#Chapter 61: King's Fury

Logan I didn’t say a word the whole ride back. What could I say? There was no way to describe my pressing sense of shame and fear. So I did not speak. Not to Alex or to the guards who trailed us in grim silence. I didn’t even speak to instruct the horse I’d borrowed and half-destroyed galloping out of rogue territory. Every step that took me closer to the palace was another nail in the coffin of my pride. Evelyn was gone. We’d had no choice but to leave her behind. My stomach clenched as I thought of how we had traded her like a pawn in a game I thought I was strong enough to win. But I wasn’t. Jesse had cheated and thrown me out with the clear threat of harming Evelyn if I tried again. And he had proven himself to be a decent fighter, even if he had not won fairly. He was faster, dirtier, and unpredictable in the way that came from fighting for your life instead of an instructor. He must have learned how to fight the way most people did on the streets, where rules of