A Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) - Amanda Joy Page 0,80

pushing my body retreated and my thoughts simply fell away. One moment I would beg to stop and set up camp for the night, and the next there was nothing but the slap of my boots on the dirt and the sun on my face.

This time, though, there was no peace.

It was impossible to resist the voice in my mind, urging me to turn around, certain Mateen’s Jackals were already on our heels. After an hour, every muscle from the back of my thighs up to my shoulders burned, and looking over my shoulder every few minutes only made the pain worse.

Late in the afternoon, after we’d been traveling for four hours, the grass grew sparse until there was only rocky, lifeless dirt. More outcrops dotted the land, though these rose higher than the outcrops near Orai. It looked like there had once been hills here, but some giant had come to shatter and break the earth apart, and these jutting bits were all that remained.

As the sun was setting, we came across three outcrops clumped together with only one narrow entrance. Another blessing from the Mother, or simply luck.

Anali squeezed inside first and I followed not two hands’ width behind her. There was a surprising amount of space inside, enough for us all to sleep comfortably.

Lirra, Tavan, and Isa joined us. Then came Osir and Aketo guarding our backs. I drew in the cool air. I spared a moment to yank off my bags and sword belt, and lay facedown in the dirt, wings spread over my back like a blanket.

Moving as little as possible, I eased off my boots and accepted the dried peppered goat Lirra proffered. Aketo’s offer to stay awake while we rested was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

The worried voice still whispered in my mind when I woke hours later to find the once-rocky dirt had been transformed into the finest sand, and my sister was gone.

I rolled onto my back, struggling to find my footing as the sand sucked at my feet. I froze, wondering if this was a nightmare. But I heard Aketo stirring a few feet away.

The air reeked of magick. Wood smoke and sandalwood; sugared buns and gardenias.

That second scent I recognized; Isa’s magick had always smelled of sweets. But the rest? The rocky ground beneath us had been transmuted into sand while we slept. I scooped up a handful of the sand, holding it up to the moonlight streaming through the small opening in the rock above. It glittered black and silver—magick. It had to be the Earthbreaker, the Jackal. Mateen.

I stood, counting the rest of the sleeping bodies. I spotted Falun, his crimson hair peeking out from his blankets, Anali, and my new family, their bedrolls set slightly apart from the rest of us. Kelis sat with her back propped up against one wall of the rock outcrop, snoring slightly.

I crawled over to Aketo just as he sat up. “Eva?”

“Isa’s gone, but still close. Her bag is still here. I can sense her magick. Who is supposed to be on guard?” I breathed.

“I passed the guard off to Kelis when night fell,” he said, voice still groggy with sleep.

I felt around until I found my boots and yanked them on. My sword was half buried in the sand and I used it to push myself to my feet.

Aketo began quietly rousing the others, while I approached the seam in the rock.

Outside, Isa stood before a man kneeling with one fist pressed into the dirt. Where he touched the ground, black sand flowed in a narrow path, winding around Isa’s feet and into the rock outcrop, bare inches from where I stood.

Such fine control.

The General’s face was cast in shadow, but I recognized the locs spilling across his shoulder and the mask at his side. Its narrow snout hung open, showing off silver-capped teeth and a lolling, leathery tongue.

I couldn’t hear a word of what they said, but I eased my blade from its scabbard. The bone hilt carved with Khimaerani’s likeness was wrapped in buttery leather, but it felt no less at home in my hand.

Isa cupped Mateen’s cheek, nails digging in faintly. But I could tell she wasn’t in control of the situation.

Before I could begin to think of a plan, Isa turned and called, “Come on out, Eva. It seems you’ve been caught.”

Chapter 19

Isa

The wind sang through the fissures in the rock like howling wraiths. The sound reminded Isa of the whirling branches