Page 193 of Scourged
“You ride toward great danger and darkness. I would try to stop you, but I know it would be futile.” Signe pitched her voice lower, masking her words from the din of the crowd. “If you are willing to pay the price, then you will change this world forever.”
Mariah’s stomach plummeted to the floor, her heart racing as a buzzing ignited in her ears. “So, itisa trap.”
“I do not know. Everything is shrouded, and not in the familiar darkness of the night.”
“What about my family?” Mariah swallowed, panic clogging her throat. “Will we all survive this? Where are you going?”
Signe glanced around again, as if to remind Mariah of where they were. Even now, a few curious glances were cast their way. Mariah did her best to relax, to calm her racing heart.
“I cannot say more,” Signe answered. “I have my task, and you have yours. Our paths lie before us, and regardless of where they lead, I am glad to have seen you as I walk mine. I can only hope they cross again soon in the coming days.”
Mariah held Signe’s violet stare for a long moment. They exchanged no more words, but something passed between the two women. Something ancient and nameless. Something readyto be unleashed. Something indescribablyfemaleand filled with undiluted rage.
“Thank you, Signe.”
“You are welcome, Mariah.” Signe took a step from the table. “Stay strong and be the light against the darkness.” With one final, fleeting bow of her head, Signe whirled on her feet, vanishing through the thick crowd.
The tavern door opened, then closed, and Mariah knew she was gone.
“What thefuckwas that about?”
Mariah slowly lowered herself back into her chair, not answering Quentin’s question. She fought back her nausea mounting higher with her fear.
As if on cue, the serving girl reappeared, bearing heavy trays laden with food. Mariah stayed quiet as their dinner was passed around—roasted vegetables, rice, and stewed mutton, all warm and inviting and hearty.
Her stomach still rolled, but she picked up her knife and fork and cut into her first bite. Her Armature shared a concerned glance, before following her lead and burrowing into their food.
Judging by their mumbled words of appreciation, she was sure it was delicious. But she tasted none of it.
Andrian leaned closer to her. His breath brushed against the shell of her ear. “Are you alright,nio?”
Mariah nodded, taking another bite. She washed it down with a sip of ale. She tasted only ash.
“I will be.”
“That innkeeper wasn’t kidding.This bed is small.” Andrian stood in the doorway, arms crossed as he scowled at the small wooden bed tucked into the corner.
He had a point. The mattress looked soft enough, but it was barely larger than Mariah’s childhood bed.
“I think you’re just spoiled,” Mariah said with an affectionate grin, stepping around him. The meal had settled her some, but she was still on edge from Signe’s appearance. She craved a semblance of normalcy and was desperate to create some for herself.
Andrian grumbled. “I might be too tall. And you’re a bed-hog.”
And thankfully, Andrian somehow always knewexactlywhat she needed.
“I’mthe bed-hog?” She scoffed. “I thought we agreed to this a long time ago, Andrian. No more lies.”
He chuckled. “Fine. Maybe we’re both lying.” His eyes were bright and warm. “As long as you shower, I’m sure it won’t be too bad.”
“What are you insinuating? That I stink?” She knew, for a fact, that she did. One couldn’t spend the day riding hard in warm spring weather without picking up a certain scent. She strode further into the room, turning to the small, attached bathroom. She cast a look back over her shoulder at Andrian, who lifted his brow with a smirk.
“I would never dare say such a thing, princess. But also …” He shrugged.
Mariah laughed. “You’re an asshole. You stink too, you know.”
Andrian pushed off the doorframe with a brilliant smile—one of those smiles he seemed to share only with her—and closed the door behind him with a softclick. He chuckled and followed her into the bathroom, landing a kiss on her temple as he joined her.
The shower was small, the water barely more than lukewarm, but they still washed the grime of the road from their skin. The cramped quarters forced them together, every move a brush of skin, and it didn’t take long for Andrian to push Mariah up against the tiled walls, taking her hard and fast. Raw desperation fueled their joining, mixing with a fear they tried their best to ignore during those few blissful minutes, even though it lingered just below the surface.