Gold to Dust

Chapter Fourteen

Fourteen

Tamshie was beginning to hate this country: her wrists chafed against the shackles, her feet couldn't keep up with the horse as it trotted on. The sun beamed sharp rays at her; she could feel her skin peeling from her bones. She looked across the sand at Faine, separated farther from the three of them. He hadn't spoken since their arrests the night before. His face remained impassive and expressionless. He kept his eyes forward and marched behind the horse he was chained to.

"You know," Tamshie said, shifting closer towards Ellegra's horse, "I'm starting to get sick of this place."

"I know," she said.

Ellegra shut her eyes. For the first time since she'd found Tamshie, her mind wasn't racing and trying to think of solutions. She'd known Arem since they were kids. They'd played and fought together in the halls of their homes. During visits, they'd sneak into the meeting room and eat stuffed rolls and sweets under the war table, hiding from the servants who would take their cakes away. He was like a brother to her. Now he wouldn't even look at her and she had no idea how to fix it. There was no solution to getting out of this one.

She followed behind his horse quietly, her head lowered and burning from the sun. They'd traveled all night and she was starting to feel the effects of having blasted the traders and not sleeping. Her feet dragged slower. "Arem, can I—"

"Silence," he snarled.

"Arem, please," she pleaded. She tripped and stumbled through the sand, coughing and spitting it out in wet and gritty chunks. Prince Arem twisted in his saddle and stared down at her. His eyes struggled to maintain their hard composure. His body shook, unsure of whether he should help her or push on.

"I said silence." He snapped the reins and kicked his horse into motion.

Romi and Tamshie lowered their heads, unable to meet her eyes. Ellegra shifted her gaze to Faine. His carrier pulled on his chains, yanking his arms forward to keep him close behind the horse. His jaw tightened, but he continued on.

The prince called for a rest as they reached a small pool, watering the horses and feeding them. The guards brought small cups of water to Romi and Tamshie, but Arem refused to go near Ellegra and dismissed another man to do it. She drank it greedily and pushed the cup back into his hands.

"Here," said a guard. He walked towards Faine with a full cup of water. Faine reached his hands out. Just as his fingertips brushed it, the guard released it, and the cup dropped to the sand, the water spilling into the sand. In seconds, the sun had dried it again. Faine's face showed nothing. "Oops." The guard turned away.

"Hey," Ellegra quipped. The guard faced her.

"Are you talking to me?" he said, a look of anger and disgust riddling his filthy features..

"Yes, you. Pick it up and give him some water."

He snorted. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Ellegra's jaw tightened. Her anger rose, her hands twitched. "Pick it up and get him some water. Now."

His eyebrows shot up. He walked towards her. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He grabbed the chain from the saddle's hook and grabbed it in his hand.

Ellegra's leg whipped up, her foot crashing into his chest. She pulled his sword out from his belt as he fell and pointed it at the bridge of his nose as he lay on his back, stunned with hands raised. "I am the Princess of Cureldin, and I said get him some water."