Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Author:Leah Cypess
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9780061956997
Publisher: Greenwillow
Published: 2010-04-27T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Isabel found Rokan in the stable yard preparing for a ceremonial ride through the capital city. It wasn’t the ideal place for any type of conversation; he was surrounded by guards and nobles and looked distinctly unhappy. But when he saw her, his face lightened, and he gestured to a stable hand to bring another horse.

“Thank you,” he said fervently when she had mounted and brought her horse up next to his. “Lady Zabia was going to ride next to me, and I couldn’t think of a way to get out of it without starting a minor war. Which I might have been willing to risk, except I’m not sure I would win it. Try to act like we’re conferring about terribly important and serious matters.”

Isabel didn’t match his smile. She waited until the procession left the castle gates and started through the steep, narrow cobblestone streets, where the clatter of hooves provided cover for her words. Then she said, “Ven is dead.”

Rokan turned his horse a bit too sharply, and the gelding snorted and tossed its head reproachfully. The prince took a deep breath, and Isabel saw how deliberately he relaxed his grip on the reins.

He was silent for a long moment, which she spent scanning the narrow alleys and the other members of the procession with equal vigilance. She found that she could focus separately with each eye, allowing her to survey their surroundings for danger while simultaneously watching Rokan’s face. She was fairly sure she couldn’t have done that two weeks ago. Her stay in the Mistwood had made her stronger.

For all the good it had done her.

“I’m sorry,” Rokan said finally. It was not what she had expected him to say.

“I don’t know who killed him,” she said, answering the question he should have asked. They had reached the main boulevard of the city now, and people were cheering from the rooftops. “But there was magic involved.”

Rokan matched his horse’s pace to hers so that he could turn and watch her face. “Albin?”

“Not directly, though I’m sure he was behind it.” Seeing two things at once was giving her a headache. Isabel reverted to human sight. “The spell that killed Ven couldn’t be used from far away. It was someone in the castle.”

Rokan shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. “Why would anyone want to kill Ven?”

Isabel knew the answer to that: he had been about to tell her something important. But she had no intention of letting Rokan know that she had been there, had seen a man die and been unable to stop it. “Probably,” she said, “because Ven was protecting you.”

Rokan nodded. He rubbed his thumb back and forth across his lower lip, then said, “But that doesn’t really matter, does it? I don’t need sorcerers. I have you.”

The question dropped like a stone, for all that he tried to make it sound casual. He watched her as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle, waiting for…what?

“Of course you do,” she said coldly.

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