Free Rise of Legends (The Kin of Kings Book 2) by B.T. Narro Page A

already, foraging in nearby vegetation. He wouldn’t abandon her so long as his hunger remained less of a priority than her safety.
    After checking her surroundings and finding nothing to eat, she whistled. Muskie plodded over, and Sanya hopped up onto his back. She directed him south and nearly slipped off as he sprang forward. She leaned down to hold on with her hands, trying not to grab his oily coat of fur.
    It took her some time to find the right spot on his back where she could balance and her weight didn’t bother him. She found it to be more forward on his body than she would’ve assumed, where the muscles of his shoulders rolled beneath her legs.
    She thought about Tauwin waiting for her in the castle in Kyrro City. Her stomach turned at the thought of him kissing her and pathetically trying to bed her as he always did. She’d used psyche the first time they’d met and every time thereafter until he was in love with her. Now he was convinced it was genuine.
    She wanted to know what had become of Oakshen since the takeover. He probably would lie about what was happening there if she asked, not knowing that she could detect it. She decided she would rather see for herself how the city was faring.
    Instead of turning west toward it, she continued south so she could travel through Raywhite Forest longer, where she was less likely to encounter Tauwin’s men. Muskie often veered toward berries that caught his eye, and she let him eat without disruption.
    Eventually they came to a beehive. Muskie approached apprehensively until Sanya put all the bees to sleep. She used psyche to communicate that she’d done this for Muskie, and he loved her even more for it. She helped herself to some of the honey.
    While Sanya rode, she continually cast out her psyche like a net. There were thousands of creatures she could detect each time, but most were simple-minded bugs. She ignored them in the same way she had the people of Tenred each time she’d look out her bedroom window from the castle where she grew up, focusing instead on the land beyond Tenred’s wall. She used to wonder how long she could elude her father’s men if she ran. She never became confident it would be more than a day.
    She stopped Muskie when she finally sensed what she’d expected to encounter eventually: another person. It seemed to be a man, a strong sense of duty keeping him cautious and unafraid. She left Muskie behind for a glimpse through the trees.
    Sanya couldn’t believe her eyes, not just because it was a woman, but because Sanya recognized her.
    Effie? What was the mage doing out here? She had on a simple brown dress that was dirty and frayed at the bottom. Her nervous hand gripped a pouch just small enough to fit in a pocket. Her other hand picked off a blackberry and placed it in the pouch. She popped the next one into her mouth, then reached behind her to touch the bow strapped to her back as if to ensure it hadn’t fallen off.
    It wasn’t Effie, Sanya realized as she remembered the mage had a younger sister. Sanya had met Gabby briefly at the celebration at Effie’s house at the end of evaluation week.
    She came to a plan quickly, walking out into the clearing between them. “Gabby, thank the stars!”
    The young chemist looked shocked and angry as if someone had lifted up her dress. She squeezed the pouch against her bosom.
    “It’s Sanya from the Academy,” she said, putting up her hands. “We’ve met before.”
    “Sanya! What are you doing here?” Gabby shot a look over her shoulder. “They’ll kill us if they catch us, so keep your voice down.”
    Kill instead of imprison? Sanya thought Tauwin was only merciless toward those who threatened his power directly. He must’ve been terrified of rebellion to kill Oakshen’s citizens simply for disobeying him.
    “I was sent to scout Oakshen,” Sanya lied. “We want to retake the city.”
    Gabby dropped her pouch and ran over to throw her arms around Sanya. “Thank you!