Lakhoni Read Free

object
wouldn’t leave her until she discovered what it was. Shelu and her father had
spoken in such hushed tones, their heads close, that Ree knew her curiosity
wouldn’t let go until she knew what the secret was. And Father would refuse to
tell her about it, like usual, proving he didn’t trust her. If you couldn’t
trust your daughter, who could you trust?
    Ree
hurried toward the door of the throne room. She paused for a moment to run her
hand over the beautiful jewels encrusting the left armrest of the throne. In
the pale light of the autumn morning, the reds, blues, and greens of the gems
glowed with cold fire. What a waste to put them on a chair; precious stones
deserved to be worn. She had to tear herself away; she could get caught at any
moment.
    Ree
listened at the door, peering through the crack between the door and the wall.
She saw no guards and heard no footsteps. Holding her breath, she slipped the
handle off its rod, opened the door just enough to squeeze out, and hooked the
handle in the rod in the hallway wall.
    “Princess?”
    The
loud voice made her jump. Her heart stopped, then fluttered somewhere deep in
her stomach. She turned to face the two guards. They looked like they could be
twins. Each wore the decorative sash of brown bear skin, her father’s house
animal, with the insignia of the temple guard branded into the bear skin. They
both had shaved heads with dark tattoos—starting at the very top of the head
and moving out in a spiral from there. Both guards wore a simple loincloth with
a dark leather belt that held an obsidian-bladed dagger and in their right
hands they held spears with obsidian tips.
    “Princess
Ree,” one of them said. “Your father has told you not to enter his throne room
without his permission. We are commanded to tell him if we see you disobeying.”
    The
two guards lengthened their stride, coming to a halt only a few feet in front
of Ree.
    She
prayed her voice wouldn’t give her thumping heart away. “Oh, I know.” She kept
her voice casual. “Isn’t he in there already? I just wanted to ask him if I
could take Titan out this morning after breakfast.” She thanked the First
Fathers that she had taken a moment to come up with a story.
    The
guards looked at each other, then back at her, their eyes narrowed and
suspicious.
    Ree
kept her eyes on their faces. She had to show no sign of worry or concern.
    The
guards exchanged another look. “No, the king is not in there. He has not
finished his breakfast yet,” the guard on the left said.
    “Oh,”
said Ree. “I’ll go find him!” She tried to make her voice sound excited, but it
came out as almost a squeak. Before the guards could decide whether to believe
her, Ree turned around and walked away. They’ll tell him about what I said . Now I really do have to ask him if I can take Titan out today. She
strode as confidently as she could, turning right at the next hallway, making
her way to her father’s quarters.
    Soon , she thought. Soon I’ll be
thirteen and they’ll have to be nicer to me. They won’t be able to order me
around. She continued walking down the shadowed hallways, making her way
toward her father’s quarters.

Chapter 4

Duty
    The
morning’s chill woke Lakhoni. He shifted, hissing at the pain in his body. He
felt as if his joints and bones were fused tree branches. Cotton filled his
head, a dull throb at his crown reminding him of the blow he had been dealt. He
carefully levered himself up, stiffness in his neck forcing him to move his
entire upper body as he searched the hut with his eyes.
    No
blanket.
    Confused,
he pushed himself first to his knees, then to his feet, swaying precariously
for a moment before he put a hand on the wall. His ankle held his weight better
now, but still pulsed with every beat of his heart. Each movement produced a
hiss from between his teeth. He sat again, carefully, and tore a frayed strip
of leather from his breeches. He wrapped his ankle tightly.
    Why
would