Over the next hour or so, they practiced on a makeshift target. Breana found that her aimwasimproving, though more than once she found herself frustrated by her slow progress. Eoin occasionally offered tips or guided her arm, and Breana appreciated his help, but to her frustration, the task was not lifting her irritable mood as much as she'd hoped it would.
The fire was smoldering down to embers now, and Breana knew that, fairly soon, she would have to stop training and give up to a night of what would be most likely fitful sleep if she managed to rest at all. Eoin stopped her as she raised her bow again, and she prepared herself to argue with him that she needed just a little more time to train.
"This isnae workin'," Eoin said.
"Eoin, I?—"
"Let's play a game," he interrupted. "Make it a wee bit more fun. How about every time ye score a bullseye, ye get tae ask me a question, and I have tae answer in full?"
Breana felt a smile twitching on her lips. "Ye're so interestin' as tae be a temptation, are ye?" she asked.
He flashed her a grin. "I certainly hope so. And ifImanage tae hit the center of the target,yehave tae answer me own question."
Amused enough to be distracted from her mood, Breana held out the bow. "Fine," she agreed. "Ye go first."
Eoin winked at her, took aim… and to both her shock and, by his expression, his too, he managed to hit the target dead center right away. He started laughing in disbelief, and Breana found herself giggling too at the genuineness of his reaction.
"We can start from the next one, if ye want," he offered. "That was obviously just a lucky shot."
She shook her head. "Nay. We made a deal. Ask me a question."
Eoin thought about it for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Do–do ye mind if it's somethin' really personal?"
"I'd be offended if it wasnae." Breana's focus intensified as she saw the expression on his face. Her heart started to beat a little faster, realizing that whatever he was about to say would change things. "Ask."
He nodded, taking a breath, then asked, "Why–why did ye refuse when I offered tae go and get yer sister? It wouldnae throw us off track too much; we could find our way back here, and that way…"
He trailed off. The tips of Breana's fingers felt cold, and she shivered in the suddenly oppressive feeling of the night around them.
"I'm sorry. I shoulnae have asked that," Eoin said quickly. "I'll change me question. What?—"
"Nay, I'll answer. I promised I would." Breana took a deep breath. "Things are… Things havealwaysbeen complicated with Nessa. I believe there's good in her somewhere, I do, but I dinnae ken if we could ever dig deep enough tae find it. Maeve and I always protected each other, but Nessa… as soon as she was old enough tae understand, she turned her back on us. She never helped us, and never welcomed our company. She always obeyed everythin' our parents wanted, and was always our father's favorite. She wouldnae risk herself tae save either one of us, if the positions were reversed."
She glanced at Eoin, expecting condemnation in his gaze. Instead, he was just watching her, a sad expression in his eyes. "So ye think there's nae hope for her, then?" he asked softly.
"I dinnae ken," Breana admitted miserably. "I hope I'm wrong. But I ken I cannae trust her nae tae turn against us for now. I ken that if we go tae her, we could ruin our whole mission, and maybe even turn the tide against our rebellion if she remains loyal tae the False King. I–we… cannae risk it. Nae now. One day, maybe, when things are more secure, one day I'll be able tae find her again. But for now, I need tae keep that door closed."
She thought that Eoin might argue, but instead he simply nodded, then held out the bow. "Yer turn."
On her next turn, Breana hit the target but missed the bullseye. They passed the bow back and forth, none hitting the center, until at last, on her third turn, Breana managed to hit her mark.
"Aha!" she exclaimed, triumphant.
Eoin smiled. "I'm waitin'."
She turned to him, considering carefully what she wanted to know. She realized that there was only one thing that had been bothering her, one truth that he had been keeping from her that she needed an answer to.
"Why have ye kept volunteerin' for the most dangerous missions, Eoin?" she asked. "Why have ye stopped leadin' like ye used to, and instead started puttin' yerself at risk over and over again?"
Eoin seemed startled by the question. Then he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I–I have a lot tae make up for, Breana. I need tae atone for me father's failures, and for failin' tae protect people from him."
"Do ye think I must atone formefather's failures?" Breana challenged. "If not, why are ye any different?"
"Because ye didnae participate in the things yer father did. I did. Even if me participation was minimal, and a lot of it was used tae eventually pass information on tae the Sparrows, I still served as captain of the guard. I still obeyed first Malcolm Darach and then me father, and I fought on their behalf. I need tae make up for what those with me name have done, and whatIhave done, tae the people of this country." Eoin sighed, shaking his head. "I failed."
"Everyone fails," Breana reminded him. She moved closer, touching his hand gently, and he didn't move away. "I failed tae protect me younger sister when Maeve was taken away from me. Both Maeve and I failed tae protect Nessa from turnin' intae a monster."
"That's nae the same?—"
