Enchanting the King (The Beauty's Beast Fantasy Series) by E.D. Walker Page A

chain mail seemed impossibly loud in the still morning air. She and Philippe did not lead the column, and ahead of her were the backs of men and horses. She could not see the road at all, except for the craggy red stone of the mountains looming in the distance.
    Her horse stumbled on the path, rattling her. When she looked down, a body lay in the road. Her horse had just stumbled over a dead body in chain mail. Her stomach clenched, and sourness burned her throat. Her horse had recovered his footing, but Aliénor’s stomach felt less sure. Covering her mouth with one hand, she cast her gaze wildly about and was shocked to see more evidence of slaughter: blood staining the rocks and clumps of carrion birds still feasting to the side of the road.
    She could hardly believe her eyes, but yes, they had left the river valley and climbed steadily toward the higher ground offered by the road into the mountain passes. The rocky foothills loomed before them, and the higher peak of the imposing Mt. Calismos towered over her like an enemy’s blade about to fall.
    The blood jumped in her veins. “Husband, we head into the mountain passes?”
    A muscle flexed beneath Philippe’s beard. “Yes.”
    Aliénor lowered her voice, but she could not stop a small tremolo of fear from leaking in. “The same mountain where King Thomas’s army was attacked? Philippe, are you mad ?”
    His head snapped her way, and his eyes were tight with the same fear souring her gut. “What choice do we have? My advisors went over and over this yesterday. The weather along the river path is disastrous. If we stick to the coast we shall all be drowned, and we lack the supplies to go the long way around the mountains. Instead, we must cut straight for Anutitum, straight as the crow flies, and then we shall be there within the week.” A brave speech, and yet her husband’s voice wobbled on the end.
    “We will all be killed by the Tiochene first.”
    “I have no choice , Aliénor.” He scraped a shaking hand through his dark hair. “Anyway, I’m sure the Tiochene have moved on with their spoils by now. Why should they attack a well-armed force like ours when their victory over King Thomas is so fresh?”
    “Why indeed?” Aliénor pressed a hand to her face, rubbing at the sudden ache behind her eyes.
    “You question my methods, wife?”
    I question your sanity . Aliénor bit those words back, chewing on her cheek, her stomach feeling as storm-tossed as the dark river from the other night.
    The blood witch rode somewhere just behind them, and Aliénor felt the witch’s presence like a rolling boulder at her back. Between the looming mountain pass and the threat of the blood witch’s control, Aliénor wasn’t sure which Fate she feared more.
    ***
    “Monstrous. Monstrous that the Jerdic boy would kick us out of camp.” Godric fingered the scab on his face from his interrogation, his expression surly.
    Thomas simply kept his eye on the uneven trail along the riverbank. They were taking that shorter path to civilization, hugging tight to the riverbed. This trail would be more dangerous with the winter rains and flooding, but the chances of supplying themselves were better. After what happened to his army in the mountain passes, Thomas would take the dangers of the riverbed over the dangers of the Tiochene raiders any day.
    “It’s for the best, really, that the Jerdic lad kicked us out,” Llewellyn murmured.
    Thomas shot his friend a quick, accusing look. “What do you mean by that?”
    Llewellyn’s mouth quirked, but instead of making some comment about the Jerdic princess, his second merely raised his mail-clad arm. He pointed behind them toward where they had left the Jerdic camp.
    Thomas craned around in his saddle, but it took him a long moment to understand what he was seeing. A column of dust rising high on the road. A column such as a moving army might produce with their many trampling feet. When he recognized the direction of the dust, he