Richelle Mead - THORN QUEEN

“What the hell was that?”

“Fire demons,” he replied.

“I know that! What were they doing here?”

“They were summoned.” He frowned. “Which is unexpected for ruffians like that. Someone who can wield that sort of magic would have no need to live that kind of life.”

My adrenaline-charged heart rate had slowed down, allowing me to get a good look at our group now. We’d managed to cart off two prisoners-a few of the others had been freed by their friends in the demon chaos-which meant we could do some questioning later. For now, they weren’t my chief concern. The guards were. Many of them were burned and wounded, though none as badly as the guy I’d saved. Some of the injured rode on their own; others required help.

“They need healers,” I told Rurik anxiously. He was singed and cut but had emerged unscathed for the most part. It had taken almost an hour to get to the spot we had tethered the horses, and I didn’t want the injured waiting that long.

Rurik didn’t answer right away. He annoyed me and wasn’t as socially graceful as he could be, but he knew military matters and was a good strategist. At last he said, “If we veer west, we can be in Westoria in fifteen minutes.”

“Westoria?”

“The village we passed through yesterday.”

“How is that-” I didn’t finish the question. I would never understand how the Otherworld folded upon itself, how yesterday Westoria had been an hour and a half from the castle and now it was right around the corner. I also didn’t understand how everyone but me seemed to always know what direction to go.

Rurik assured me they’d have healers in the village, so I followed his lead. As soon as we turned, we found ourselves in the Rowan Land. Ten minutes later, we were back in the Thorn Land, and another five brought us to Westoria.

“Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered. I really never would learn this land’s layout. Only Kiyo the fox was close enough to hear my profanity, and I didn’t know if he understood or not.

Our approach was noticed just like before, and I paused before entering the village in order to say the words that would send Volusian away for now. I didn’t want to terrify the townspeople more than I already did.

Of course, when we’d left last time, their terror had been replaced by hope and faith. Today, once we told our tale, that optimism faded to disappointment and fear of a different kind-fear that their queen couldn’t defend them. If they couldn’t look to their wonderful new monarch for protection, what hope did they have? I tried to ignore those disillusioned faces as best I could. Otherwise, I thought I might snap back that fire demons were hardly an everyday occurrence for a king or queen. I doubted Dorian or Maiwenn would have done much better.

Instead, I directed my attention to those who had fought for me and been injured for it. The burned man was still alive but in very bad shape. Davros, the mayor, assured me they had a healer who could bring the guard back to a stable condition. The healing took awhile, so I accepted Davros’ invitation to sit and have a drink in his home once again. They’d already gotten my well up and working, and he seemed very pleased to be able to offer me water.

“There were no girls there,” I told him. I sat in a plain wooden chair. Kiyo lay on the floor at my feet, his furry body pressed up to my leg.

Davros snorted. “Of course not, your majesty. I told you that girl ran off. It’s easier on her parents to believe otherwise. We certainly appreciate your, uh, efforts to clean out those villains, however.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, well, the fire demons were kind of unexpected.”

“There have been rumors for some time, your majesty, that there were some very strong fire users among them. It’s part of what’s made their raiding so problematic.”

I widened my eyes. “Oh? That might have been useful information earlier.”

He cowered at the tone in my voice. “Begging your pardon, your majesty. None of us could have imagined their power was that great.”

I questioned him further on where the bandits might go now and if he’d heard any other stories about their magic users. If we faced these guys again, I didn’t want any more surprises. We spoke until Rurik came to get me, telling me that most of the wounded were in traveling shape but that the severely injured man would stay behind for further recovery. There seemed no point in remaining after that, so we set out for the castle.

The ride back wasn’t too different from our last ride from Westoria. There was a dark mood over the group, and I was probably the worst. We’d set off counting on an easy victory and had more or less gotten our asses kicked.

It was late when we finally arrived, the sun having set and cooled the weather to a comfortable eighty degrees. Time in Tucson tended to run a little later than here, which meant it was well into the night back home. So much for the date with Kiyo. That saddened me further, and I wandered out to a stretch of garden-by which I meant rocks and cacti-that extended beyond the castle. I settled down on a patch of grass that Shaya had been painstakingly trying to grow. As someone who controlled and spoke to plant life, I think this barren landscape killed her sometimes.

I’d been sitting there and ruminating for about an hour when Kiyo joined me. His fox form had finally lifted.

“Don’t take it so hard,” he said, putting an arm around me and guessing what had me worried. “There was nothing you could have done differently.”

“I suppose. I just feel bad now. Like, I still don’t want this place. Not at all. But here it is, and then I feel horrible and guilty because even if I try, I can’t do anything for it. I pushed the thinking off on Shaya, and then I failed at the fighting part-the one thing I can usually do. Argh.” I buried my face in my hands. “It’s so confusing. I never wanted to deal with this.”

Kiyo pulled me close, and I rested my head against his chest. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’ll get through this.”

“We? You’ve got enough to worry about without this.” I was in one of those glum moods where everything seemed hopeless. How could he possibly have time for me with a new baby on the way?

“We,” he said firmly. “And as much as I hate to say it…you just being here is going to help the land.”

“How?”

“It’s tied to your life, right? You affect it, strengthen it just with your presence. It’s why that meditation you do soothes it.”

“Maybe. But I’ve been meditating for months, and there have still been droughts and famines.”

“You’re still helping it, whether you know it or not. Your thoughts, moods…it’s all connected.”

“Wonderful. It must be doing just great tonight then,” I muttered.

In the moonlight, I saw him gesture around us. The sky was clear, and there was no breeze. There was a dry, stagnant feel to the air. It seemed unhealthy. Like you could feel the energy being sapped from everything.

I sighed and lay back on the grass. “If I stay the night, will it help?”

“Probably.” He lay beside me. “No Red Pepper Bistro then.”

“Yeah. And I was so looking forward to their Salmonella Burrito Special. I guess there’s always tomorrow.”

“Mmm, well…”

I turned toward him. “Oh, I don’t like that.”

“I promised Maiwenn…” He couldn’t finish.

“It’s fine. I understand.” I did. I just didn’t like it. Were we ever going to have some semblance of a normal dating life?

“Oh, Eugenie.” Kiyo wrapped himself against me and brushed the hair from my face. “You’re the only one. You know that, right? The only one I want in this world.” He paused. “Or any other world.”