Page 79 of The Shrouded Queen
Keir’s yellow eyes flashed, but he gave a curt nod and offered me his hand.
Swallowing hard, I took it and let him lead me out of the longhouse, back into the frigid day. The walk back felt exponentially longer than my struggle there. I kept my eyes trained on the ground, my hand light in Keir’s.
“If you’re going to eavesdrop,” he said suddenly, “you better learn to control that rabbit’s heartbeat of yours.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
He smirked. “I could hear you from a mile away, Majesty.”
Oh gods—
Keir stopped outside my door but didn’t open it. He reeled me in close. “You already used up your one warning, remember?” he rumbled.
I stopped breathing, eyes wide as saucers. Keir’s fingers flexed around my hand and even in that small movement, I felt his strength. If he wanted to, he could kill me in seconds. Less. “I am under the king’s protec—”
“The king’s not here, is he?”
My eyes darted around his shoulders, looking for help. But everyone was busy with preparing for the party. It was practically deserted.
“I know you’re hiding something, Majesty,” he said. “And when I figure it out, your death is mine. Scent or no.”
My scent? My scent would… stop him? Rade had suggested that it was offensive, but…
I paused and forced myself to push my fear aside so I could think clearly.
Keir wasn’t going to stop. His hatred for the Khadas wouldn’t let him. Rade’s desperation had forced him to put aside whatever King Zaid had done when he’d invaded Kaldfold seventeen years ago, but as long as Keir despised me, the danger he posed wouldn’t end.
And I needed it to.
If I could mend whatever pain King Zaid had caused—even a little—maybe Keir would finally back off. Maybe he’d even explain these marks on my forehead.
So I licked my lips and broached, “What did my king do to you?”
He scoffed. “Figures you wouldn’t know.”
“I know what he did to Kaldfold generally, but I’m asking what he did toyou.”
Keir stared hard at me, yellow eyes scanning every inch of myface. I kept my shoulders low, face open. Let him see the question as genuine.
And it was. I’d been told that King Zaid had no choice but to beat back the deranged Kaldfolk. But they weren’t deranged. That part of the story had been a lie. Which made me wonder what else was, and what the king had wanted to hide behind that lie.
Memory, hurt, pain flashed through Keir’s gaze in quick succession. “He trapped me in a nightmare. I’ve never known a man as cruel as your king.”
Sympathy softened my face. “Do you mean he took you captive?”
He schooled his features back into that careful smirk again. “Clever, Majesty. Tell me, if being my friend doesn’t work, what will you try next? Seduction?” He leaned in, the deep spice of a mulberry tree enveloping me, bringing with it that burst of an old memory I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “Why don’t you give it a try? Maybe I’ll be more responsive.” His bright yellow eyes flicked down to my lips.
He was trying to throw me off. Maybe I should be more frightened. After all, it sounded like his loyalty to Rade was a fragile thing. Disobeying orders, undermining him publicly. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, I wasn’t afraid. “I saw you drumming during Hedin’s funeral.”
A blink was his only reply.
“None of you liked him, but you helped his mother grieve. Helped the people of Netherridge grieve, too. It was a beautiful prayer. The people listening… It meant a lot to them. But you know that already. That’s why you did it.” I mustered up a small smile. “You brought me kefir with honey. Twice. You care for people, Keir. Is it so difficult to believe that I do, too?”
“You care for no one but yourself,Khada.” He spat the word so venomously, his breath whipped my face.
I swallowed my flinch. “Is that why I’m risking my life to help you get rid of the Shroud? Because I don’t care?”
“You’re doing it because you know we’ll kill you otherwise.”
