Northern_Lights_2017

61 Realm of Ruin – Excerpt Mary Pappas Two weeks of traveling, two weeks of having to avoid road patrols and those out searching for me. I knew my father would be relentless in finding me, but he should’ve remembered that if I didn’t want to be found, I wouldn’t be. That was one of the best things that my isolation was good for; it taught me how to remain hidden and only seen when I wanted to be. Two weeks of traveling and I finally made it to Triveil, the capital city of Kalava, the Kingdom I was supposed to become queen of. I knew it was dangerous, but there were no other major cities between here and Rarveil, the seaport that was my destination, and I needed more gold and other necessities. I wouldn’t make the remainder of the journey if I didn’t get them. I steered my horse to the stables that stood outside the city gates and slid from the saddle, handing the reigns to a stable boy that came up as I approached. When I tossed him a gold piece, his eyes widened as he glanced from the coin in his palm to me. “Make sure she’s taken care of,” I stated, and he nodded his head vigorously, his hand fisting around the gold piece as he pulled the reigns of Astrid to lead her towards the back and the pasture that was encased in a fence. I watched him for a moment before I turned to the city and made my way inside, the guards watching me as I approached, but they didn’t stop me as I walked past them into the city. I pulled my cloak tighter around myself, making sure my hair was tucked safely in the hood, and slipped into the crowd, allowing the flow to take me to the marketplace in the center of the city. I scanned the area, looking for a specific stall and smiled as my eyes landed on the sign that matched what I was looking for, the sign for the Black Dawn symbol Leana had told me about once upon a time. I moved through the crowd towards the stall, my eyes so focused on my destination that I didn’t even see the man step into my path before I almost ran into him. “Excuse me,” I muttered in my native tongue, hoping he would understand as I kept my eyes down. I made as if to move around him but he stepped into my path again. I frowned and lifted my eyes to his. I silently cursed—he was gorgeous. He had stunning blue eyes that were so light they were almost too light and looked white in certain lights, and short blond hair. He wore pricey clothes, a blue tunic that matched his eyes and black leather pants, neither of which were able to hide the lean muscles underneath, and knee-high leather boots that were the same color as his pants so it was difficult to tell where the boots ended and the pants began. I licked my lips and pretended I didn’t see his eyes drop to my mouth and tried again, “Excuse me.” “Ah, Wyrlikean,” he smirked, using my language, but it had an odd accent to it so I knew it wasn’t his native tongue, “you’re a long way from home.” “And hope to be farther by the end of the day,” I snapped back. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I’m on a tight schedule.” “Of course,” he amended, “I just made a bet with myself that you were beautiful,” he stated, and I found myself smiling—all right, I could play along. “And?” I questioned tilting my head just so. He seemed to have difficulty swallowing for a moment. “What’s the matter, Wyrlik got your tongue?” I teased, allowing a small laugh as he seemed to remember himself and made a show of studying me slowly. “I was right.” He sounded triumphant and I couldn’t help the smile I felt on my face. “Does that work on anyone?” I questioned and he frowned. Apparently that was not the answer he was expecting. “Don’t you know who I am?” he implored, and I shook my head slowly. “Should I?” I retorted and he opened his mouth to say something, but something out of the corner moved and I caught sight of a city guard moving towards us. Time to go. “Right, well, as much fun as this is . . . I do have places to be.” I moved forward, bushing past him, hoping to slip into the crowd so I could continue on my way before the guard reached us, when his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. It wasn’t a tight grip, but it prevented me from leaving. I glanced down at it. “Let go.” I glanced up at him as I struggled to remove his hand as it tightened around my wrist. “Please let go.” “Where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked and then it was too late. The guard was almost upon us and I panicked. “I’m sorry.” I whispered and then in a swift movement reached down to my thigh sheath and pulled out my dagger, spinning the man before me so his hand that was holding me was behind his back and my dagger was against his throat. He was bent backwards enough so I could look over his shoulder, which was difficult considering he was almost a foot taller than me, but it also put him off-balance so he was less likely to try anything. “You’re going to have to translate,” I whispered into his ear, then looked to the guards. “Stand back or I’ll kill him,” the man translated and the guard paused. “Sire, what are you doing out here?” the guard questioned, and I inwardly groaned. This was the Prince? The one I was supposed to marry? I felt my anger rise at the fact that even though he was engaged he was flirting with random women he met in the marketplace. More guards came to where we were and I noticed that the crowd had dispersed, leaving us in an empty street. I could see the gate from here and the guards that had guarded the gate were advancing as well. I smiled. “Tell them to allow me passage to the gate,” I stated. “You’ll never get away. Just put the dagger down and I can help you,” the Prince tried to reason, but I pressed the dagger into his throat again and he hissed as I drew blood. Oops! I hadn’t actually meant to cut him. “Tell them,” I growled, and he did. The guards moved and so did I, somehow managing to keep all the guards, seven