A Dance of Lies by Rebecca Crunden

Author:Rebecca Crunden
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2021-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

Kitty was filling two large buckets with water from the river when she heard a noise in the woods behind her and whipped around, blade drawn. There had been no sign of Quen or any Outcasts, but none of them trusted the silence.

It was Riddle.

‘You shouldn’t surprise someone with a blade,’ she advised, tucking it back into her belt.

‘This I know,’ said Riddle with a nod. ‘I was wondering if you and I might have a private conversation.’

Intrigued, Kitty placed the buckets on the ground. Riddle walked over, his arms crossed, and it was only then that she realised he was hesitant. Almost nervous. Taking a seat on a mossy log, she clapped her hands together and waited for him to start. But he didn’t seem quite sure how to.

‘Is everything all right?’ she queried, feeling somewhat cautious now. Riddle had somehow taken Thom’s place as the centre of strength in her life. She would have trusted him if he said it was necessary to jump blindly off a cliff, so certain was she of his competency and confidence. He was their leader in all but title. He shouldn’t be nervous.

‘I have observed you since you arrived,’ he began. ‘I have observed all of you. What I have come to learn is that of all your kin to whom I can speak, you are the one who will give me an honest answer and keep my secret if I ask.’

Kitty raised an eyebrow. Definitely not what she was expecting. She supposed Thom and Nate told each other everything, and Riddle would never have gone to Charles. She wondered why he hadn’t picked Zoe. Zoe and Cara were best friends, and Cara was his second in command, for want of a better term. She seemed the more obvious choice for him to go to.

‘May I ask?’ he prompted, clearly uncomfortable at her lengthening silence.

‘Go ahead.’

Riddle nodded several times. ‘I have heard from my brother that the rift between your kind, which was of previous discussion, has returned. Much as we expected it might. The fear that brought us all back together after the attack has faded with time, and once again the old desires are making their voices known.’

Kitty brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and cocked her head. ‘You mean Charles and Ciara returning to the Kingdom?’

‘Yes.’ Riddle’s dark amber eyes narrowed. ‘Is it true?’

‘As far as I know,’ said Kitty, slightly surprised by the question. ‘Thom ended things with Charles and Ciara’s been wanting to go back ever since she arrived. If this sun keeps melting the snow, they’ll probably leave sooner rather than later.’

Riddle nodded several times at this confirmation, as if he had been waiting for it a long time. He took a deep breath before proceeding with his question. ‘Do you remember the conversation between myself and Thom as to his likelihood of survival?’

She nodded, growing more intrigued by the second.

‘He mentioned something I have long been thinking about but have been unable to actualise.

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