaze. “I am committed to this alliance,” I say, feeling my heart beat hard in my chest. “So is my family.”

“So am I,” he says equably. “But someone isn’t.”