All's Fair in Revenge

Chapter 10: The Druvix

Far below us, the cranky Induo Strait beat the Crag, its rushed waves chipping away at the limestone underbelly. I held every confidence that not a single soul would hear our screams if the rider decided to chuck us off the edge.

Eyr let our deaths be quick.

"My, my what do we have here?" The man in black armor stared down at us from his helm, his horse adjacent from where we stood. My breath came in short swallows. My fists squeezed at my sides. "Two Kelvian girls looking to get arrows to the chest, are we?" The question boomed from cross-shaped holes, the sight of which pumped blood into my rage. Was this him? Was this my sister's killer? How could I know?

Do you have to know,' asked the soft, menacing voice from earlier.

No, I suppose not.

I pushed off the rock. "First of all, we are women, not girls and the rest is none of your business." Arin's dagger appeared in my hand, and I swiped at his tendon.

"Hana!"

The horse sidestepped me with a huff of his nostrils, and I swore I heard the rider chuckle. Before the muscles at the corners of my eye could flinch, the tip of a cool-edged sword lifted my chin to meet his shadowed gaze. "A little feral, aren't we?"

Gleaming onyx streaks of refracted sun bit into my glower, but it had little to with why I scowled. "You have no idea."

His helm tilted the slightest bit in response, examining me. He lowered the weapon, sheathing it thoughtfully. "Careful now, luv. I'd hate for you to make a poor impression." The man held out his hand. "Let's start over. I'll go first; Lord Thorne, at your service."

With a sharp rove over his frame, I said, "Thorne, huh? Rose and thicket already taken?"

To my surprise, he truly laughed this time, the sound warm and sweet like syrup on toasted bread. It startled me. Surprised me, even. Murderers weren't allowed to laugh like that, to be charming. Villains could be but cruel, evil things and their laughter should be, too.

"And you're..." he waited for me to fill in the blank. I did not. "Hana of Kin Skulds," he finished, pride swelling in his armored chest as he watched confusion play across my face. "See, basic manners aren't all that difficult. You're always so stubborn."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How would you know? We've never met."

"I obviously meant you Kelvians, not you, Hana."

"Yet, you know my name?"

A horse above us, Lord Thorne reached out to me, and I flinched, expecting to feel the sharp edge of his sword once more. I stepped back, blocking Liv with both my body and dagger. He'd be no match for me and my tiny blade; I knew that. But what other choice did I have? It was Liv or me and I'd not stand by watching another person I love be butchered by the Dorsi. So why had I antagonized the broad metaled soldier—with far more weaponry and training than me—in the first place?

Again, I didn't know. But the remainder of our journey if there was one, could not go on like this. If I planned on keeping both of us off a pyre in the near future, I'd need to control myself better no matter how much I wished to eviscerate every person who crossed my path. I'd have to learn to ignore my inner most instincts and the voice that encouraged it. Which begrudgingly forced me to admit Liv had been right: black armor was common in the Eleven Realms. It made night travel safer, stealthier. And, to my chagrin, the Dorsi were known to outfit all their upper echelon in the onyx shade. Therefore, I had no proof whether Lord Thorne was the killer I sought.