The Broken Queen (Forsaken Book 2) by Penelope Barsetti

Author:Penelope Barsetti [Barsetti, Penelope]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hartwick Publishing
Published: 2022-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

The sky was clear and the air was cold when we arrived at the outpost. The sunshine had melted the snow, making it far easier to manage as we progressed toward the high gates. Ivory kept up with me, eager for a hot bath and a soft bed.

The guards along the wall recognized me, and the gates swung inward to allow us to enter.

“Home sweet home.”

We entered the outpost and were instantly warmed by our surroundings. All the homes and shops provided a cocoon of heat that couldn’t be found in the open countryside. Torches were lit, bonfires were in the middle of the dirt roads. The men informed Ian of my arrival, and I took Ivory to my cabin.

Our cabin.

I grabbed the hidden key and unlocked the door.

She stepped inside and immediately shed her coat, looking more at home than in her bedroom at Delacroix. “I’m going to bathe.”

“I’ll return shortly.” I shut the door and walked across the outpost until I entered the stone keep. Ian was there in his heavy fur cape and his black clothing, a beard along his jawline. He spoke to one of the men near the big bonfire before his eyes shifted and locked on mine. Once he spotted me, he tuned out his guard and headed straight toward me.

When I reached him, I greeted him by gripping his shoulder.

He did the same to me. The relief was in his eyes, as if he’d feared I wouldn’t return from Delacroix. “Did you find her?”

“Yes.”

“So, she fled?”

“She was with other travelers headed to Delacroix, so she decided it was best to join them since she needed something from the castle anyway.”

His eyes shifted back and forth between mine—stoic.

“It took her a few days to uncover what she needed to heal the dragons. That was when we departed.”

“And you believe her?”

“Yes.”

His eyes continued to shift.

“I have no doubt.”

“But you also have no sense when it comes to this woman.”

“She’s not a woman. She’s my wife.”

“Doesn’t matter what she is. She should have come straight here.”

“She had good reason to return to Delacroix. She saved us a lot of time—and now we’re ready to recruit the dragons into our army. It won’t be long before we take the castle with fire, teeth, and claws.”

Ian retained his cold composure.

“We can trust her.”

“She could have told her father everything.”

“He had no idea she was there.”

“You don’t know that—”

“I stayed with her for about a week. Her brother snuck her all her meals, and no one ever came to the door.”

“Her brother was in on it?”

“Yes. He was a prisoner with her at the Crags.”

His eyebrow cocked. “How’d he end up down here?”

“His girl won the lottery, and he came down to save her.”

Ian paused as he digested the tale.

“That’s the reason why he helped her, because he doesn’t agree with the policies they enforce.”

“And you believe him?”

I considered the question for a long time. “I’m not saying I trust him fully, but if he were going to snitch to his father, he would have done it by now.

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