KODA'S POV
I found my way to the Sedimo estate without any trouble, but the ride across the frozen grounds was colder than any wind Lamia had ever sent me. I rode alone, my cloak drawn tight, the hood pulled low over my face. A single guard trailed behind me, careful to keep his distance. The rest of the estate was silent, the kind of silence that made me think of funerals, of grave dirt and secrets left too long in the dark.
At the gates, the sentries recognized me and stepped aside, but I saw the looks they shared. Pity, maybe. Or suspicion. The rumors had spread by now. They all knew I'd lost the crown, that my father had stripped me bare in front of the whole court. I kept my head high and pretended not to care, but something raw and ugly chewed at me all the way to the front doors.
I dismounted and tossed the reins to a stable boy who barely met my eye. "Your lord is expecting me," I said. It wasn't a question.
