“A mix of dragons and humans. You’ll be outnumbered and you no longer have Branwen the Awful clearing the way for you.”

“Suggestions?”

“Act like they’re welcome. Like you were just attacked and they’re saving you.”

“We were just attacked.”

“Act like you were just attacked by someone other than those sent by the Empress.”

“Are you so sure they were sent by the Empress?”

Meihui smiled. “No, but the way Keita went running for a horse as soon as she checked one . . .”

“What about Keita?” Uther asked. Their queen had asked them to protect her. As far as he was concerned, they had just failed.

Aidan nodded at Meihui and she went to her sisters to organize them before the Empress’s army arrived right at her door.

“Keita left on purpose, but she’s got Brannie with her,” Aidan told Uther.

“So we’re just going to let them go?”

“We have no choice. All we can do now is keep playing the game and hope Keita has a plan.”

Caswyn snorted. “If Keita’s anything like her mother . . . she’ll always have a plan.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

They rode hard throughout the day, stopping only a few minutes at a time by streams and lakes so that their horses could get a break.

By the time the suns were beginning to go down, they’d arrived at a large, dark forest. And that’s where Keita stopped.

Brannie dismounted her horse and rested against it. “What are we doing here?”

Keita also dismounted. “We’re going in.”

“Why?”

“Because I said—what’s wrong with you?” Keita abruptly asked.

“I’m exhausted.”

“That’s what you get for fucking all night.”

“He was there and I had needs.”

“Liar,” Keita accused, grabbing her horse’s reins. “You like him.”

“He’s me friend. Of course I like him.”

“‘He’s me friend,’” Keita mocked.

“Don’t make me slap you.” Brannie followed her into the forest. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Can’t you just trust me to know what I’m doing?”

“No.”

“Cow.”

“Do you even know where we are?”

“Stop snapping at me because you’re worried about Aidan.”

“I am not!”

“Such a liar. And a bad one at that!”

They walked on in the growing darkness, neither speaking, until Brannie realized she heard no birds in the trees. No sounds of animals scuttling away.

Branwen stopped, blew out a quick burst of air through her teeth. Keita froze, her gaze moving.

Stroking her horse’s neck to keep him calm, Brannie also looked for signs of what was in these woods. It was the scent she recognized first. Human men.

She was reaching for her weapon, tucked innocuously into her boot, when the sword pressed against her throat.