Enchanting the King (The Beauty's Beast Fantasy Series) Read Online Free Page B

residence in the colonies here, but some foolish whim inside him disliked the idea of lying to this good lady. She had saved his life, after all. Falsehoods and trickery seemed a poor repayment for that.
    “Can you tell us what happened?”
    He scrubbed the back of his hand over his brow. The clang of swords rang in his ears. The smells of piss and offal and blood prickled in his nostrils. If he closed his eyes he would be back on that pass through the valley, under attack, watching his men die… “We were attacked, my lady. A pack of raiders swooped down on us in the mountain pass. They had magic users, more than I’ve ever seen together at one time. Their bows rained arrows on us from all sides so that the sun was entirely blacked out, and each bolt found its target with deadly aim. They struck fast and hard, cutting the rest of my men down with fire spells. Failing that, they used their hatchets and swords.”
    He and his men might have been able to fight them off but for the alarming amount of magic at the raiders’ disposal. Magicians were rare in Lyond and Jerdun, and the practice of even simple magic outside the nobility was frowned upon in both nations. He’d assumed that to be the case everywhere. How could the Tiochene raiders here possibly have so many magicians? Nearly one in three among the Tiochene fighters seemed to have had a least a small amount of Talent. “I led— Our army retreated, fleeing for our lives, but the Tiochene caught up to us here on the river road. They…they showed no mercy.” His eyes stung.
    “Here, have some water.” Princess Aliénor lifted a flask toward him, and she held it to his lips when his hands proved too unsteady for him to do it himself. He sipped a moment, then nodded his thanks.
    Behind Princess Aliénor’s shoulder, her stout lady companion pursed her lips in disapproval. “How did you survive?”
    “I was knocked off my horse and separated from my men—from the others. I climbed that tree you found me in and kept my back to the mountain. I must have passed out after that. It’s a miracle no one found me before you—”
    Before he could finish, a young man threw back the flap to the infirmary. The boy swept into the room like he owned the place. He had a mass of waving dark hair and heavy-lidded brown eyes that gave him a sleepy appearance. Prince Philippe, Thomas guessed. He’d never met the prince, but the lad had the look of the late King Bernard about him. Philippe’s face was narrow and thin with delicate, somehow fragile features. His eyes bulged with anger as he stepped closer and saw the Princess Aliénor by Thomas’s bed.
    The lady, for her part, rose to her feet and stared the prince down with calm composure. “My lord, I was just checking on this survivor.”
    The boy let out a low, quick huff and whipped his gaze away from her to glare at Thomas. “You, soldier. More survivors from your party have wandered into our camp. Shall I take you to them?”
    Princess Aliénor held her hand out, palm down in a flat gesture of denial. “He is not well enough—”
    “No, no, I will come. Show me.” Thomas shot her an apologetic glance as he pushed slowly to his feet. He was dizzy and weak, but damned if he’d let this arrogant princeling see it.
    Princess Aliénor flicked a glance at her handmaiden. The larger woman immediately stepped in to catch Thomas’s elbow and let him lean his weight on her side. He gave his helper a quick, thankful nod. She returned him a brief, irritated grimace in return. The handmaid clearly did not like him.
    “This way.” Prince Philippe turned and started to go. When he realized Princess Aliénor was not immediately at his side, he grabbed her by the arm, towing her out beside him as he whispered angrily in her ear.
    “Her husband,” the handmaiden explained. “Prince Philippe of Jerdun.”
    Thomas flashed the handmaiden a wide grin. “Remarkable. Me, rescued by royalty. That’ll be a story to take home to the