The Winter King
Page 145
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Not Wynter.
Not her husband.
Not the man she—she—
“Valik!” she cried. “Tell me what’s happened to Wynter!” She lunged forward, rising up on her knees, only to gasp in pain and spin abruptly to one side when one arm was nearly wrenched from its socket. “What in the name of—” Her voice broke off.
A metal cuff circled one wrist. And that cuff was attached to a short length of metal chain that tied her to the wooden frame of the bed.
“Valik!” She yanked at the chain, then turned to him in disbelief. “What is the meaning of this? Why am I chained? Where is Wynter?”
Valik ignored her questions. “What were you doing outside of the palace during the Great Hunt?” His tone was cold enough to freeze water.
“What?”
“The king ordered you to remain within the walls of Gildenheim until he returned from the Hunt, yet you defied him. You snuck out of the palace and rode into the forests without guard or escort and without informing anyone of your destination or intent. You will explain yourself!”
She drew herself up, summoning every ounce of royal Coruscate arrogance she could muster. “The Queen of Wintercraig doesn’t answer to you, Steward! And as I have already explained my actions to my husband, I am quite certain you are not interrogating me on his command. Now, where is Wynter? I order you to take me to him!”
In a flash, Valik’s sword was under her chin, the point pressed against her throat. The other guards raised their swords, too.
“Three days ago, a Calbernan army landed an invasion force in Summerlea, led by your brother, the thief and murderer, Falcon Coruscate. Your father and his generals have escaped their confinement and are presumably on their way to join the Calbernans. And the very day those forces made landfall, you rode out of Gildenheim alone and for reasons unknown.”
“What?” Falcon had raised an army? He was waging more war?
“Given what we now know,” Valik was saying, “you can understand why the king has ordered your actions thoroughly investigated.”
Khamsin stared at Valik in horror. Wynter thought she had betrayed him? Even after he’d risked his life to save her from the garm? Even after she’d risked her life to save him, too?
She put a hand over her heart and pressed down in counterforce against the sharp, squeezing pain. Oh, Khamsin, you fool. He’s a Winterman! He protected you for the same reason he always did—because so long as you’re his wife, that’s his duty. And what have you done? Idiot! Fool! Ridiculous girl! You’ve gone and fallen in love with him.
Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes closed in weary despair. “Take your sword from my throat, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Valik must have been convinced because after a silent moment, the sword beneath her chin pulled back. A quick glance showed the others had followed suit.
Kham wrapped her free arm around her waist, holding herself tight, keeping her head bent and eyes down. Her heart was breaking.
Steady, Kham. You’ve survived worse. Only it didn’t feel that way. Even that horrible day in Vera Sola, when her father had taken her into the dark inside the mountain and beaten her to the brink of death, she hadn’t felt such despair.
“As I told Wyn—” Her voice came out rough and scratchy. Her throat was tight and dry she could barely speak. She swallowed painfully and forced herself to start again. “As I told my husband, I received a note saying his life was in danger. That people meant to kill him during the Great Hunt. I went to warn him. I thought the note was from Krysti, but instead it came from Reika Villani, and the trap wasn’t for Wynter, it was for me.”
Several of the men shifted. From the looks on their faces, it was clear they didn’t believe her. Valik, however, remained steady and still, his gaze never leaving Khamsin’s face.
“What sort of trap?”
“She led me into the forest towards the garm, then she attacked me. She had some sort of pronged weapon that cut like sharp claws. Said my blood would draw the garm. She intended them to kill me. And if Wynter hadn’t come along, her plan would have succeeded.”
“Yet here you stand without a scratch on you,” Valik pointed out.
“Thanks to the storm. And if you don’t believe me, go back to where you found me. You’ll find the trail of blood leading back to the place your cousin attacked me.”
“And why would she want you dead?”
Khamsin’s brows shot up. “Because she wants to be Wynter’s queen, of course! That’s what she’s always wanted.”
“You lie!” one of the guards shouted.
“Wulf!” Valik snapped.
“You can’t possibly believe her, Valik!” The man named Wulf shot back. “She’s a Summerlander. As deceitful and murderous as the rest of her kin. Lady Reika knew better than to enter the forest during a Great Hunt! But this one”—he gestured to Khamsin with his sword—“wouldn’t understand the extent of the danger. She probably thought that with the castle emptied, it was the perfect time to send word to her family, or meet with a Calbernan spy. It’s more likely the Lady Reika saw her sneaking out and risked her own life to follow her and see what she was up to. And the Summerlander killed her for it.”
“Sven! Ungar!” Valik snapped. “Get him out of here.”
As the guards marched Wulf towards the door, Kham shook her head and turned to Valik, expecting to see realization and maybe even some hint of apology in his expression. Instead, she found him regarding her with narrow-eyed suspicion. It was the first time in a month he’d regarded her thusly.
Not her husband.
Not the man she—she—
“Valik!” she cried. “Tell me what’s happened to Wynter!” She lunged forward, rising up on her knees, only to gasp in pain and spin abruptly to one side when one arm was nearly wrenched from its socket. “What in the name of—” Her voice broke off.
A metal cuff circled one wrist. And that cuff was attached to a short length of metal chain that tied her to the wooden frame of the bed.
“Valik!” She yanked at the chain, then turned to him in disbelief. “What is the meaning of this? Why am I chained? Where is Wynter?”
Valik ignored her questions. “What were you doing outside of the palace during the Great Hunt?” His tone was cold enough to freeze water.
“What?”
“The king ordered you to remain within the walls of Gildenheim until he returned from the Hunt, yet you defied him. You snuck out of the palace and rode into the forests without guard or escort and without informing anyone of your destination or intent. You will explain yourself!”
She drew herself up, summoning every ounce of royal Coruscate arrogance she could muster. “The Queen of Wintercraig doesn’t answer to you, Steward! And as I have already explained my actions to my husband, I am quite certain you are not interrogating me on his command. Now, where is Wynter? I order you to take me to him!”
In a flash, Valik’s sword was under her chin, the point pressed against her throat. The other guards raised their swords, too.
“Three days ago, a Calbernan army landed an invasion force in Summerlea, led by your brother, the thief and murderer, Falcon Coruscate. Your father and his generals have escaped their confinement and are presumably on their way to join the Calbernans. And the very day those forces made landfall, you rode out of Gildenheim alone and for reasons unknown.”
“What?” Falcon had raised an army? He was waging more war?
“Given what we now know,” Valik was saying, “you can understand why the king has ordered your actions thoroughly investigated.”
Khamsin stared at Valik in horror. Wynter thought she had betrayed him? Even after he’d risked his life to save her from the garm? Even after she’d risked her life to save him, too?
She put a hand over her heart and pressed down in counterforce against the sharp, squeezing pain. Oh, Khamsin, you fool. He’s a Winterman! He protected you for the same reason he always did—because so long as you’re his wife, that’s his duty. And what have you done? Idiot! Fool! Ridiculous girl! You’ve gone and fallen in love with him.
Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes closed in weary despair. “Take your sword from my throat, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Valik must have been convinced because after a silent moment, the sword beneath her chin pulled back. A quick glance showed the others had followed suit.
Kham wrapped her free arm around her waist, holding herself tight, keeping her head bent and eyes down. Her heart was breaking.
Steady, Kham. You’ve survived worse. Only it didn’t feel that way. Even that horrible day in Vera Sola, when her father had taken her into the dark inside the mountain and beaten her to the brink of death, she hadn’t felt such despair.
“As I told Wyn—” Her voice came out rough and scratchy. Her throat was tight and dry she could barely speak. She swallowed painfully and forced herself to start again. “As I told my husband, I received a note saying his life was in danger. That people meant to kill him during the Great Hunt. I went to warn him. I thought the note was from Krysti, but instead it came from Reika Villani, and the trap wasn’t for Wynter, it was for me.”
Several of the men shifted. From the looks on their faces, it was clear they didn’t believe her. Valik, however, remained steady and still, his gaze never leaving Khamsin’s face.
“What sort of trap?”
“She led me into the forest towards the garm, then she attacked me. She had some sort of pronged weapon that cut like sharp claws. Said my blood would draw the garm. She intended them to kill me. And if Wynter hadn’t come along, her plan would have succeeded.”
“Yet here you stand without a scratch on you,” Valik pointed out.
“Thanks to the storm. And if you don’t believe me, go back to where you found me. You’ll find the trail of blood leading back to the place your cousin attacked me.”
“And why would she want you dead?”
Khamsin’s brows shot up. “Because she wants to be Wynter’s queen, of course! That’s what she’s always wanted.”
“You lie!” one of the guards shouted.
“Wulf!” Valik snapped.
“You can’t possibly believe her, Valik!” The man named Wulf shot back. “She’s a Summerlander. As deceitful and murderous as the rest of her kin. Lady Reika knew better than to enter the forest during a Great Hunt! But this one”—he gestured to Khamsin with his sword—“wouldn’t understand the extent of the danger. She probably thought that with the castle emptied, it was the perfect time to send word to her family, or meet with a Calbernan spy. It’s more likely the Lady Reika saw her sneaking out and risked her own life to follow her and see what she was up to. And the Summerlander killed her for it.”
“Sven! Ungar!” Valik snapped. “Get him out of here.”
As the guards marched Wulf towards the door, Kham shook her head and turned to Valik, expecting to see realization and maybe even some hint of apology in his expression. Instead, she found him regarding her with narrow-eyed suspicion. It was the first time in a month he’d regarded her thusly.
