Then with both horses still moving, he plopped me right back on Zephyr’s back. Before I flew off in a horse mishap that might include a broken neck, I quickly grabbed the lip of the saddle (they had no pommels on their saddles) swung my leg around and both feet found my stirrups. He tossed the reins to me, touched his heels to his mount and took off toward the warriors.

Fantastic.

These guys. He could have just grabbed my reins and moved Zephyr and I forward but no. He had to manhandle me.

I watched him go then stupidly looked beyond the warriors to the leader of the pack. As suspected, the leader of the pack was turned in his saddle. He was far away but I could see him and I knew Lahn’s eyes were on me because he couldn’t miss me, Zephyr’s coat shone in the sun like a beacon not to mention, I was the only blonde in the bunch.

Fantastic again.

I watched him turn to face forward and I sucked in breath.

Then, with nothing for it, and because my Pop taught me well, I got my head out of my ass and turned to Diandra whose eyes were on me.

Then I said, “Uh… hey.”

She burst out laughing.

I stared at her and when her laughter waned, her eyes caught mine. “Our king grows impatient with his queen, I see,” she remarked.

Uh… what?

“Um…” I mumbled.

She faced forward and announced, “It took years before Seerim saw the errors of his ways, putting his hands on me in anger. He didn’t do it often but when he felt the need, he didn’t hesitate to do it. It was only after he hit me so hard he bloodied my nose that he stopped. Something about him shedding my blood struck something in him and he never did it again. Not once. In fact, when he’d get angry, all I had to do was flinch, thinking he might hit me and his anger would vanish,” she lifted a hand and snapped, “just like that.

It appears, my dear, our king is learning this lesson much more swiftly than my Seerim.”

“I’m not trying to teach him a lesson,” I said softly and in all truth.

“Well, maybe not, but you’re doing it all the same,” she replied.

I pulled in another breath. “Diandra –” I started on the exhale, wanting to apologize but more, wishing to give her an apology and her kind eyes came to me.

“Don’t speak of it,” she whispered. “I remember, my beautiful Circe, it was long ago, but I remember the tumult of my mind when I was brought here, claimed and forced into a life I did not understand. I have had twenty-two years with these people, I have built a life with my husband, I have come to love him deeply, we have built a family and I have become Korwahk. But I have had much time to adjust. I was like you many years ago and I remember it because it is something you do not forget. You have done far better than me and I am very proud of you but our emotions get the better of us on occasion and if you cannot allow them to do so with people who care about you, you are in trouble.”

I felt my eyes fill with tears, “Diandra –”

“Though,” she cut me off, a twinkle in hers, “I didn’t have an excellent interpreter to guide my way like you do. So along with being proud of you I am also quite proud of me because as far as I can tell, I’m doing an excellent job.”

Then she grinned huge and at that, it was me who burst into laughter.

When my laughter slid to a giggle I saw her smiling, looking ahead and she noted, “We make camp tonight, I’m sure of it.”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“You have a very appealing laugh, my dear, it is like a song that rings into the very air, travelling far, I would suspect, considering while you did it, your husband turned on his mount and watched. I am getting old but my eyesight is just fine and by his scowl I would guess he has not heard your laughter for some time and misses it, wants it for his own and therefore, being of The Horde, when he wants something, he will do something about it. So, we make camp tonight. I’m sure of it.”

It took a lot out of me but my eyes didn’t move to Lahn as I repeated, “Sorry?”

She looked at me. “Have you been receiving his attentions since our unpleasant… erm, incident?”

“Um… no,” I muttered.

“I would guess he misses that too,” she stated.

I felt my stomach drop.

“Diandra, I think… well, actually, I don’t think that I’ve ever laughed with Lahn and he can get attention whenever he wants from a variety of Xacto who follow at the back of this convoy.”

“You don’t have to have had something to want it or need it but when you have something you liked… very much… and it is taken away, and you want it back, it can become a hunger. Your husband is hungry, Circe. Warriors don’t stay hungry long before they find ways to assuage it so he will need his cham because you will need your cham for what he intends to do so we make camp tonight,” she repeated, “I’m sure of it.”

I sucked in breath and looked ahead.

This was not great news.

“Now, my dear, before you face what you will face tonight, you must go in prepared,” she stated and I knew what was coming.

“Diandra, I’m not sure I’m ready –”

“Ready or not, Circe, you have no choice. You are queen and must know this as queen but you are married to the king and you must understand what drives him and you must understand all of this for your marriage, for your husband, for your people and for you.”

I sighed. Then I muttered, “All right, my friend, let’s get this over with.”

“Circe, I’m trying to keep you alive.”

I blinked then my head snapped toward her.

Then I breathed, “What? ”

She was looking at me, she saw she had my devoted attention therefore she nodded before facing forward again. “I have explained much about Korwahk and its people. They are savage, primitive even in some ways. They have no government but they have riches, they have land and they have a king. That king has no court but that does not mean there are no courtly intrigues and politics.”

I looked forward too and said, “Diandra, sweetheart, I’m not following.”

“That man, Geoffrey, do you remember him?”

I looked at her again and when she looked at me, I nodded.

She faced forward and I did as well as she went on, “He is from Middleland. Middleland is ruled by King Baldur. He came into his kingdom as a very young man and ruled before I left the Vale but also Seerim tells me of him as he is known far because he is a greedy man, wicked and even cruel. He cares little for his people and a great deal for gold. And land. And any kinds of riches he can get his hands on. The kinds of riches Korwahk has in abundance.”

Oh shit.

As was her way, Diandra went on, “I have seen this Geoffrey, not often, but I have seen him more than once. Now, there are many men who come from far away to watch the Wife Hunt. They are despicable; they watch it for sordid reasons and they have no honor.

The Dax cares not about them. His focus is The Horde and they bring coin that they use with his merchants so he allows it.”

I’d noticed those men. And any man who watches a Wife Hunt like a spectator sport definitely had no honor.

Diandra continued, “Then there are other men who come who do so to study The Horde, its practices and the Korwahk people. This is usually for academic reasons but those reasons could be nefarious.