Ravenmarked (The Taurin Chronicles) by Amy Rose Davis Page B

“I think they had hoped to wed me to Braedan, at one point. I do remember being introduced to several noble sons. I think Muriel hoped one of them would take an interest in me and she could arrange a marriage and then tell him who I was.”
    “So your whole life revolves around having the right blood and passing it on,” he said. “There was never any intention of putting you on the throne—no real intention, anyway.”
    She picked at a loose thread on her breeches. “No,” she whispered. “I suppose not.”
    “You have no family left on Taura?”
    “The sayas were my family.” The pang of loss hit her again. Her eyes watered. “I suppose if the sayada is gone, I have no other family.” Tears spilled over accompanied by hesitant sobs. “I’m sorry. I know I should be strong—it’s my duty to be strong—but they were all I had.”
    Connor’s voice softened. “You’re not betraying your duty to grieve a great loss, saya. I know what it is to lose family.” He pulled another kerchief from his pack and handed it to her.
    She held the kerchief over her face. I’m alone. I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything I knew could be wrong, and all I’m prepared to do is care for the poor and become a wife and mother. She curled into a ball against the tree and sobbed as the storm raged overhead.

Chapter Six

    In the days before the rending, human and Syrafi mated.
    But their children had too much power, so Alshada banished them from the world of men.
    They are the Forbidden. When they rise again, they will deliver us to our glory.
    — Nar Sidhe legend

    When the sun broke through the clouds, Connor reached for his boots. “We should keep going.” The sooner I get you to Sveklant, the sooner I can be rid of this binding.
    Mairead wiped puffy eyes and gave him a wan smile. She choked out a rueful laugh. “I fear I’m using all of your clean kerchiefs.”
    He put the kerchief in a pocket. “They can all be washed. Feel better?”
    She nodded. “It’s just hard.”
    His heart softened as he realized how much he’d expected of her. She can’t be more than twenty. Raised in a sayada, eating easy foods, only the exercise of caring for her sayas and the poor, and now, everything she had taken from her, sent with a stranger on a journey across foreign lands. It’s amazing she hasn’t been sobbing this entire time. He looked toward the northeast. Damn it. I wanted to go around. But when he saw the saya’s rain-soaked clothing and pale, tear-streaked face, his resolve melted. “There’s a village up ahead where I used to know some people. If they’re still there, we can spend the night with them and get some supplies.”
    She sniffed. “Are you sure? We don’t have to stop. I can keep going.”
    The weariness in her voice suggested otherwise. “We need horses, anyway. May as well get them now.”
    They put on their boots and packs and started walking. Other than an occasional sniffle, Mairead made little noise as they walked. He tried to slow his gait to allow her to keep up. She’s not prepared for this journey at all.
    Mairead’s pace started to slow in the afternoon, and he turned to her. “Hungry?” he asked.
    “Yes. How did you know?”
    “You’re slowing down.” He sniffed the air. “There’s an apple tree just over there.”
    The tree’s branches sagged with ripening fruit. Connor picked an apple and gave it to her. “It’s not much, but it will help you get to the village.”
    “Thank you.” She bit into it. “Mmm . . . So crisp and sweet.”
    He grinned. “Didn’t you have apples at the sayada?”
    “Not this kind, and not from our own tree.”
    “I’ll pick a few more for you. For later.”
    Her eyes brightened. “Would you?”
    He picked several apples and put them in his pack. “They’ll weigh my pack down.”
    “I’ll carry them.” She held out her hand.
    “No. They’ll just slow you down.”
    “You picked them for me. I’ll carry them.”
    He gave her his