Page 60 of Never Ever After

It’s quiet by the city entrance, a steady trickle of people leaving. The scales on the guards’ table are pushed to the side, unused today. Back home, the Iron Mountains’ wealth lies in its ore, the toil of its people to extract it—while those of the Amber Forest tax ambition and dreams. Perhaps this is the way kingdoms survive, feasting on the blood and hearts of their people.

We set a swift pace as we ride, veering south toward the Death Swamp. We don’t stop for rest; there isn’t time, the incessant thud of hooves ringing in my head. In the distance, a river coils, its dark waters shimmering. The radiance of the sky fades as the sun dips lower. Only then does Jin call for a halt. As I dismount, sliding to the ground, my body aches but our horses show no sign of strain, their manes not even damp with sweat.

“Your horses are remarkably strong,” I remark.

“You should see them in their natural forms. Silver antlers, manes of gold, shining like creatures of starlight,” Jin tells me. “They are even quicker then.”

“Impossible.” My laugh emerges jittery. “They look just like the horses here.”

“Their true forms are disguised to allow us to pass unnoticed.” As Jin pats my horse, its brown coat shifts to an iridescent silver beneath his fingers. My gut churns at the realization I’ve ridden this creature all this while.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jin says quietly. “Our horses are like yours, gentle and peace-loving, when treated right. They might appear different, even startling to you—but they look just as they should to us.”

I study the horses, watching them gulp down the water from the river, some nuzzling the grass. My unease fades, replaced by curiosity. “I thought your people had no magic.”

“That doesn’t mean our realm is devoid of it. Magic manifests in different ways.” He’s answering in that evasive manner, trying to conceal more than he reveals. “Sometimes it’s hidden, sometimes it flows in the very water and earth. Sometimes, it’s been seized or stolen.”

I think of the creature in the Shadow Wing, of what I’m keeping from him. The impulse rises to tell him—but I stifle it once more.

Jin’s soldiers move swiftly to set up the camp, opening sacks of provisions, erecting tents, and building a fire to cook our meal. As the smell of food fills the air, I grind the herbs I bought, trying to draw their essence out—though I’ve never been taught, it feels instinctive. Then I soak the duke’s pouch in it, the one embroidered with his emblem.

Jin strides forward, holding a tray with two bowls of rice, a plate of sliced cucumbers, skewers of grilled meat, and cups of water. “Would you eat with me?” he asks.

Caught by surprise, I nod—realizing I want this too. Rising, I follow him. Away from the camp, it grows quieter, the chirping of crickets soon drowning out the soldiers’ voices. Feathery reeds arch over the river like elegant dancers, glints of light flickering across the water.

As he hands me a bowl, our fingers graze, a heady lightness sweeping through me. “Why did you ask me out here?”

He leans back, resting his palms on the grass. “I like being with you.”

Heat creeps up my face; I don’t want him to see it. But I like being with him too, not a stolen encounter laced with danger or the fear of discovery, but simple, quiet moments as these.

“What is Thorn Valley like?” I ask as we eat.

“To us, it’s beautiful.” He pulls up a knee and rests his elbow on it. “Some trees tower as tall as pines, others are only half your height. We have lakes there, as still and clear as mirrors. Our flowers grow wild, nothing like the pruned bushes of the duke’s gardens.”

It sounds so different from what I’ve heard. “What about the thorns?”

“You have to get past them first.” He holds my gaze. “If you come, I’ll show you how; I won’t let them hurt you.”

The moon breaks out from behind the clouds, pale shafts of light gliding over us, illuminating his features. Our eyes lock; I almost forget to breathe, lost in their depths. As the wind blows his hair across his forehead, my hand reaches out to brush it back before I realize what I’m doing. Jin grows very still, then he shifts closer, his nearness almost intoxicating. My heart quickens, my mind spinning. Yet I’ve been dazzled by the Prince of the Iron Mountains, fooled by Songmin’s smiles. Being hurt has made me afraid… and I haven’t figured out yet whether it’s cowardly or wise.

With a wrench I turn from him, wrapping my arms around my knees. Jin draws back, his expression guarded like he’s read all the wrong reasons for my withdrawal.

“We should return to the others.”

“Yes,” I agree, my voice hollow.

Back at the camp, the fire is dwindling to glowing embers, thin trails of smoke rising high. Most of the soldiers are sleeping, just a few on guard. Despite the quiet, I’m anything but calm. Right now, Jin and I tread the same path, but soon it will diverge. Regardless of his words, I’m no one to him—just a small part of his plans, someone he’s played well and will keep playing… as long as I let him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

T he next day, we ride until my body feels bruised each time it collides against the saddle. When we stop for the night, the last thing I recall is the moon against the black sky, someone carrying me into a tent. No dreams plague me; exhaustion has silenced them all. When I wake, breakfast is a hurried affair of sesame flatbread and water before we set off again.

We have no time to waste with the Death Swamp still a half-day’s ride away. The warriors who’ve set out to rescue Lady Ruilin have a head start, even with the swiftness of our steeds. It won’t matter how well our scheme is plotted if we arrive too late. And more than the starfire at stake—I’m eager to meet her, the young woman in my dream.

The sun is high when we catch our first glimpse of the swamp in the distance: the earth glistening darkly, a tower of pale stone rising to spear the sky. A vast chasm cleaves the swamp from the Amber Forest, the solitary bridge leading across it guarded by Duke Yuan’s soldiers.

“You’re late,” their leader tells us, once we show her our seal. “The others crossed over hours ago.”