A Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) - Amanda Joy Page 0,89

love—between her and Eva.

So far it seemed like the answer to that was a resounding no. In the days after they fled from Orai, Eva hadn’t demanded Isa return to wearing the shackles, but Isa didn’t see it as an act of goodwill. It was more likely she’d forgotten, spending her days bent over maps with the General, Anali, and Aketo. Eva had all but ignored Isa since finding out that she was fey, and Isa didn’t know what to make of it. Eva was still dead set against their fight to the death, but beyond that, who knew what their future would hold?

Every morning Isa woke up dreaming of escape, but where would she go? A week ago, they had passed through a small mountain village to trade their horses for the supplies required to traverse the mountains. She could have fled then, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to track her. The few roads this far north were muddy because of the snows. Traveling alone from the A’Nir to Ternain would have been difficult in any case, but alone and with soldiers chasing her? Impossible.

When they met on the outskirts of camp at dawn, Eva greeted everyone warmly. She embraced Anali, Falun, the trio of Eva’s family from the Arym Plain, and even Kelis, who’d only come along because she was assigned to watch over Isa. Then her eyes slid right off Isa as if she weren’t there.

Isa reminded herself indifference was certainly a better reaction to the revelation that she was fey than she deserved.

The sun was right overhead now and Isa was beginning to regret the choice to come along. The ground was soggy with moldering leaves and melting snow. Mountains rose on every side. And despite the shearling-lined blanket wrapped around Isa, held in place with a wide belt, and a pair of thick leather gloves, she could not quell her shivering.

She watched Eva and Aketo, their heads bent together as they discussed the route, with growing resentment. It served as a perfect reminder to Isa just how infuriating it was that Eva believed she’d been so deprived of love, all because of their mother. Eva might not see it, but she had the love of this boy and she’d had the love of the Lord Hunter before his strange disappearance.

Isa had never been in love. By now she was certain she’d never have a chance to learn the soft contours of the emotion. There had been dozens of affairs of convenience—and curiosity. Scullery maids and courtiers and even a soldier in her guard. She had kissed countless young men and women. Yet she’d never felt any love from them—only hunger and much of it not focused on her, but on her power. Even when she tugged at their emotions, she couldn’t conjure love where it did not exist.

Isa did not look forward to the hours without any sun, trapped with Eva and Aketo sorting through their emotions while Anali rubbed her sword hilt anytime she caught Isa’s gaze. The Captain had not come to trust Isa. In fact, the woman seemed to take the removal of her shackles weeks ago as an excuse to keep one hawkish eye on her at all times.

Osir, Lady Lirra, and Tavan didn’t seem to have any interest in knowing her. That Lei had been her father her entire life did not matter to them. Only Kelis was easy to be around, as she never projected outright hostility. If Isa could concentrate on her magick and keeping her footing in the snow, she might have tugged at the bloodkin woman’s aura until Kelis walked beside her. Instead Isa trailed behind them all, stopping occasionally to adjust her too-tight boots.

Isa shuddered violently as wet clumps of snow began to fall. Twenty or so feet ahead, Eva and Aketo had stopped. Isa hiked up her thick tights and jogged a few steps to catch up with them. She gritted her teeth as the blisters on her toes protested such vigorous movement.

“Why have we stopped?” Isa asked, her breath fogged in the frigid air.

Like Isa, Eva was used to the heat of the South. A scarf Isa suspected belonged to the Prince was wrapped around Eva’s head, yet she trembled, shifting her weight from foot to foot to keep warm. Slight amusement softened the annoyance in Eva’s expression. “Aketo is lost.”

Isa was surprised Eva had even answered her.

“I am not lost,” Aketo protested. “The cave entrance is difficult to find for a