The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Twelve

A gentle nudging roused Seraiah the next morning. She blinked up at the trees, confused, before it all came rushing back to her.

Sterling.

The dream of her terrified face.

Something was after Sterling, and it was undoubtedly the same thing that had left the mangled arm. Alarm flooded through Seraiah's body, and she scrambled to her feet, tangling in the bedroll.

"Whoa." Strong hands grabbed her arms before her face could meet the ground. "Careful now," Kai said. "Not going to be much use if you break your neck tripping over a bedroll."

"But we have to find her. We have to find Sterling now," Seraiah said frantically. "Before that thing does." She tried to pull away, but Kai didn't relinquish his hold.

He didn't ask what she meant, either. Instead, he said, "No one is going anywhere yet. I think it's time we talked, don't you?"

She froze, meeting his eyes for the first time. They were as cold as a stormy winter sky. He didn't look like he wanted to be speaking to her, but his voice held none of the animosity from the day before.

"Then talk," she said, the words coming out harsher than she'd meant. As much as she wanted to know what he had to say, she'd rather be going after Sterling. By the amount of light filtering through the trees, they'd already let her sleep in. They wouldn't have done so if they knew what she had seen. Every second they dallied was another opportunity for the beast in her dreams to find her sister before she did.

Kai let go of her arms and moved away to dig in his saddlebag.

Seraiah crossed her arms over her chest, waiting. She could still feel the places where his fingers had touched, like he'd branded her. He wasn't wearing gloves.

The horses nibbled on the underbrush nearby, while Kestrel watched the forest, taking Kai's place from last night. If she was interested in their conversation, she didn't show it.

Finally, Kai turned back to her.

"Here." He held out another apple. "Don't waste it this time. It's my last one."

She accepted it, her eyes never leaving his face.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Yesterday he'd worn it half tied up, but now the silver strands hung loose around his shoulders. "I'm not sure where to start."

"At the beginning," she suggested helpfully.

"Then make yourself comfortable." He indicated the tangled bedroll on which she stood.

Seraiah took a seat, holding onto the apple. After a moment of hesitation, Kai sat down across from her. Out of the corner of her eye, Seraiah saw Kestrel move closer to them, while still watching the trees for any sign of danger. It seemed she had been paying attention to them, after all.

"I was eight years old when my sister was declared dead," Kai started, drawing Seraiah's attention back to him.

She did a quick calculation in her head. If Sterling was indeed his younger sister, that would make him twenty-three now.

"I found out, along with the rest of Nyrene, when my mother announced it. Fifteen years ago, the kingdom lost its heir, but I lost my sister. She was only a week old, and I hadn't had a chance to get to know her. My heart was broken."

Seraiah's own heart jumped in her chest. His words confirmed her suspicion that he was Sterling's older brother.

"It wasn't until years later," he continued, "that my nurse let it slip. My sister hadn't died that day like my mother had said. She was still alive somewhere. The Queen's Protector, Jensira, had spirited her away."