smiled grimly. He might be a terrible soldier and a worse animage, but he knew how to hide.
When the pack animals drew into a line, Kade at the lead, Sev slipped back out of the trees. The animals always brought up the rear of their convoy, allowing the soldiers to clear a path ahead. There would be plenty of guards walking alongside the animals, keeping watch over their valuable burdens, but right now none were in place. Even the rear guards were not yet in position. The time before the procession moved out was always chaotic, with stragglers and confusion and shouting voices.
It was perfect.
Before Sev could overthink or hesitate, he snuck to the back of the line and took the lead reins of the nearest llama, carefully guiding the animal aside. He was loaded with several sacks of grain, plus a few personal packs.
As the rest of the line moved forward, soldiers catching up as they snaked through the trees, Sev remained still, pretending to fiddle with a harness, allowing them to move past. The grass was thick here, the bushes and brambles growing tightly together, with swaying fronds swishing back and forth as the convoy progressed. Along with heavy crates and barrels stacked high, obscuring the view, it was easy to get lost in the shuffle of bodies and the noise of their departure.
When no one was looking his way, Sev slipped back into the trees with the llama in tow, disappearing in a flap of ferns and bowing branches.
His heart hammered in his ears, the thump of adrenaline so loud, he didn’t hear the footsteps of the person who followed him.
An arrow through the heart, and my world went up in flames.
- CHAPTER 16 -
VERONYKA
THE FIRST FEW DAYS at Azurec’s Eyrie were a blur, though most of what Veronyka did remember revolved around food. Never in her life had she been able to eat as much as she wanted—and even go back for seconds—for every meal of the day, and that wasn’t including the extra sweet cakes and fresh rolls Morra slipped her every time she passed the kitchens. The cook didn’t like to see people who looked underfed—particularly not young Pyraean children.
It was somewhat of a shock for Veronyka to realize that she’d never been properly full in her whole life. With it came a pang of sadness for the girl she used to be, hungry and scared and alone. Guilt threatened to surface when she remembered that Val was likely still living that way, but she refused to let it take hold. They could have had this life together if Val had ever listened to Veronyka or let her weigh in on their decisions. Veronyka had earned this comfort, and she was determined to enjoy it.
Her work as a stablehand kept her busy, running errands and tending animals from dawn until dusk, and she was so tired that she usually fell into bed at the end of each day—though she’d had to adjust to doing so in a room with over twenty other people. That also meant shoring up her mental defenses, lest she be plagued with dreams about families, hobbies, and romances that were not her own.
Her duties took her all over the stronghold and village, and she wasn’t just in charge of mucking out the stables, as she had expected; she was responsible for the welfare of every animal they had. That meant the horses and hunting dogs, the llamas that provided wool and served as beasts of burden, and the pigeons that carried messages across the mountain. They took care of goats, rabbits, chickens, and even the cats that kept the stronghold free of mice and rats.
It had been strange, at first, to see so many people on a daily basis—stranger still that they were constantly smiling and nodding at her. Most of the servants, guards, and other occupants of the stronghold and village came from either Montascent or Petratec, the closest settlements on Pyrmont. There was the odd person from farther down the mountain—like Veronyka—but recruiting that close to the border was dangerous. By banding together, the people of Montascent and Petratec—who were usually rather isolated and closed off—had access to work and resources, and the Eyrie got the helpers, fighters, and craftspeople they needed without risking exposure.
The result was a familiar, friendly atmosphere—and Veronyka was surprised how at home she felt. She was used to keeping her head down to avoid notice and sticking close to Val’s shadow, but here