Red Reign (Tales of the Sidhe) by Kate Seger

Author:Kate Seger [Seger, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Five

“Wake up, beauty. The storm’s over, and the sun’s up.”

Ardenai groaned as Etienne shook her gently. She felt like she’d only just fallen asleep. Her muscles still ached from the hard writing the days before. But Etienne was right. They couldn’t afford to bribe their way out of trouble again. Even if Brunhide was true to her word, the bounty hunters might return this way. Looking for them. They had to move on. They quickly dressed and choked down some hard tack Etienne had stashed in his knapsack. There wasn’t much left, and with no gold, Ardenai worried about what they would eat along the way. But she said nothing because they had no choice. They needed to move on.

As it turned out, this was the least of their worries.

The pair stepped outside. Eyes unadjusted to the sun’s light, they blinked into the brightness only to see their horses were gone. Two old nags now stood where their two stallions, the king’s finest, had been. Their fetlocks drooped, and they were grizzled-looking with wasted muscles.

“Where are our horses? That evil, wicked innkeeper. I should have her head for this!” Ardenai stormed and stomped, threatening and cursing Brunhilde and damning her to the Void.

Etienne raised his eyebrows and chuckled at her.

“What could possibly be funny right now, Etienne?” Ardenai demanded, her hands balled into fists at her side. Droplets of blood leaked off them into the mud. The blood curse acting up again. She wiped them on her cloak, not caring if she ruined it.

“You’re not really in a position to threaten to take people’s heads,” Etienne pointed out.

Ardenai rolled her eyes and pulled her gloves, still stiff with dried blood, from her cloak pocket. Despite the damp stickiness, she pulled them on anyway, worried that if the bounty hunters had hounds, they would pick up the scent if she left a trail of blood.

Etienne’s lips quirked up into a half-smile. “You’re pretty when you’re angry, Ardenai.”

Ardenai scowled. “I’m going to take to that wretched woman,” she seethed.

Putting his hand on her arm to restrain her, Etienne shook his head. “Don’t.”

Ardenai’s eyes went wide as she stared at him. “Why not? She stole our horses, Etienne!”

Etienne nodded but didn’t release her. “I’m aware. But she isn’t going to just give the horses back, and we don’t have any coin or anything to trade with her of them. Besides, who knows what’s waiting inside that inn? It could be a trap. Better to slip away unnoticed while we have a chance.”

Ardenai stared at him, her mouth hanging open as she swallowed the ireful words on her tongue. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, Etienne was right.

“Let’s go,” she grumbled.

Ardenai was further humbled when she was forced to accept a leg up from Etienne when she mounted her bag of bones in the absence of a saddle and stirrups. The old mare whinnied as she lay her heels into it, trotting at a glacially slow trot away from the inn.

“We

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