Blood Ties

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

        Duchess Rosalyn had to admit, she was wrong. When she had verified the rumors, she had assumed that all the rumors were true. But Star showed no signs of any sort of mental illness, and her speech was very promising. She wished the princess were staying longer so that she could mentor her a bit with the ways of court and etiquette, but the two travelers insisted upon leaving early.

        Faith stood at her side, tears pouring down her face as she exchanged a weepy goodbye with the princess, complimenting her every deed. The princess turned towards the duchess, all her tears dashed away. Of course, she had no sadness to spare over the woman who had caused her so much trouble.

        The duchess was too haughty to apologize but too stubborn to let things go unspoken, so she compromised at, “You may shape up to a be a decent princess…eventually…perhaps…”

        “Thank you, Duchess Rosalyn,” Star said, smiling a bit though her face flushed unflatteringly.

        “And, ah,” the duchess hurried on, “good luck. May Draco bless your path.”

        “Um, thanks,” the princess chewed at her lip, her brows knit in confusion. Did she not believe in Draco? Her mother was not Ignisian, after all, would that-

        But it was too late for fixing her statement, for Star was already mounting her horse. Oh, well, perhaps next time. Waving her polished hand in a farewell gesture, the duchess let a rare smile grace her lips as she watched them canter away. Turning away with a half-sigh, she spared a slight glance at her sobbing maid before rolling her eyes.

        A tiny part of her thought that perhaps the world seemed just a tad bit grayer without the princess and the general’s son.

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        Star sulked on her horse, wishing that their journey were over. She was growing weary of travel and the swaying of the horse beneath her made her woozy. Sighing, she squinted at the looming mountains in the distance; they didn’t seem to be moving any closer.

        Only a few days had passed since they had left Aurum, but those days had inched by slowly so that Star felt every passing moment. She hadn’t had any more visions, although that didn’t change the fact that she still felt strangely fatigued. Yawning, she leaned forward in her saddle, burying her face in the horse’s mane.

        The road they traveled on was clearly more worn than the one they had been on, for it was wider, curving, and had no trees around it; replacing the foliage was a bleak expanse of browning grass and mud, and the horses slid unsteadily on the road below. Trees were not very far off; a dark forest rose on the right side maybe a mile away. Wind blew from behind them, harsh and unmerciful, and the air it brought was thin and dry. The sun could bring no comfort against the chill as it sank low in the horizon.

        Star braced herself for a gust of wind now, pulling her coat tighter around her shivering body. Because of the howling wind, she didn’t hear the approaching hoofbeats until Marco reached across and grabbed the reins out of her hands, pulling her to a stop. His face had paled considerably, and if it wasn’t her imagination, his hands were quivering. She turned her head around, craning to see who it was that had set Marco on edge.

        Nearing them from around a curve were two horses, and surprisingly, the riders were both middle-aged, healthy looking men. They both had darker skin, but one had lighter brown hair that was graying around the edges while the other’s hair was very dark. The one with fairer hair seemed oddly familiar, and he sat in his saddle in a way that suggested lordship or some other high-ranking title. He wore loose fitting clothing of silver and orange, and his shirt was adorned with a few golden pins. His companion wore similar attire but without the gold embellishments.