“Why?” The question was out before Eva could think better of prying. A wave of concern flowed from her chest to her belly. Would Finn and Dallan be in even greater danger? The test of bravery was the most difficult by far, and Eva knew many men would die for it.
Cormac looked to Murrough.
“It’s best for as few to know as possible,” the king’s son answered. “We’ll need you to help prepare the household for the move, to ensure we have enough servants and proper rations, things such as those.”
“Of course,” Eva agreed quietly, her mind racing as it took in this new turn of events.
“Wonderful,” Cormac declared. “We’ll be leaving the day after the trial of recovery concludes.”
“Will I travel with you?” Eva asked.
Cormac shook his head. “You’ll stay and await our return. Whoever makes the journey back to Cenn Cora will be the new Fianna. While you’re here, you should have everything prepared to host a great feast in honor of those men.”
A jolt of anxiety shot through Eva. Her brother and Finn would be performing the most difficult trial away from her. Were they marching to battle? Were they entertaining the king’s court? What if something happened to one of them and they never returned?
“Allow me to escort you back to your quarters,” Cormac offered, standing and walking over to Eva.
“Thank you.” The whispered words held a hollowness she felt to her very core. Whatever the king was now planning, Eva knew it would be dangerous.
They walked in uncomfortable silence all the way to Eva’s door. Cormac put a hand on it, looking around the courtyard.
“I would ask that you not mention this change in plans to any of the men,” he said in a low voice. “I know you’ve a great fondness for Finn, but all the men must have the same amount of time to prepare. He cannot know before them.”
Eva’s mouth went dry. “A fondness?” Was she so transparent? Did everyone know? Did her brother know?
Nay, if he did, he’d have said something by now.
Cormac’s lips lifted into a warm smile. “Aye, I see the way you look at each other. It’s good that you’ve finally found a friend.”
Eva felt a hot flush rise up her cheeks. “Please don’t say anything to my brother,” she whispered, hardly able to believe she was having such a conversation with a man who was all but a stranger to her.
Cormac’s smile deepened into a mirthful grin. “Not a word,” he promised. “But I’d also like your oath that you will keep news of our journey a secret.”
“I swear I will not speak of it to anyone,” Eva vowed.
“Sleep well, my lady,” Cormac said, taking his leave.
She’d be lucky to sleep at all after that conversation. Eva flopped onto her bed, letting her gaze wander the wooden rafters of her single, small room.
Cormac knew there wassomethingbetween her and Finn. Did he believe them to be courting? To be lovers? All he had said was friends, but Eva thought that might have been deliberately evasive on his part. Cormac was one of the cleverest men she’d met.
Couldthey be any of those things? For so long Eva believed her cousin, Baeth, would kill any man she dared to marry. Yet it had been years since she’d seen him, and even longer since he’d made any threats on her.
Perhaps he’d forgotten all about her. Perhaps he didn’t even know where she was now. Perhaps she was finally free to marry.
Perhaps.
And what of this new trial of bravery? What if Finn died?
The very thought brought a sick feeling to her stomach, like a wrong movement would empty it of her dinner.
Eva sat up slowly, playing with her lips as she mused over the complexities of the situation. She knew, as Cormac had so casually stated, that she did have a fondness for Finn. After so many weeks together, Eva could hardly imagine what life would be like without him.
Before he came to Cenn Cora, Eva’s life spiraled out of her control. Her cousin’s actions forced her to forego her dreams of marriage in favor of a nunnery. Though she’d taken no vows, it had offered her respite from her troubles for a time. Then she’d been forced to offer herself as a hostage to secure the safety of her family.
Life in Brian’s household, first in Caiseal and then in Cenn Cora, proved nearly unbearable. Everyone shunned her. No one wanted to be caught speaking with a Laigin noble. The servants hadn’t even looked at her in Caiseal. They only did so in Cenn Cora out of the necessity of running the keep.
Broccan ignored her entirely. Cormac and Illadan had always been polite but maintained a distance. No matter how she tried to engage them in conversation, they always had some other place to go. Custom dictated that she sit on her own, as she was not a member of the family, but a trophy to be displayed, a symbol of victory and power. It hadn’t been long before she stopped trying to change her lot.
