The King of Forever (Scarlet and the White Wolf, #4) by Kirby Crow Read Free Book Online Page A

tiredly. “I thought we’d covered this ground already.”
    “We have,” Scarlet said morosely.
    “And so?”
    Scarlet shrugged. “As you say, you’ve been busy. We’ve spent little time together in the past month. I wanted a change. I got bored.”
    Liall grunted. And grew tired of having palace gossip poured into your ears. “Deva save us all from a bored Hilurin.”
    Scarlet winced as Esiuk’s needle threaded through his skin. “I took down a buck before I fell.”
    “A reindeer?” Liall couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “With your little bow? You amaze me. Is there anything you can’t do?”
    “Fly, for one.” Scarlet shook his head. “I thought it was a hill made of earth or an outcropping of rock. It didn’t look like a deadfall. Even if it was, I expected the ice would hold me up.”
    “The ice becomes rotten this time of year, especially so close to the sea. Any area off the main paths can be treacherous. Did you enjoy using the bow?” Liall was glad to be off the topic of his many absences and glad that they were not snapping at each other anymore. Scarlet’s temper was like quicksilver, but so was his forgiveness. He never stayed cross for long, and for that Liall was grateful. Lately, though, gossip of Ressilka had put a wedge between them, and Liall ached to see it gone.
    Scarlet nodded. “The bow is a fine way to hunt. Better than snaring, anyhow, and surer.”
    Deer and other game in Scarlet’s homeland were brought down by snares, spears, traps, or staked pits. In Byzantur and even Morturii, the bow was a cowardly weapon of disgrace, the tool of assassins and spies. Any weapon that put a man beyond arm’s reach was shameful to use, and even possessing one with the excuse of hunting was extremely dangerous. A bow was an indictment, and the man who owned one could be accused of many things. Scarlet had never even touched a bow before coming to Rshan.
    “I’m glad you’ve taken to the weapon. It’s a pretty thing, is it not?” Liall glanced at the door where Scarlet’s heavy hunting cloak and boots had been piled, the slender bow named Whisper resting on top of them. A servant would put them away later, when they judged it prudent to return.
    Scarlet followed Liall’s gaze. The supple bow was carved from seasoned black oak, the grip inlaid with bone and silver and mother of pearl fittings in the swirling Ostre Sul pattern of the winter aurora. Though it was perfect for Scarlet, it was half the size of a Rshani bow and a fourth of the drawing power. Liall had known it would be good for hunting rabbits and small game, but with accuracy and swiftness, an arrow was deadly to a target of any size. A rabbit was smaller than a man’s head, after all, and an eye makes a handy target. It pleased him to know that he had added one more defense to Scarlet’s arsenal.
    “Very pretty,” Scarlet agreed. “I’m getting better, but some of my arrows still go wide of my mark.”
    “The bow is yours, but no man owns the arrow, Scarlet.” Liall was suddenly serious. “Remember that. An arrow can always go astray, even at the last moment. No man ever masters it completely.”
    “What about women? I bet Jarek would be a fair shot with my lady there. I still feel strange picking her up, like I should be looking over my shoulder for an Ankarian guard to call me out as a spy.”
    “She?” Liall chuckled. “You think your bow a female, then? My t’aishka finally decides to sample the pleasures of a woman, but she’s made of wood.”
    That tugged an embarrassed smile from Scarlet, despite Esiuk’s presence. “As if I’d ever. Even if I liked her, I wouldn’t know what to do. I’d make a mess of it, that’s for sure.” He shook his head. “Things are so different here. You have masters but no slaves, magic but no gods, and men can lie with men, and women with women, and no one takes the slightest notice.”
    “You’re the only magic this country has seen in a thousand years.”