The Heir and the Spare by Harper L. Woods

Author:Harper L. Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

TWELVE

ETAN

I carried Fallon’s sleeping form out the front doors of Tar Mesa, ignoring the hushed whispers of the other courts as they watched us depart. I wished I could say it would bother me that they weren’t being permitted to leave alongside us, that I knew exactly what they thought of me as I fled the scene with Mab’s daughter in my arms.

As soon as news reached them of our impending nuptials, which would be completed the moment we arrived in Vallania, the capital of the Summer Court, they would think I’d been aware of Mab’s plans to execute Rheaghan. They’d call me a Kingslayer, a man who betrayed all sense of honor in his pursuit of power. It wouldn’t matter that it hadn’t been my intention.

The horses were waiting for us as I stepped out the doors, along with the few members of my court who had come to the Tithe with us. Terence stood between two horses, holding the reins loosely clasped as he waited. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of me making my way toward him, clearly not expecting Fallon to be fast asleep. “Is she alright?” he asked, staring down at the woman who would soon be his queen. His opinions of her, as her mother’s daughter, were irrelevant next to the duty that was his for the rest of his life now. To serve was the most important aspect of our lives, loyalty to those who controlled the court and kept us out of chaos, no matter what hatred stirred in his heart for the woman he didn’t know. It was unfortunate that not all among the Summer Court would put duty before all else in the way Terence would, and I knew better than most that Fallon would have an uphill battle in earning the approval of my people.

Of her people, by blood—no matter how they wanted to ignore that fact.

“Just sleeping. I wanted to leave without a fight,” I said, giving him a look that communicated just what Fallon would have thought of my plan to escape with her without allowing her to say her goodbyes.

He nodded, pursing his lips as he looped the reins over his arm, letting them settle into the crook of his forearm. The horses had been trained well enough that they wouldn’t budge anyway, but the last thing we needed was a discomfited horse racing off when I tried to settle Fallon at the front of the bareback pad. We’d have to travel the beginning of our journey without a saddle in order for us to both be able to ride comfortably, and it was only through luck that I’d brought my gelding, who was far more likely to tolerate the extra weight because he was large enough to do so. Thunder was the color of night, his mane and tail a streak of white against the ebony color of his crest. The draft horse had been used to pull carts when he was younger, his size and stocky build making him the perfect horse for heavy lifting.

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