45. Jess

Chapter forty-five

Jess

I woke to the sound of horses snorting nearby. One of them leaned down and nuzzled my neck, velveteen lips nipping at soft skin. I reached up and wiped the slime, realizing some had made its way down into the crevices of my earlobe.

"Ugh. I know you're my only friend out here, but really? Was that necessary?" I whispered. The horse returned my stare, then whinnied and stomped away as far as his tether would allow.

"Good. You're up. We need to talk about a few things." Danym's voice spoke through his raccoon mask. He stood a dozen paces away, on the far side of the camp. "We've been here five days and believe it's safe to continue on our journey. From this point forward, we will not wear the robes of the Children, nor our masks. If asked, you and I are young lovers running from our family, who wants to keep us apart. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "

I glared at him, unable to come up with a sharp retort.

He removed his mask for the first time since my capture, then ran his fingers through his hair and scratched his scalp.

"It feels good to get out of that thing."

I couldn't speak.

I could barely breathe.

I had known Danym was one of my kidnappers, but the mask somehow muted the pain of that wound. It wasn't really him if he was wearing a mask, was it? But now, staring at his stubbled face, there could be no mistake now that Danym, my Danym , had revealed himself.

His eyes carried no hint of the madness I saw in the other masked men. Did that mean he chose this? If he'd been compelled by magic or force, I could find a way past his actions; but if he was still himself, and he wanted this—that made him worse than the others who no longer possessed a will of their own.

I turned away and threw myself on the pallet, fighting a swelling storm of tears. How had my life come to this terrible place? What had I done to turn him against me? My heart writhed as I struggled for strength.

Danym watched for a moment before closing the distance and kneeling beside me. He paused, then placed a hand on my shoulder. I wheeled around and shoved him as hard as I could, knocking him backward .

"Don't you dare touch me. Don't you ever touch me again! I believed in you—in us !"

He glared from a couple of paces away.

"What made you do it? Was it some sick joke to you? Or some plot to get rich ransoming the heir? Was that it? Was I worth so little to you that you'd sell me to the highest bidder?" I was practically screaming the last few words.

He stood and brushed off his pants, his eyes betraying hollow words. "Stay quiet. You have no idea how much bigger all of this is than you. This has nothing—"

The other robed man, the one still wearing the mask of a snarling lion, cut him off with a harsh whisper. "Enough! Keep talking, and we'll make you sleep the rest of the trip."

Danym stepped away, then removed and folded his robe. There was a reverence in how he handled the garment. He placed it in the bottom of his saddlebag, along with his mask, covering both with a blanket and other items. I watched as the lion removed his mask and robe, then repeated the folding and packing ritual exactly as Danym had done.

Face visible for the first time, I studied my other captor. Lion looked to have seen forty winters, seasons that had not been kind to his weathered skin. His scarred and cracked face was lean, almost skeletal, and most of his hair had retreated, leaving him with only a few scraggly patches along the sides and back of his head. I couldn't stop staring at his bony, bent nose that veered almost completely to the left.

Danym finished packing his bedroll and returned to my side, stopping a pace away. "We're headed east, just like you and I had planned. Please don't make this difficult. He's serious about drugging you if you fight back."

I couldn't meet his gaze, so I just nodded, stood, and brushed myself off. He rolled my pallet and secured it to a horse.

I strayed a few paces into the woods to relieve myself.

Danym watched but didn't follow.

When I returned, the lion joined us by the horses. "I have Illusion. No one will recognize you. There is no point in calling out or attempting to run. Do you understand?"

"I understand you perfectly." I huffed a long breath before turning to mount my horse.

Danym chuckled as I muttered, "Stupid lion."

We'd ridden a few hours before passing another group of travelers headed west on the road. A woman crowned in silver hair peered out of the riding compartment of her carriage while an elderly man steered. Two bored-looking teenage boys rode alongside the coach, each on piebald horses.

The lion and Danym reined in their horses, so I did as well.

"Good day." Danym smiled broadly and raised a hand in greeting .

"Mornin'," the old man replied.

The carriage ground to a halt, and Danym brought his horse alongside the driver. "Headed west? Most we've seen are traveling east."

"Damn fools, they are. War's that way. M' daughter and her boys have a mind to live a little longer." The old man looked past Danym at the man who was no longer the lion. "There's no place for old codgers like you an' me down that road."

Codgers? They think the lion is an old man, I thought.

Danym nodded, as though agreeing with the grandfather's assessment. "What lies ahead?"

"Death," the man said, then scratched his chin. "Soldiers everywhere. People say even the King's in the middle of 'em, somewhere out east. He'll get his royal arse killed if he don't come to some sense, he will."

"The King?" Danym stiffened. "Really?"

The old man nodded. "Talk is he's in Cradle with a whole army of guards. Good place t' avoid, if ya get my meanin'."

The woman, still with her head poked out of the carriage window, called out, "We must be on our way."

"Right she is," the old man said. "Good luck, young sir. You be needin' it if you're headed that way."

Danym inclined his head and watched the carriage roll past. The boys on their horses trailed behind.

Hope flared through me .

Father . . . is so close!

As we continued along the road, I daydreamed of being back in the Palace, safe and comfortable with my brothers. It wasn't that long ago that I had longed to be a thousand leagues away, but now I couldn't get my bedroom out of my mind.

What demon had possessed me, convinced me to run away?

I looked up and realized that demon was staring back at me with his mesmerizing green eyes.

I turned away.

He would never see me cry again.