The Death of a Tyrant's Concubine

CHAPTER 53 - Rumors

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【𝐒𝐘𝐋𝐕𝐎𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄】

Last night was everything I could've ever asked for. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Raine's face bathed in firelight, her lips trembling beneath mine, her breath catching when I found her most sensitive spots.

After we were both spent, I watched her sleep, her body curled against the furs. I didn't sleep at all. Just stroked her hair and drank in the sight of her. Everything had felt perfect at that moment. Like I'd set the world right.

But bliss doesn't last long on a battlefield.

As soon as I stepped out of my tent the next morning to deal with the traitor, the camp had been flipped upside down.

Cavriel Gildmere had escaped.

I took the news quietly. Nodded. And ordered a hunting party to be sent out.

Meanwhile, rumors about a second traitor ran rampant. And though almost no one dared say the name in front of me, I could hear it in the way they quieted whenever I passed... And the glances they sent at my tent.

Only one man had dared to say it aloud. And that man was now rotting in chains.

I cursed under my breath as I walked through the camp, stepping around soldiers packing supplies and hitching wagons. I didn't want to lock Bastian up. The man had fought beside me for years. But if he kept accusing Raine... If he kept planting these ideas in my soldiers' heads... I'd have no choice but to make an example of him.

Raine didn't need this. Not now.

Fortunately, Bastian's arrest seemed to put an end to the rumors. At least on the surface. Soldiers knew better than to push their luck when my patience was hanging by a thread.

Sighing, I mounted Wraith. The unicorn shook her silver mane and huffed as if sensing my mood. With a gentle nudge, I rode her toward the front lines. When we passed by my carriage, my eyes darted toward the window.

Through the sheer curtains, I caught a glimpse of Raine lying on the bed. She lay cuddled with the vylnir, still asleep. The sight softened something inside me. She looked so small.. So fragile in that moment... And yet I knew the strength she carried too.

Suddenly, I thought of last night again. The way she clung to me... The way she moaned in pleasure... My grip on Wraith's reins tightened as desire stirred unbidden, and I forced myself to exhale slowly, clearing my head.

Though I certainly enjoyed last night, it was best I waited a while before indulging myself again.

She needed rest.

Drawing myself back to the present, I raised my voice and gave the order to move out.

The army stirred to life like a great snake, banners snapping in the wind as the columns began their march. From my current vantage, I had a view of the river lands ahead. And though it certainly wasn't possible to see Driftwoode's capital any time soon, in my mind, I could see Cape Saltmourne waiting.

₮₳₭Ɇ ł₮.

ł₮ ł₴ ɎØɄⱤ₴.

Do not worry, my friend, I thought. I'll indulge you soon enough.

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Though the summer heat bore down on us as we marched, the rivers offered reprieve just as I had anticipated. It was all going perfectly. Days bled into nights, nights into days, and still we pressed on... City after city falling beneath our banners.