Page 52 of The Rook
“I suppose I should have known,” she muttered, putting down the note to open the golden box. Inside were a wide array of heavy, glittering gems and beautifully crafted necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. A small fortune. Although, she had never been one for feminine decorations, they did have their appeal. How many families could she feed with this?
She smiled, blatantly ignoring her nosy fellow Hounds as they eyed the loot in her palms. What they saw was a woman happy with the gift she’d received. Satisfaction wormed its way into her belly. Unwittingly, Destin had given her exactly what she needed. Those she couldn’t woo to her cause at themasquerade, she could bribe, and the king had given her the means to do it.
“So, are you going to explain that note?” Dima asked, casually sitting at the end of her bed.
She ignored her uncle and carefully packed away the box of jewels in her bag and then retrieved several sets of clothing from her trunk, along with a few weapons.
“Lass, this is serious,” Maxim rumbled.
She shoved her clothes into the bag and paused, lifting her head to meet his serious gaze. “I know.”
“I don’t think you do,” Dima muttered. “You’re playing a game you know nothing about.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Your best is going to get you killed,” Dima said.
Tempest glared at Dima. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“Never said you did, lass,” Maxim cut in. “But why have you not come to us?”
She scrubbed away the frown on her face and tried to keep her voice level. “And you think you could help me? He’s the king, and we are his Hounds. We arebound. We made an oath.”
“Not in this,” Dima said lowly. “You do not have to accept him. This is your choice.”
“There’s no choice.”
“There is,” Dima whispered. “All you have to do is say the word.”
She glanced incredulously between her two uncles. “And what? You’ll spirit me away?”
“If that is what you wish,” Maxim answered gravely.
“Enough. I would never put either of you in danger.” She swallowed. “I love you, but it is already done.”
Dima hissed and stood, his expression going eerily blank.
Tempest reached for him, her hand grasping his fingers.
“I will need you in the times ahead.”
He nodded curtly, squeezing her fingers once, before exiting the barracks. She stared after him and then moved her attention back to Maxim.
He crossed his arms and eyed her bag. “Going somewhere?”
“Orders.” Not exactly truthful. She strapped on her weapons and placed the rest in her bag. She moved around her bed and hugged Maxim. “If anyone asks, I’m on an assignment.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, lass.”
She pulled back and smiled weakly at him. “Yes, the one you all taught me. Trust my training. I’ll be back soon.” Tempest stooped to collect her bow and quiver from beneath the bed, then strode from the barracks, very aware of all the eyes on her. The king would have news of her departure within half an hour. She needed to move.
Leaving Dotae through the slums was a simple matter. No one liked to travel at night, especially with a storm brewing. Flurries fluttered around her, but not so heavily that she couldn’t make her way north. She managed to borrow a horse from a village just outside of Dotae, but her journey wasn’t as quick as she would have liked it to be. Nonetheless, she pressed onward.
The weather held for several days, just snowing enough to be annoying, but not cumbersome. But her luck eventually ran out. By the time Tempest made it to a tiny village at the base of the Dread Mountains, the small winter storms had grown into a blizzard. Passing through the mountains themselves was an impossible feat until the squalls cleared.
She slipped from her exhausted horse and handed the reins to a stable boy wrapped in layer upon layer of wool. Her buttwas numb and needlelike pain ran up and down her legs. Tempest stumbled toward the brightly-lit inn and pushed open the door, wind blasting over her and snow pelting her. Warmth surrounded Tempest immediately, and she slammed the door closed. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, and she sagged against the wooden door.
“That cold, huh?” a female voice asked.