I moved toward the Southern Gate, my skin still prickling from Kaelen's gaze. I was annoyed. The Commander's presence was a reminder that even in a city of thousands, I was a hunted man.
"Time to leave," I muttered, adjusting my cloak.
As I neared the gate, the crowd suddenly parted. A small detachment of Royal Guards rode through, but they weren't clearing the way for a carriage. They were trailing behind a single rider.
I stopped, pulled into the shadow of a fruit stall, as she passed.
She rode a black warhorse with a grace that made the beast look like an extension of her own body. She wore light, form-fitting leather armor that emphasized a dangerously athletic, silhouette—curves that spoke of both luxury and lethal training. Her hair was a deep, royal crimson, tied back in a high ponytail, and a massive broadsword was strapped to her back, the hilt worn from use.
She was stunning, but she had the "warrior's vibe" of someone who had killed more men than she had kissed. Her eyes were sharp and cold, scanning the gate with a professional detachment.
I felt a strange, magnetic pull as she rode past. She didn't see me—I was just another peasant in the shade—but the sheer "quality" of her soul was blinding. She looked like she could hold her own against Kaelen, yet there was a refined, regal air to her movements that didn't fit a common soldier.
"Who is that?" I whispered to the stall owner.
"That?" the man whispered back, his voice full of awe. "That's the 'Iron Rose.' You're lucky she didn't look at you, lad. She's got a temper shorter than a dagger's edge."
I didn't wait to hear more. I slipped out of the gate and back into the safety of the woods. I didn't know she was Princess Valera, the King's younger sister and the commander of the Royal Vanguard. All I knew was that for the first time since Elara, I had seen a woman whose soul I wanted to peel apart and study.
I hiked back toward the dungeon, the image of the red-haired warrior burned into my mind. Kaelen was a problem, the King was a glutton, but that woman... she was a prize.
[New High-Tier Target Sighted: Unknown Female Warrior (Princess Valera)]