The King's Questioner

by Nikki Katz

  Luna snuck off into the shadows.

  Kalen stripped out of his wet outer jacket and draped it over the horse. He looked forward to dry clothes. His own clothes.

  “Were you able to get anything from the monk’s mind?”

  “There was someone in the catacombs. A young woman.”

  A young woman who had nearly identical features to Cirrus and was named Reign. But Kalen didn’t want to get the prince’s hopes up. He leaned in and bumped shoulders with Cirrus. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  The seconds inched by as Kalen paced back and forth beneath the flickerfly lamp. Cirrus dragged his hand through his hair, and they kept glancing up at every little sound, expecting Luna to appear.

  They were both ready to charge into the inn when she appeared, a flash of silver with bags in hand. She had already donned her hood and threw them both their cloaks and travel sacks.

  “Easy as pie,” she said. “Which I actually got!”

  CHAPTER

  14

  They traveled on horseback through the night and next morning. As they rode, they shared the pie, eating it fingerful by delicious fingerful.

  As soon as it was gone, Kalen dug into the extra bag Luna had packed. She’d thrown in food, a pot, a spoon, and some spices. He removed two pieces of fruit and a chunk of dried meat. He unsheathed his dagger and used it to hack off a slice of the fruit, which he handed to Cirrus. The prince eyed it warily. “That’s not another sour surprise, is it?”

  Kalen shook his head. “Crisp and crunchy. Nothing alike. I would have thought your palate would be much more refined, what with all the royal dinners.”

  They stopped around noon to rest the horses, and Luna slept for an hour, and then they were on their way again. They reached the foothills and climbed until sunset, when they decided to stop for the night under an overhang of trees.

  Luna dismounted, unsteadily rubbed down her horse, and walked a few feet away to a patch of grass beneath the trees. She sprawled on the ground and covered her head with her hood. “I. Hate. Those. Animals.”

  While she rested, Kalen built a fire and put a pot of water on to boil. He added dry grains and folded in a little spice and roasted nuts Luna had snagged. Nearby, Cirrus brushed the horses, whistling as he worked. He appeared unaffected by the journey, but then he’d spent significantly more time than them on horseback.

  Prince training and all that.

  “What’s for supper?” Cirrus asked as he approached Kalen and dragged his fingers through his hair, which looked like it could use a washing, quite honestly.

  They ate, staring at the flames, each lost in their own thoughts. The fire did little to keep them warm, and Kalen sat with his shoulders hunched over his knees. Luna scooted up next to him, her teeth chattering. “The ground is freezing.”

  Cirrus glanced at them both and shook his head. Kalen figured it was frustration that Luna wasn’t seeking heat from him, but then the prince paced behind them and began to gather pine boughs and branches. He spread them out near Luna and then gathered another bundle. After a couple more loads, he layered them and motioned her over. “Nature’s mattress. Not the most comfortable, but it should be warmer than sleeping on the ground.”

  Luna’s eyes opened in surprise. She sprawled on the branches and covered her face with her cloak. “Thank you,” she said, the sound muffled.

  Kalen glared at Cirrus silently, and the prince shrugged his shoulders. “Want me to help you make one, too?” Together they made quick work of another mattress, and Cirrus said he would swap out when they each took watch.

  The pine boughs were on their way to brittle, and Kalen shifted his weight repeatedly to find a spot where he was no longer jabbed in the back. He lay on his side, his chest toward the fire, but even with the discomfort, exhaustion quickly overtook him.

  It was short-lived, though, as Cirrus woke him after what felt like mere minutes for his watch. He paced around for a bit and then sprawled on a nearby boulder, staring up at the constellations, naming each one to keep awake.

  Suddenly Cirrus jumped up with a scream. Kalen startled, his side scraping along the rock, and pushed himself into a stand. Cirrus danced around, smacking at the back of his neck. A log had popped, and the ember seared his skin.

  “What’s going on?” Luna rubbed at her eyes.

  Cirrus glared at Kalen. “Too bad you can’t do something useful with your magick … like control fire.” He rubbed at his neck and winced before lying down again.

  “What did I do?” Kalen threw up his hands “It’s not my fault you slept so close to the flames.”

  Cirrus had been nearly on top of the fire, as if it could burn daylight into his eyelids.

  By morning the prince had scooted so his body was away from the heat, but the top of his head almost touched the flames. “He’s going to burn his hair again,” Luna said as she woke Kalen, having taken the third and final watch.

  “Perhaps he wants it to turn a brighter shade of red,” Kalen said with a yawn. He stood to pace around their small circle. He stretched his neck side to side and cracked his gloved fingers.

  “Shall we wake him?” Luna asked.

  “I’m going to go look for water first,” Kalen said.

  “I’ll come with.” Luna attempted to run her fingers through her hair, and they quickly snagged. Kalen lifted the canteens and led the way farther into the tree line. Within minutes he heard the babble of a running stream. He removed his gloves, cloak, and undershirt and splashed frigid water up over his head, face, and chest. After scrubbing at his hair and skin as quickly as he could, he shook off the water droplets and filled the canteens. Luna squatted near the edge of the water, her head tipped upside down as she scrubbed at her scalp.

  “I was thinking about the tournament,” Kalen said as she wrung out her hair.

  “What about it?” She untangled the knots as best as she could and began to plait it over her shoulder.

  “The sorciers. They were obviously working together, but I don’t understand how. Could you gather anything from listening to the twins?”

  “We were all in a hurry to escape, so I didn’t pay much attention, but I don’t recall hearing anything in particular.” She went silent for a moment. “Actually, I don’t think they spoke aloud at all.”

  It was bizarre. Kalen had yet to hear of a sorcier who could project their power so far and wide.

  They returned to the campsite to find a lightly snoring Cirrus. His mouth had fallen open, and he looked helpless as a babe.

  Luna squatted and lightly flicked the prince on the nose. His hand reached up to scratch at the spot. She repeated the action, and he flailed his arm. She jumped out of the way as his eyes opened.

  “Are you messing with me?” He sat up.

  “Who, me? I was just brushing the insect from your face is all.” Luna reached into the bag and removed a piece of fruit. She took a huge bite and swiped at the juice that dripped down her chin.

  “Oh.” A wide smile stretched his lips. “How very sweet of you.”

  Luna’s nose wrinkled as if she’d realized the plan had backfired.

  “Bloody crow, it’s cold out.” Cirrus rubbed at his arms and hunched his shoulders within his overcoat. Eyes flitting back and forth, he grabbed at two sticks and tossed one to Luna. “Let’s do a round of Hakunan to warm up.”

  Kalen packed up their mostly dwindled supplies and loaded the horses while Cirrus and Luna moved through the exercises, and then they started for the mountains. The wind whipped through the trees to chill every bit of exposed skin, and by midmorning it began to snow. They’d seen patches of ice and still-frozen snow along the journey, but this was the first time the clouds had decided to grace them with precipitation. They were less than thrilled.

  Kalen tightened his cloak around his head and shivered as an errant flake whipped right down the front of his shirt.

  The horses made their way methodically forward, even as the snow built into an inch thick. They turned
a corner, and the view beyond took Kalen’s breath away. He could see all the way to the sea, the world stretching in miniature scale like a game board he could manipulate or knock to pieces with the sweep of an arm.

  The road switched back to the interior of the mountain, and they spent much of the afternoon under tree cover. It protected them from some of the snowfall, but the sun failed to warm them through the tangled branches above.

  By the time the sun started to set on the other side of the peaks, they were ready to stop for the night and build a fire to combat the chill embedded in their skin. “We should reach Servaille before noon tomorrow,” Kalen said as they found an area mostly sheltered by the trees above and clear of snow on the ground below.

  Cirrus made quick work of building a fire, and Luna emptied the remaining food. “Looks like this will be the last meal.”

  They dined on a hodgepodge selection of dried meats, stale bread, and a jar of pickled vegetables that nobody wanted to eat before but now seemed attractive.

  Luna took the first watch, followed by Cirrus, who woke Kalen far too quickly for the Questioner’s liking. He silently groaned as he sat up. Muscles and tendons, even his breath, were frozen with the cold. Kalen stood and paced, trying to warm up his body. Cracks echoed as he stretched his neck side to side.

  The night sky was heavy, dark black between the tree branches. The occasional prick of starlight could be seen, but the moon had already set beyond the mountain peak. He counted what stars he could see, trying to keep his eyes from closing and succumbing to the heat of the fire on his face.

  Eventually the stars faded out as the eastern sky turned pale on the fringes. He hoped with sunrise would come warmth.

  His mind drifted, visions of catacombs and an ethereal beauty singing as she meandered around tombs. He had thought about Reign often in the silence of this mountain climb, wondering how distorted Gabriel’s visions were, and if she had changed since.

  Suddenly one of the horses’ heads whipped up, followed by the other two. Ears pricked back, and they began to snort and rear from where they were each tethered to the tree.

  Kalen looked beyond the horses into the darkness but couldn’t see anything in the forest. The snap of a branch cut through the air, and his attention was now needle focused. Glowing eyes appeared, low to the ground.

  “Cirrus. Luna.” The words were a hiss as Kalen kicked at the prince’s foot. Cirrus startled awake.

  “What?”

  Kalen lifted his index finger to his lips and pointed out of their little alcove.

  The animal was coming at the horses from the other side of the fire, unintimidated by the humans resting nearby.

  The horses bumped into one another in their haste to distance themselves from the predator. One of them snorted again, and his head reared back.

  Cirrus slowly rose and crept toward the horses, his short sword suddenly free from its scabbard and in his hands.

  “What are you doing?” Kalen hissed as he nudged closer to Luna to awaken her. They needed to be able to run—or climb a tree or something.

  With light steps, Cirrus slipped up to the horses and crouched between them. The animal wound languidly between the trees as it inched closer. In the lightening sky Kalen could now make out that it was a mountain cat from its pale gray fur and the fierce yellow eyes intent on one thing and one thing only.

  Their horses.

  They couldn’t afford to lose their animals. They’d lose a day getting up to Servaille, having to travel by foot.

  Kalen placed his gloved hand close to Luna’s mouth and nudged her shoulder gently with the other. She pushed at his hand and glared at him, but he tilted his head toward the cat, and her eyes widened. He waved her to the safety of the trees behind them, but she shook her head.

  “What’s he doing?” She looked at Cirrus, who had shifted around one of the other horses so he was now at the side farthest from the slinking animal. “He’ll get himself killed,” she whispered loudly.

  Cirrus threw a glance over his shoulder and shook his head as a warning for them to remain quiet.

  Suddenly the horse behind which Cirrus had been crouching reared up on his hind legs. His hooves pawed at the air and knocked the prince, who crashed to the ground on his side. Kalen readied to rush to Cirrus’s aid, but the prince pushed himself up awkwardly to his feet.

  The animal had circled to come up from behind the horses. Cirrus scooted out of the line of view, his sword gripped tight at his side.

  The horses kept shuffling, further tangling themselves in their ropes. Luna nudged Kalen. “Let’s get the horses out of the way.” While the cat and Cirrus faced off, they slipped over and untied the ropes to lead the horses toward the tree line.

  The cat crouched low, ready to pounce. Back legs pushed into the hard-packed ground as it prepared to launch. Cirrus jumped forward and stabbed his sword between the cat’s ribs. The animal fell, the sword still jutting from its skin as Cirrus lost his grip.

  Luna’s hands flew to her mouth as she covered a gasp.

  Time slowed as the cat gathered its footing and leaped toward Cirrus in a tackle. A trail of red sprayed the ground below. The force of the cat’s jump thrust Cirrus off his feet and into the air for a brief moment before he landed with a jarring boom on the ground.

  Before Cirrus could scream, the cat sank its teeth into his upper arm.

  CHAPTER

  15

  The prince grunted and shoved at the animal with his free hand. His hand found the sword hilt, and he plunged it farther into the cat. The animal released Cirrus’s arm and pitched forward, its chest heaving with whatever few remaining breaths it had left.

  Cirrus moaned and rolled to his side. He released the sword to grip his arm, his fingers reaching around his bicep. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead as Kalen and Luna ran over to help.

  Luna gingerly eased off his overcoat, the sleeve now nearly shredded. Blood soaked through the arm of Cirrus’s shirt, staining the black material an even darker shade. She glanced at Kalen. “We need to get his shirt off, too.”

  Cirrus flinched away.

  “Knock it off,” Luna said as she grabbed at his hand.

  “I’m cold is all.”

  “The cold will feel good. Now let me examine it.”

  Kalen propped Cirrus into a sitting position, and Luna worked quickly to unbutton the fabric and pull it off the good arm. She slipped it over his shoulders and peeled it slowly down the other arm. Deep, angry punctures stared back at them.

  She gripped the shirt and tore it into shreds of fabric before binding them around the arm. Cirrus’s jaw tightened, but he remained otherwise still. “Do you have to be so rough?”

  “I want to stop the bleeding,” said Luna “I’m sorry it hurts.” She dug in her pockets and pulled out a vial of bright-yellow liquid. “Take a swig of this, it will help with the pain until we get to town and have someone look at the wound. I would leave the arm exposed, too, as the cold will help with the swelling.”

  “You are insane.”

  “Thanks for the compliment, but it’s actually proven that cold therapy quickens the healing.”

  “Healing? Are you sure you don’t mean death?”

  “I doubt you’ll die before we reach Servaille, but whatever you desire.”

  He shoved his unwounded arm through the sleeve and attempted to drape it over the shoulder of his wounded arm. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it one handed, so his cheeks and ears reddened while Luna bent over to help him.

  “Thank goodness you didn’t hurt your leg.” She rolled her eyes.

  Kalen put out the fire and cleaned off Cirrus’s sword before returning it to its scabbard. He soothed each of the horses and gave them water. Luna mounted her horse, and Cirrus stood next to his. “I might need some help here,” he said, his jaw clenched in pain.

  It took some maneuvering and a couple of grunts from Cirrus, but finally they were ready to depart. The road wound through the forest, offering th
em occasional glimpses of the pale blue sky above. They finally reached the edge of the mountain, and the path cleared to showcase the valley below and the peaks on the other side. The horses plowed ahead to a switchback and turned the corner.

  There in front of them, built into the cliffs, stood the city of Servaille.

  With scylee birds circling above and below, it looked like a miniature snow village sold during the winter holiday season at the marketplace. Silver and stone sparkled in the sunlight glinting off the cliff as the sun crested above to begin its descent toward the horizon. The city seemed vertically stacked, building on top of building, precarious because one avalanche could sheer the side and decimate the entire town. When he squinted and looked closer, Kalen made out trails and roads that climbed the side of the mountain, so it wasn’t quite as vertical as he’d thought.

  But the illusion certainly made for an imposing first glimpse.

  Spurred forward by the sight of their destination, they traversed the final mountain pass and neared the outskirts of Servaille.

  The path widened again by the time they reached the city’s edge, stretching enough to allow a wagon through. A large archway marked the entrance, connected to a wall extending along the cliff’s edge along their right side. The gate was lifted, ready to slide closed and lock when needed, but for now the arch invited all willing to enter. White flags lined the wall, almost invisible against the white sky beyond.

  They received some curious glances from the citizens as they approached the first set of buildings cut into the cliff. Fair-skinned and dark-haired, most of the residents were bundled in layers of fur and wool and heavy cloth.

  “Shall I board your horses?” A young boy jumped into their path and held out his hands for their reins. “We have a stable right there”—he pointed behind him—“as horses aren’t allowed in the city. They’ve led to too many accidents.”

  Kalen glanced around and saw that the only animals were small goats pulling carts of sorts. No horses or mules or full-size wagons. He and Luna dismounted, and Cirrus slipped off his animal. Kalen took the prince’s pack and added it to his own.