Not far away, Kestrel sat on horseback, watching the girl with cold detachment.
One of his men leaned over.
“Warlord, are you truly going to let her die? I thought you spared her on your wedding night.”
Kestrel’s eyes remained cold.
“Spare someone from Aurelia? Never.”
“If I slit her throat myself, their empire will retaliate. Garrick Aveline is a foe worth respecting–we need time to prepare for him.”
The warrior caught on.
“Ah. But if she dies to a wolf… well, that’s just nature. No blood on our hands. And cowardly Aurelian king would never dare act.”
“That buys us time to deal with Garrick!”
Kestrel observed the girl as she faced the wolf, every muscle tight with fear.
But her beauty–striking, almost wild–held his gaze.
A pity. She had been born in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Just another pawn in this brutal game
He had no desire to watch the wolf rend her flesh. “Wait here to collect the corpse,” he ordered, turning his horse.
But he hadn’t gone far when one of his men shouted-
“Warlord! Look!”
He whipped around just in time to see her sword blazing with fire.
“She poured wine over the blade and lit it!”
Kestrel’s eyes widened.
The princess sat tall atop her steed, her flaming sword in hand–fear and panic gone from her eyes.
Even the stallion beneath her had stilled, soothed by her touch.
The flames startled the wolf–it backed away, wary.
“Hyah!”
Then, with a sharp cry, she spurred her horse forward.
The wolf turned to flee, but she leaned low from the saddle and slashed across its face–taking an eye in one clean strike.
The beast howled
Shel
She leapt off the horse, landed hard, and drove her flaming sword straight into its chest.
When she wrenched the blade free, she planted one boot on the wolf’s carcass, chest heaving, her body painted in blood and soot.
Her knees buckled. She caught herself on the sword, gasping
One of the men swallowed hard.
Warlord… Should we finish her now? She’s exhausted ”
“She’s already wounded. It could still look like the wolf did it.”
Kestrel said nothing, just stared at her.
“Warlord? It would still look like the wolf did it. Perfect cover.”
“Withdraw.”
He turned his horse and rode away.
After a stunned pause, the others followed.
