Gold to Dust

Chapter Sixteen

Sixteen

"I want to know about my mother," Ellegra said, raising her voice to be heard over the chatter of the guards. The noise dimmed, all ears tuning to listen to her proposal.

Prince Arem gave a weak chuckle. "You're not exactly in the position to be demanding things, Princess." The rest of them shared in a hearty laugh, and conversations resumed their volume. But she wasn't done yet.

Gritting her teeth, she wrapped her hands around the chains, linked her fingers together, and yanked back with all her might. The horse cried out and jerked to the side, nearly tripping over its own feet. Arem glared back at her with wide, angry eyes. The party froze, guards pulling their beasts to a stop to look at them. Tension quickly filled the air, so thick it was hard to breathe. Ellegra's sore hands released the chains. "I want to know what happened to my mother." She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. She knew she was overstepping the boundaries of royals, disrespecting one in front of his men, but she was tired of being played as nothing more than a criminal. Now she was demanding respect.

Arem contemplated his words. He pursed his lips, resting a hand on the back of the saddle to hold his twisted body in position as he stared at her. "She's gone."

The two words broke a rush of ice inside her. It coursed through her veins and twisted her gut, freezing her lungs and stopping her breath. "What?" She barely choked out the word. "What does that even mean?"

A pained look took over his handsome face. "The queen disappeared right after the funeral. No one has seen her since." He took no joy in seeing the shock discolor her face.

A guard moved his horse beside the prince's, its tail flickering next to her head. "There's a rumor going around about her," the man said.

The prince shot him a disgusted look of anger. The guard shied away, remembering his place. "And just what might that be, Private Alchun?" His tone left a burn in the back of his throat.

The soldier kept his eyes fixed on the sand. "People are saying she's hunting down the princess, sire. They say she's trying to find the murderer of her husband." He lifted his head to look at Ellegra. All humility faded from his eyes, replaced with a sinister, insidious look that made his lips twitch. "They say she's coming for you."

Ellegra narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't deny the imprint of cold ice his words left on her. Her own mother thought she was a traitor. She wanted her daughter's head just as much as her brother and country did. I really am alone.

Arem snarled. "Get back in line," he growled at his soldier. He glanced down at Ellegra, but she was staring at the ground with wide, unseeing eyes. She had gone completely numb at his soldier's words. Reluctantly, Arem tugged at her chains to get her moving again.

❂

Night took over the sky with a swift stroke of a brush. Stars whispered in the canopy of darkness, breathing quietly above them. The men made small talk, a slight cheer in their voices the closer they got to the village. The air buzzed with electricity. They were all tired, but they were more excited to finally be out of the Valley. How the slave traders made it their home and survived remained a mystery, but hopefully one Ellegra would never know the answer to.

Quietly, she pulled her flask from her pants pocket and took a small swig, swishing the water in her mouth to relieve some of the dry, nasty taste that lingered on her tongue. She swallowed and smacked her lips.

The prince called for a quick rest. A scout tediously climbed the canyon wall and walked ahead. Then he held up his hand, pointing one finger at the sky. Many of them gave loud sighs, others clasped their hands in prayer and smiled. "One hour to the village," Prince Arem called, and hoots of joy were released into the night. "Five minutes to rest and stretch." He dismounted with every ounce of grace he could muster, his legs tight and sore as he came to Ellegra and pushed the key into the padlock. With a creak of metal, the shackles opened and fell into the sand with a jingle of chains. She moaned and rubbed her fingers around her wrists, her eyes closed in this small piece of ecstasy. Arem's voice pulled her back, shattering her moment of peace. "I want to believe you," he said. She opened her eyes, finding him closer than she would have expected. She could feel part of her firm resolve against him slowly thawing from the heat his body pushed off. Try as she might to hate him, she missed her friend. "More than anything in the world, I want to believe that what you're saying is the truth."