Sepp pished. “One touch and he’d be frozen.”

As if Belen would let Sepp touch him. “If it makes you feel better, keep thinking that.” I wasn’t the only one in denial.

Even though we camped in the thickest section of the forest that night, we didn’t risk a fire. After eating a cold meal of jerky, we discussed Sepp’s hiding place. He needed to be close to Tohon’s castle so I could reach him, but not too close or else he would risk being caught.

“Speaking of being apprehended,” Sepp said, “you’ll have to be captured. You can’t just walk up to the front door. Tohon will suspect you had help getting through all his defenses.”

He was right. I had been thinking the same thing, but it irked me to no end that he had such a low opinion of my intelligence.

Two mornings later, we crested a small hill. A fair-size town filled the valley below us.

“I don’t relish camping out in woods filled with unfriendlies or hiding in some cave. That town is close to the castle. I’m thinking it would be a perfect place to blend in.”

“It would depend on the residents,” I said.

“What are you talking about?”

“In Estrid’s occupied Realms, the citizens who hadn’t embraced her religious beliefs and donned the red robes were scared of her. A stranger in town would attract attention and he would be reported to her priests.”

“This isn’t an occupied Realm. It’s a Sogran city. They celebrated when Tohon was named king after his father died.”

“If you’re sure—”

“Of course I’m sure. I’ve gotten you this far, haven’t I?”

I fisted my hands, but kept them pressed against my thighs as I wrestled the desire to punch him.

“You shouldn’t be seen in town,” Sepp said. “In fact, head away from this area before you surrender.”

We parted company at dawn. Sepp seemed relieved, and almost gave me a cheerful goodbye. He had made his opinion clear. He believed I wouldn’t succeed. Even though he detailed where I could find him in town, I suspected he would bolt if he heard any rumors about me.

As instructed, I headed in the opposite direction. After a few hours, I realized this was the first time I had been truly alone in more than four months. I stopped as a notion occurred to me. I could disappear. Go back into hiding. Except the dead and the bounty hunters would be after me. Plus I couldn’t let Belen and the others down or go back to those dark days of being in hiding. I pushed on.

I listened for one of Tohon’s living patrols. Around midday, I heard the unmistakable tread of a squad. Heading toward an intercept point, I hid a few of my throwing knives in unusual places.

Should I appear furtive or confident as I strode among the soldiers? Tohon was expecting me. No need for me to hide. Although he would wonder why I didn’t approach one of his border patrols sooner. I’d claim my pride wished to get as far as possible. From what I’d learned about him, he’d understand that.

The hardest part was altering my gait as I walked through the woods. After spending the entire winter blending in with the forest’s song, I had to concentrate in order to make enough noise that would alert the soldiers.

Finally, I produced enough sound. They halted to listen, then hunkered down to ambush me. A small part of me was amused by their obvious actions, but fear dominated the rest. Once they brought me to Tohon, there would be no return.

I clutched Belen’s and Flea’s stones in my pockets, thinking about my keepers. All that I would face and endure, I would do for them. I needed to stop dwelling on the what-ifs, and focus on what I could do and would do, which was everything possible to heal Ryne.

When the ambush “surprised” me, I gathered my nerve as I stared at fourteen armed soldiers. Then the sergeant shouted standard questions at me: Who are you? Where are you going? Who sent you?

Easy enough to answer. “I’m Avry of Kazan. I’m planning to go to the castle. Tohon of Sogra invited me.”

Despite the name dropping, the soldiers confiscated my knapsack, the weapons they found and secured my wrists behind my back. They marched me to the castle. On the way through a shallow valley, I spotted the Sogra castle on the opposite ridge.

It was a beautiful white structure with a black roof, six turrets and surrounded by a thick black stone wall. Behind it were a number of other smaller buildings. As we neared, I noticed a few other details of the main building. Black gargoyles hung over the edges of the roofs. Instead of one big building, the castle looked as if the different kings and queens who’d lived there had added additions to the original castle.

The squad dragged me in through the front gates and into a spacious courtyard. There, they made a big deal over my capture. Tohon and a number of bodyguards arrived. I was presented to the king with a great deal of fanfare. One cold look from Tohon stopped the celebration in a heartbeat. He ordered my release and my things returned.

I rubbed my raw wrists and wondered what game he played now.

“She is our guest. You are to treat her as such, until I say otherwise,” Tohon said. He approached me with a swagger in his step. “My dear, so nice to see you again.”

Before I could reply, he swept me into his arms and kissed me hard. His touch zipped right through me, igniting every single nerve ending. My body responded. Desire flared. I leaned against him and kissed him back.

So much for my plan.

Chapter 21

I was in big trouble. The logical side of my brain staged a coup, wrestling control from my emotional side. With much effort, I broke away from Tohon’s delicious kiss. But he held me tight.