Red Hood's Revenge

but all it would take was a single clumsy shot with a bow to kill them both. Snow would try to fight, and who knew what would happen if she continued to push herself to use more magic.
    Roudette had spent her life fighting. Talia didn’t want to follow that same path.
    Danielle must have read the answer in Talia’s face. She stepped forward, putting a hand on Talia’s shoulder. “Go with them.”
    “I can’t—”
    “Do you trust me?”
    Talia glared. Danielle’s smile was highly inappropriate for one standing between angry warriors.
    “These soldiers are men of Arathea too,” Danielle said. “Your people. I’ve watched you this past week, Talia. I know you don’t want to fight them.”
    “I don’t want to have my head cut off, either,” Talia snapped.
    “I won’t let that happen.”
    The wolf’s rage was building, urging Talia to attack. She pushed it back. “You’ve been spending too much time with Beatrice.”
    Danielle’s smile grew.
    Talia turned around, looking past the Kha’iida to Snow and Faziya. Danielle was right, damn her. To the raqeem, she said, “I’ll go with you.”
    Muhazil started to protest, but Talia cut him off. “Your people have more important duties than to protect me.”
    She watched as two soldiers ran to fetch the ebony horse. The raqeem climbed onto the horse’s bare back. Talia followed, watching Danielle closely. Danielle said nothing. She simply waited, lips twitching.
    A second soldier mounted behind Talia. The raqeem kicked his heels into the horse’s sides and shouted, “To the queen!”
    Nothing happened. The raqeem kicked again and repeated his command, slightly flustered.
    This time the horse did respond, but rather than vanishing into the wind, it trotted at a leisurely pace toward Danielle. She smiled and reached up to stroke the horse’s head. “Talia, would you please translate for me?”
    Talia looked at Danielle, then at the horse. Slowly, she too began to smile.
    “Tell this man to stop yelling at his horse. Otherwise, I’ll ask it to ride out to the middle of the ocean. I know you can swim.”
    Talia repeated Danielle’s words. The ebony horse couldn’t actually cross the ocean, but she doubted the raqeem would know that.
    The raqeem straightened. “Who are you?”
    “That makes no difference,” said Danielle. “What matters is I’ve told your horse who Talia is. He knows his true master.”
    Talia pursed her lips. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but even if we steal the horse, Lakhim will never stop—”
    “I’ve never stolen a thing in my life,” Danielle protested. “Despite what my stepsisters used to say.”
    The raqeem reached for his sword. The ebony horse turned his head. A single red-jeweled eye flashed in the sun. Slowly, the raqeem removed his hand.
    “Talia and I will speak to your queen,” Danielle said.
    He didn’t move. Talia could have tossed him from the horse, but she restrained herself. “You were ordered to bring us to Lakhim. I give you my word we will go to her. Not to fight but to talk.”
    He twisted about, studying her for a moment, then climbed down from the horse. He barked an order at the other soldier, who followed.
    “I assume the horse knows where to find Queen Lakhim?” Danielle asked.
    “The palace,” said the raqeem. “She returned home as soon as she received word of Zestan’s death.” He glanced at the spot where Zestan had fallen.
    Danielle climbed up behind Talia.
    “Wait,” said Faziya. She moved slowly, doing her best to hide her weakness. She stepped past both groups of warriors until she reached the horse. There, she looked up at Talia and said only, “Return to me.”
    Talia’s throat knotted. “I will.”
    Faziya walked away without another word. Danielle whispered a command, and the desert vanished.
     
    There was no wind. No sense of movement. Nothing but cold and darkness, lasting only long enough for Talia to wonder what might happen to one who jumped free before arriving at her destination.
    Shouts erupted all around them as the horse trotted to a halt. Talia didn’t bother to hide her smirk. “You told it to bring us to the throne room?”
    Danielle shrugged. “I said to take us to Lakhim. Be thankful she wasn’t using the privy.”
    Neither Talia nor Danielle moved as guards surrounded the horse. Queen Lakhim sat in the single throne in front of an abstract painting of the sun, as though she were the source of all light. Talia gritted her teeth.