Please, help me.She didn’t know if the thought was a prayer to the old gods of Ferradin, or a plea to the Divinities she didn’t even believe in.
The bloodstone must have thought the words were for it.
Immediately, the maelstrom of emotions in the room were quieted. Not gone, just . . . blurred. Muffled. They’d gone from a scream to a low hum. She could hear her own thoughts without being battered by the emotions around her. She could feel her own emotions without being forced to endure anyone else’s. Her lungs expanded as she pulled in a breath. The absence of overwhelming emotions was a little unsettling, but mostly it was relieving. She’d never felt peace like this in a crowded room.
The hidden bloodstone pulsed with low energy.
“Amryn?” Cregon asked.
Startled, her eyes snapped to his. She was able to feel his concern, if she concentrated. The other emotions in the room remained muted.
She forced a smile, her hold on the wineglass tightening. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
In a surprisingly soft voice, he said, “I wanted to thank you.”
The words surprised her. But not as much as his next ones did.
Cregon watched her carefully, with eyes that were nearly identical to Carver’s. “In Esperance, you betrayed the Rising. You chose to defend the empire. You chose to protect my son.” She felt the depth of his gratitude. “I need to thank you for that, though I can never repay you.”
Amryn’s heart beat too fast as she stared at Carver’s father. She didn’t know how to respond.
Cregon seemed to realize this. He offered her a faint smile. “I know we’re still strangers, but I can see how much my son cares for you.” Faint lines traced over his forehead. “We’re family now. If there is ever anything I can do for you, you have only to ask.”
Words still escaped her, but she gathered her wits enough to say, “Thank you.”
Amryn could not quite interpret the look on Cregon’s face, but before he could speak, Ivan appeared beside them.
Cregon straightened. “Prince Ivan.” He shifted subtly closer to Amryn, and while she knew the move was defensive, the High General’s nearness only served to raise the fine hairs along the back of her neck.
“Just Ivan, please.” His tone was respectful, if a little curt. “I saw Amryn and wished for a quick word. Privately, if you do not mind.”
Amryn knew Cregondidmind. He’d taken his promise to Carver seriously, and he clearly intended to keep close to her. She knew exactly what he was going to say as his lips parted.
“I’d like that,” she said quickly, speaking before he could. She took a step closer to Ivan, giving Carver’s father a slight bow as she did so. “I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
Cregon’s cut of disappointment was unmistakable, but it didn’t show on his face as he gave her a smile, accepting her dismissal. “Of course.” He glanced at Ivan. “Carver will be looking for her soon.”
It was a thinly veiled threat, but Ivan merely inclined his head, unconcerned.
Cregon took a step back, hesitating only briefly before he turned and slipped into the crowd.
Ivan watched him go. “I do not think he will leave you for long. Or that he will wander far.”
Amryn had to agree. But Cregon was already being pulled into conversation with a couple of men nearby. She hoped they would keep him distracted. While they’d only had brief encounters, Amryn still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Carver’s father. Or her feelings around him.
Needing a distraction, she asked Ivan, “What did you want to speak to me about?”
“Nothing. You just looked uncomfortable.”
She arched a brow. “You were watching me?”
“Yenn.”
He was certainly taking his self-appointed bodyguard duties seriously. Then she noticed Ivan’s level of discomfort, and his heightened sense of dread. She instantly went on alert. “What’s wrong?”
His eyebrows drew together. “Nothing is wrong.” She gave him a look, and he released a slow breath before stating, “Cora’s parents are here.”
“What?”
