Chapter 7

R o pulled her wool cloak tighter. Their small party, which consisted of herself, Gabriel, Uldamar, and three royal guards, had been riding for nearly six hours. The higher into the mountains they went, the colder it got. She had plenty of warm clothes. Helana and Luena had seen to that.

Under her rugged knee-high boots and riding pants, she wore a thin layer of silk tights with thick marula wool socks over them. She wore a long-sleeved silk shirt as well, which had been paired with a wool tunic and finished with the wool cloak.

A slouchy knitted cap was pulled over her head, but her gloves were in one of her bags. So was her jewelry. She'd only brought a few pieces. A simple silver filigree and trillianite circlet, along with trillianite drop earrings, bracelet, necklace, and rings. She also had a ring bearing the seal of Summerton. Not something she'd worn before, but it felt right for this trip.

She rolled her shoulders. Fatigue was setting in, but if Uldamar, who was riding behind the lead guard, had no complaints, she wasn't about to, either. She patted Indi's side. "Good girl, Indi. You're doing a great job."

Gabriel, who was at her side, glanced over. "We should stop soon. It'll be dark before too long. We need to set up a camp, get a fire going, and take care of the horses. We'll eat and get some sleep so we can start at first light."

"How much longer, do you think, until we arrive?"

"By midday tomorrow?" He shook his head. "I can't be sure, since this is not a journey I've taken before."

"Then we might as well find a good spot to camp and settle in. Wherever you think."

He gave her a nod. "I'll tell Ren." He clucked his tongue and urged his horse forward until he'd passed Uldamar and caught up with the lead guard. Gabriel spoke to him a few moments, then fell back and rejoined Ro. "He said we're not far from a clearing."

"Sounds good." Ren had been chosen for this expedition by Gabriel because he had knowledge of the area from hunting trips. He hadn't actually been to the Wyvern settlement they intended to visit, but as far as Ro knew, no fae had.

Some minutes later, they broke through the trees into a long, open strip of grassy land. It was mostly level. A small herd of deer grazing at one end departed as Ro's party entered. On the far edge of the land, the mountains rose up sharply, the tops disappearing into the clouds. There were far fewer trees and, in the distance, snow capped the ridges of more mountains.

The view was spectacular. Miles of mountains burnished gold by the setting sun, and a glimpse of the Whistling Sea that lay far, far below them. Ro wished she had a camera so she could share the landscape with JT and Violet when she got back.

Uldamar let out a soft breath as he dismounted. She got off her horse and went to him. "How are you doing?"

He smiled. "I am fine, my lady. A good fire, a hot meal, some sleep, and I will be good as new."

She was sure he was lying for her sake. "I shouldn't have asked you to come. I'm sorry for that. I just thought you were our best hope for impressing the Wyvern. I will do my best not to ask you to do anything like this again."

He laughed. "I am old, that is true. But I am not so old that I cannot ride or travel or provide my queen with assistance when called upon. When that day comes, I will resign my position so that someone more capable can have it."

"I hope that day is a long time coming."

He nodded. "As do I."

Gabriel directed two of the guards, Ren and Flynn, to go in search of food and water. The third guard, a young woman named Yvette, stood watch.

While Gabriel built a small firepit with rocks, Ro gathered kindling and any larger pieces of wood she could find. Gabriel stacked the pieces in the pit and Uldamar set it alight with a wave of his hand.

Before too long, Flynn returned with two collapsable waxed canvas buckets of water. "Found a good, clear stream. There's plenty more."

Ren wasn't far behind him with a rabbit and what looked like a pheasant.

"Good hunting," Gabriel said.

After a meal of fire-roasted game, wild onions and mushrooms, wine, water, and shortbread from the Willow Hall kitchens, Ro and Uldamar retired beneath the shelter that had been set up. It was two simple lengths of waxed canvas supported by four poles and some rope, one length overhead and one on three sides to capture heat from the fire and provide protection from the elements.

Ren took the first watch, while Flynn and Yvette cleaned up and took the end positions under the shelter. Since Ro was in the center, that left one place available for Gabriel: Next to her. He'd yet to come in, choosing to stand by the fire and scan the forest.

She watched him. She knew he wasn't happy about this trip. He thought it was a bad idea for her to come, but how else was she going to win these people over? The Radiant would need allies if Anyka truly did go to war against them. Even more so if Cynzia was alive, and she sided with Anyka.

Ro hoped that wouldn't happen. She prayed that Anyka's tracker found nothing. And that they would arrive at the cloud kingdom ahead of him. Uldamar assured her he'd sent a strong spell out ahead of them to confuse anyone traveling before them. A spell potent enough to turn a traveler around and send them in the wrong direction.

She lay on one half of a blanket, the other half over her, one of her saddlebags under her head for a pillow. She was fully dressed and plenty warm, but the ground wasn't the most comfortable. She was tired. Even so, sleep seemed distant. Not because of the ground, but because there was too much on her mind.

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep anyway, wondering what tomorrow would bring. What the Wyvern would be like, how they'd receive the visit, and if Gabriel was right about this trip being a mistake.

Not that she ever wanted him to be wrong about anything, but this was an exception. She needed this trip to go well.

Beside her, Uldamar snored softly. She smiled. Good for him. She hoped he slept well. Then she drifted off. A faint rustling woke her. She didn't have to open her eyes to know Gabriel had settled down next to her. She could smell the faint, smoky scent of him.

She opened her eyes, turning her head to see him. He was adjusting the saddlebag under his head and saw her watching him.

"I thought you were asleep," he whispered as he put his sword between them.

"I was, a little." She tucked one hand between her cheek and her own saddlebag.

He pulled his blanket over him. "Tomorrow will go the way it's supposed to."

That was reassuring. She exhaled. "Night."

"Goodnight, my lady."

He seemed to fall asleep quickly. Or he was good at pretending. Finally, as the fire crackled, Ro once again drifted off.

She woke to the very welcome smell of coffee. She and Uldamar were the only two left in the shelter. She sat up, feeling every single muscle in her body. Sleeping on the ground after a long day of riding was no picnic. She was sore, but she knew some of that would dissipate once she got moving. She also knew she'd have never cut it as a cowboy.

Slowly, she pulled the blanket off and got to her feet. Her breath turned into clouds of vapor in the cold, morning air.

Gabriel held out a steaming tin cup to her. Flynn was feeding and watering the horses, Yvette was standing watch on the other side of camp, and Ren wasn't visible.

She pulled her cloak around her as she walked over to Gabriel and took the coffee. It was black, but even without sugar, cream, or a dose of spiced cocoa, it was delicious. The warmth spread through her, taking away the chill she'd felt when she'd first woken.

"How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged. "All right, I suppose. You?"

"Fine. Any dreams?"

"None that I remember, so I guess I can't magically tell you what the day will bring." She drank a little more coffee, then looked around. "I need some, uh…private time."

Gabriel nodded. "Yvette will go with you."

With Yvette's company, Ro found a spot in the woods to do what needed to be done. She'd never been a huge fan of camping. Having to pee in the woods didn't really help. She reminded herself this was for the good of the realm. The trip. Not the peeing in the woods.

When she got back, Ren had returned with a string of gutted fish and was spitting them onto a stick to roast over the fire. Uldamar was up and helping Flynn take down the shelter.

They ate breakfast, cleaned up, and got back on their horses. They left the grassy strip of land behind and traveled higher into the rocky, barren landscape.

Gabriel held out a short piece of a stick to her. A thick piece of twig, really. "Willow. Got it down by the stream. Chew it and it'll help with the soreness."

"Is it that obvious?"

"No. You hide it well, but you're not a regular rider and sleeping on the ground…" He gestured at her with the stick.

She took it, noticing Uldamar was chewing on a piece, too. She chewed the end, the slightly bitter taste not all that unpleasant, especially when the soreness seemed to lessen by half. Was that the willow or the movement? She wasn't sure, but she was grateful.

The landscape around them began to change as the sun reached the midpoint in the sky. Thin, scraggly trees and scrubby brush added some green. Wisps of clouds drifted past. Then small clumps of grass and bigger, sturdier trees began to appear.

"We're close now," Gabriel said. "We're through the Devil's Belt."

"So where are we now? In his shirt?"

Gabriel's mouth twitched. "We're in Wyvern country. All this green is because of them. Their heat warms the earth enough to allow plants and trees to grow and animals to thrive, even though this ground should be covered with snow like the other peaks."

She looked off into the distance. "So the peaks without snow, the places where I can see green, are those also Wyvern settlements?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Gabriel nudged his horse forward and changed places with Uldamar, who came to ride beside her.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I am well, my lady. And you?"

"I'm all right. Nervous about what's to come, but we can only move forward, right?"

"Very true. The Wyvern keep to themselves, but they are not an unreasonable people."

Interesting choice of words. "Good to know. What do you think the odds are of them entering an alliance with us?"

He hesitated. "I don't know. It's not their way to align themselves with others, but you've already accomplished feats that were considered impossible by many, so I believe it's possible."

"Thanks."

"If I could give you some advice about dealing with them?"

"Please do."

He pulled his horse closer to hers. "From what I've read and heard, they're very straightforward, but that doesn't mean they will always tell you the truth."

"Okay."

"They're currently ruled by a king, but his daughter is set to succeed him."

"Do you know his name?"

"Ehlzar," Uldamar answered. "They are very much a warrior race. They have no problem with violence and fighting and are very competitive."

"But they respect magic."

"That's right. Magic, signs, omens. They are suspicious by nature, perhaps one of the reasons they have such a distrust of outsiders."

"I hope they like the gifts."

"I believe they will. They have honey, but I would think refined sugar is very hard to get. The same with the chocolate and blackberry brandy." He smiled. "Which is why I suggested those things."

She had her fingers metaphorically crossed that he was right. Thanks to Trence Underwood, the Master of the House at Willow Hall, she'd procured a twenty-five-pound bag of sugar, twenty pounds of chocolate, and ten bottles of blackberry brandy.

The items were distributed amongst the six horses to even out the burden. If those gifts were not well-received, she'd have to hope that Uldamar's magic would impress them. Beyond that, she wasn't sure what she'd do to win them over.