A Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) - Amanda Joy Page 0,114
between me and Baccha.
The Hunter’s prickly annoyance greeted me, the feeling more vivid than any I’d felt from him since leaving Ternain. I spurred my horse on, following the connection between us.
It didn’t take very long to reach the clearing. After a while, we found tracks in the snow leading straight there. Since they weren’t bothering to conceal their presence, we rode into the front of their camp.
Hundreds milled about the neat rows of tents.
Around us, a hush fell over the camp. I dismounted and scanned their faces, recognizing one from the times I’d seen through Baccha’s eyes.
“Took you long enough, Princess,” an all-too-familiar voice drawled from behind me.
A growl escaped me as I turned to face Baccha. He was unchanged, in his black leathers, loose braid down his back, kicking in the wind. He grinned broadly. “What? No warm greetings for me?”
I crashed into Baccha, shoving him into the dirt. He let me kick and punch at him, offering no resistance.
“This doesn’t work if you don’t fight back,” I said, kneeling in the mud.
“You want to make me complicit in the beating you hoped to give me,” Baccha said. “Cruel Princess, how I’ve missed you.”
“I haven’t missed you,” I muttered.
“That’s what comes with staying busy,” Baccha replied, not bothering to call me on the lie. The emotions passing between us through the bond were too enmeshed for me to tell exactly what each of us felt. But Baccha had missed me, as much as I’d longed for his return.
“What are you doing here?” I frowned up at him. I hoped he didn’t think all would be forgiven that easily.
“You might not have noticed, Princess, but I have kept an eye on you. When the Elderi learned you were heading to the Enclosure, I persuaded them to come here.”
“Well, you missed the rebellion”—if one could call it that—“by a few weeks, Baccha.”
He flicked my nose. “It’s the thought that counts.”
“Are you at least going to offer an explanation? Apologize?”
“I thought I’d save that for when we are alone.” Baccha climbed to his feet and helped me up.
A silver-haired khimaer girl stood a few feet away, observing our exchange with a darkening gaze. Baccha turned toward her, an easy smile on his lips. “Ah, there you are, Mother Ysai. After all these months, it is my deepest pleasure to introduce you to Princess Eva. Ysai leads the Tribe.”
I wiped the mud and melting snow from my palms and offered my hand. “Mother Ysai, thank you. Please join us in Sher n’Cai.”
Did they really call this girl Mother Ysai? The title must’ve come with the role. I remembered Baccha saying that the woman who currently led the Tribe was an old friend of his, and that couldn’t have been Ysai.
She shook my hand, but her expression was still frosty. “Thank you for the offer, but we will remain here.”
I glanced at Baccha, but his expression offered nothing. “At night, the mountains are terribly cold. There is plenty of space inside.”
“We are used to cold nights, but I thank you for your concern.”
“I respect your decision, Mother Ysai,” I said, raising my voice so it would carry, “but I must warn you all, I expect the Queen’s Army is marching toward us at this very minute. I would not want to be caught outside when they arrive.”
A striking older woman with crimson eyes and black wings tipped in white, like she’d dipped them in paint, appeared at Ysai’s side. The look she gave Ysai was full of carefully restrained anger. “We thank you for your offer, Princess, and kindly accept.”
* * *
“No,” I repeated to Baccha for the third time. “Absolutely not.”
“At least consider—”
“Why should I be tested by them?” I asked, pouring heated water into my tea. We sat across from each other in one of the manor’s several sitting rooms. “And before you start on about history and traditions, I already know how it is supposed to work. The Elderi choose the Queen, right? Well, I’m their only choice, so what exactly is the point of this testing?”
I was on my third cup of tea. While I’d sipped the first, Baccha had told me about his journey north, about his “Aunt” in the Sister Citadel, and his capture and subsequent detainment by Ysai. During the second, I recounted our flight from Ternain, the journey across the Arym Plain, my first time shifting, Isa’s betrayal, and that I didn’t even know how many people I’d killed during the rebellion.