“That’s kind of rude,” Jyn said.
“Be quiet, Jyn. Have respect for the human who can run up walls,” Trugg said.
“May I have your names?” Kol asked.
“We’re nobody.” The girl’s brown eyes were guarded. She had a smudge of dirt on one pale cheek, and her long dark curls were tangled from her sprint through the village, but even so, she was beautiful in a way that made Kol want to keep looking. He smiled to show her he’d meant no harm and slowly rose to his feet.
“You need to be much more careful. The people are starving, and they still owe taxes. Taxes they can’t pay. Unless they find another source of coin or food, they’ll either starve to death or be thrown in one of Irina’s dungeons. The last Eldrian refugees who came through here paid for food with jewels worth fifty times the price of their bread. The lucky people who gained those jewels were able to take their families and escape Ravenspire. Walking into one of the poorest villages in the kingdom looking as rich as Eldrian royalty is a tremendous risk.”
Trugg cleared his throat and stepped forward. “We look as rich as Eldrian royalty because he”—Trugg pointed at Kol who suddenly felt like his collar was too tight—“is royalty. I present to you King Kolvanismir Arsenyevnek, son of Ragvanisnar III, holder of the sky scepter and supreme ruler of Eldr.”
EIGHT
LORELAI STARED AT the Eldrians, her cheeks heating. The handsome boy with the golden eyes and wild hair was a king? What would a king be doing walking into Tranke with only two escorts, both of whom looked no older than Lorelai herself?
The boy seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt. He waved a hand in the air like he could swat his title away. “There’s no need for formality, really. I’m just Kol—”
“You’re not old enough to be the king of Eldr, Kol.” Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Did he think she was stupid? She didn’t know what the Eldrians hoped to gain by making such a ridiculous claim, but they weren’t going to get it from her. She’d spent years learning everything there was to know about the kingdoms that surrounded Ravenspire, and the king of Eldr was old enough to be this boy’s father. “I don’t know what you want here, but it’s time for you to go.”
“You dare speak to him this way?” The girl with the short dark hair and sharp green eyes stepped toward Lorelai, but the huge, dark-skinned Eldrian boy put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back.
Kol met her gaze, and grief lurked in his. “My father died in the ogre war. My older brother and my mother also.” His gaze drifted from hers as he opened his cloak to reveal the Eldrian royal seal—a bronze dragon with emeralds for eyes and wings studded with rubies—pinned to the inside just above his heart. “I’m the king of Eldr now.”
She believed him. “I’m sorry for your loss.” And she was. But more than that, she needed to understand why the king of Eldr was in Tranke and whether that posed a danger to her people or to Leo, Gabril, and herself.
She waited until he looked at her again before saying, “What are you doing traveling through Ravenspire with such a small escort? And why would you bother stopping at a village like this when Nordenberg—which is a far wealthier town—is just north of here and its people are used to nobility—”
Leo nudged her with his elbow and whispered “manners” before giving Kol a huge smile. “Forgive us, my lord, for you have us at a disadvantage. My sister is frankly deplorable at conducting courtly conversation. The only thing worse than her ability to make appropriate small talk with royalty is her attempt to let a man lead her on the dance floor. Your timely interruption has saved me from the chore of attending dance lessons with her. My feet thank you.”
Stepping back from the Eldrians, Lorelai snatched Leo’s shirt and pulled him close so she could whisper, “We aren’t royalty here. We’re supposed to pass as peasants. That means—”
“We aren’t peasants. We’re the Heirs—”
“Not to him. We need to send them on their way and go meet up with Gabril and Sasha to make sure everyone in the village is all right.”
“This is getting weird,” the female Eldrian called out.