Rough, Sara Fields [the top 100 crime novels of all time txt] 📗

An alliance with him would put the Cult in a position of power that would be difficult to beat and it was up to Magnar to secure it.

It was critical that he did.

Quietly, I made my way through the gardens and pulled my hood up to hide the telltale color of my pale blonde hair. I turned my head and gazed to the north, wandering until I approached a hidden corner that appeared to be long forgotten. I found a small scrap of fabric tied to a door, made of the same cloth the scarf in my window had been. Carefully, I removed it before I turned the handle and cautiously walked through it. I stiffened when I saw a cloaked figure sitting silently on the other side.

His head turned and he pushed back the hood of his cloak once his eyes settled on me, revealing his identity at once.

Ivar.

Silvery blue eyes stared back at me. I could see the dark outline of his beard. This time it was well trimmed, which was different from how I remembered him last.

“Ariana,” he whispered. “It’s been a while.”

“It has, Ivar,” I whispered.

“When you were taken, we couldn’t save you,” he said quietly.

“I know. You weren’t meant to,” I replied gently.

He gazed at me with quiet understanding, nodding once before he cleared his throat.

He was a member of the Brotherhood, just like me. Before I’d been captured by the Cult, we’d worked together to rescue a child caught within their clutches. I hadn’t known if they’d been successful or not.

“Did everyone get out safely?” I asked. It was something I’d thought about occasionally since that day.

“Yes. Everyone escaped and with them, we rescued a fair number of the Cult’s omegas,” he answered.

“I’m really glad to hear that,” I said quietly. I didn’t tell him that the omega trade was still alive and well here in Kingsworth. He didn’t need to know that.

I watched him reach into a small bag at his waist. He pulled a heavy-looking object out and held it out for me to take.

Under nothing but the light of the moon, the golden goblet shone. It was covered in multicolored gemstones that glittered in the starlight. It was a gift that would be worthy of a king.

“It is our understanding that there is a member of the Cult that had become a problem for you. This goblet is a gift for the person. It has a false bottom. If you press the circular red stone hard enough, it will release whatever contents are hidden beneath,” he explained.

He didn’t elaborate any further, but I knew what he meant.

Whoever took a sip from this would wind up dead.

He passed me the leather bag and I hid the goblet safely inside it.

“Tell the Ghost that I send my gratitude,” I said softly.

“He already knows,” Ivar answered before he gazed off into the city.

“Have you been here long?” I asked as I leaned against the rock wall.

“I have. I’ve been watching you from the safety of the walls for some time. The Ghost wanted to ensure your safety. Your position is precarious, and he wants to ensure that you are protected no matter the cost,” he explained.

“Magnar wants that for me too,” I said softly.

Ivar reached for me, exposing my mark. He didn’t touch it directly, and I was grateful for that small mercy.

“This is a parting gift between you and me. When I walk away tonight, I will be leaving the city for good,” he continued.

“Where will you go?”

“Into the wilds. I am being sent to gather our allies for the war to come,” he answered.

I sighed softly. Such a mission would be extremely perilous. Some of the places in the wilds were savage, led by battle-hardened warriors and long-abandoned cities of the ancients. Some of them were occupied. Others weren’t.

It would be very dangerous for him.

“Are you to go alone?”

“I am,” he replied.

“May the Brotherhood keep you safe,” I said, my words hardly audible. They were treacherous to say, especially here and I couldn’t risk anyone overhearing me.

“Our allies run deep. You don’t need to worry about me,” he replied confidently. I knew he was right, but I would think about him all the same. “See to it that you use the gift wisely.”

I smiled.

“I will make sure that I do,” I answered just as assuredly. I reached for his hand once and squeezed it tight before letting go.

“I know you will. I would expect only the best from the Ghost’s daughter,” he smirked.

I sucked in a breath. That was extremely well-guarded information. No one knew that small detail aside from my father’s closest allies.

“He made you a sage,” I gasped.

He didn’t answer me, but he didn’t have to. I knew at once that I was right.

“I must make my way out of the city before the sun rises,” he said.

“I wish you the protection of the gods,” I murmured. “May Oslin look upon you in favor.”

He simply pulled up his hood and disappeared into the shadows of the night like a ghost. If I didn’t hold the goblet in my hands, I would have thought that I’d imagined the whole thing.

The next several days passed by in a blur. Before I knew it, it was time for the massive dinner celebration to commemorate the union between Kingsworth and Daneridge. That afternoon, a number of servants arrived to dress me in an extravagant gown comprised of delicate pale silver lace. I was laced up in a soft blue leather corset that covered my torso and pushed my breasts up to a rather salacious height.

When they finished, Magnar walked in dressed in his finest battle leathers. He sucked in a breath when he saw me.

“You look beautiful, sigma,” he whispered, dragging his eyes up and down my body with more than obvious appreciation. I did the same and he smirked knowingly. We both missed each other and when