Gilded Serpent by Danielle Jensen (top 10 novels txt) 📕

Gods help him, but Malahi had been right about her father. Right to see that he was as true a threat to Mudamora as Rufina and her armies. Right to have done whatever it took to see him removed from power. And instead of standing by Malahi’s side, as he’d sworn to do, Killian had abandoned her.

But if you hadn’t gone after Lydia, she’d be the one dead … “You’ll be the heir to nothing if the Anuk bring their armies over the border. Your gold will be gone. Your people dead.”

“They’ll come, but I’m not stupid enough to incite them without insurance.” Moving away from the bed, Ria poured a glass of wine and drained it. “The winter storms will be here in another few weeks, making raiding impossible. By the time it’s safe again, tempers will have cooled and better judgments will have prevailed. Not that it will come in time to help you.”

“I’m not going to let you get away with this, Ria. Nor Serrick,” he said. “I’m going to make certain the other High Lords learn what he’s done, and they’re going to rip the crown from his head.”

“On your word?” She chuckled. “With only a foreigner and a street rat to speak in your defense, because you allowed the only other witnesses to be murdered by the Anuk. No one will believe you, Killian, because you’ve failed before. It’s time that you accept that you are nothing more than a pawn being played by higher powers.”

His hands balled into fists, the rage in his chest fueled by his fear that she was right.

“A battle is coming, Killian,” she said. “Go serve your purpose and prepare our defenses.”

“Why should I?” His voice was full of venom. “With what you’ve done, better to allow the Anuk to cross the border and have their vengeance on you.”

“Except it won’t be just me they have their vengeance on.” She took a sip of her wine. “It will be all the people in Rotahn. And we both know you will never let that happen.”

 50TERIANA

They spent another night in the shack, the wolves making only a few lackluster attempts to get in before leaving her and Marcus in relative peace.

“Maybe they’ve given up.” She tried to be optimistic, which was challenging given her exhaustion. Even her hands ached from the effort of softening the wolf pelt enough to use.

Endlessly pragmatic, Marcus shook his head. “They’re being patient. Starving your enemy out is an excellent way to lay siege, if you’ve the time for it. Which I expect they do.”

But now it was dawn of the day they’d attempt to cross twenty miles of barren landscape.

Or die trying.

Together, they’d fashioned clothing from the wolf’s pelt. Big as it was, it was still not enough to cover them from head to toe, so they’d focused, as Marcus had described it, on the parts most likely to freeze off. Boots for their feet, mittens for their hands, and as she stood next to him, waiting for it to be bright enough to risk opening the door, Teriana rubbed her cheek against the deep, fur-lined hood that protected her head and shoulders.

“Ready?” Marcus turned to look at her, his face shadowed by his own hood. Over one shoulder, he had slung the satchel containing what supplies they’d bring, including the kettle, which was full of hot water. They’d have to drink it before it froze, because there’d be no time to stop to build a fire. And he’d already warned her of the dangers of eating snow. He had one mitten tucked in his belt and was holding his gladius, and thinking this might be prudent, she drew her freshly sharpened knife.

“Grab the meat,” he said. “Then we go west. I’m confident the den is north of us, so we’ll move fast at first to put some distance between them and us. If you need to rest, say so. This is a test of endurance, not speed.”

Though she suspected Marcus was mostly talking to himself, Teriana nodded.

Lifting off the crossbeams and setting them aside, Marcus opened the door and stepped outside, Teriana following on his heels. Both of them looked skyward.

“Overcast,” she said, the sun barely visible through the soft grey clouds. It was the first day she wasn’t squinting against glare, and her heart thudded rapidly against her rib cage. The sun was the only ally they had. “Should we wait until tomorrow?”

Marcus was silent, and she knew he was considering the odds. “We could. But tomorrow might be the same. We might have weeks of the same. And that wolf meat is all we have unless we stop to hunt, which—” He broke off and shook his head. “Neither of us has the expertise in trapping we need to ensure quick success, and every day, we lose daylight. Leaving is a risk. But so is staying.”

She waited for him to tell her what he thought they should do, but Marcus only turned to her. “What do you think?”

Teriana eyed the shelter as she considered their options, none of which were good. “Let’s go.”

Marcus didn’t answer, only scanned their surroundings, fingers flexing on his weapon.

There was no movement in the snowy plains, but the light was flat and strange, making it hard to judge depth. The snowdrifts didn’t seem large enough to hide anything, but … “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head and turned in a circle. “Something…”

Teriana’s skin prickled as she watched him walk a dozen paces and then stop, searching their surroundings before turning back. “I think maybe—”

Whatever else he said fell on deaf ears as a black shape rose from behind a drift.

The wolf bounded forward, ears pinned and lips peeled back in a snarl. Then it leapt.

“Tremon guide my hand!” The words tore from Teriana’s lips, and she threw her knife.

It flipped end over end, past Marcus, who was turning, blade rising.

Then the wolf slammed into him and both of them went down, rolling across the snowy ground.

“No!” Teriana hurtled