Nessa stared in confusion, while Domech shared a knowing look with Veda. “It is the duty of a man to protect his woman and his home”, he said. “That is why the Goddess made men stronger, if not always fiercer.” He winked at her before walking away.
Nessa stood there, dumfounded.Whatwas all that? She felt as if she’d walked into the middle of a conversation she knew nothing about. Even her relationship with Veda seemed to have changed suddenly. Veda had relaxed around her, and no longer seemed to be guarding her words or constantly watching for Bridei. The atmosphere had become decidedly more…amicable.
“What is going on around here?” Nessa finally asked. “I don’t understand why everyone is suddenly smiling at me.”
Veda lifted an eyebrow. “The King calls mercy for no one.”
“No one?”
“He never has.”
“But I don’t understand why…”
“Oh, here comes trouble.” Veda grabbed her arm, steering her quickly in another direction.
Nessa followed her gaze. It was the woman she had seen with Bridei on the night of Beltane. Lair. A stab of something cold and hard went through her at the memory.
“Trouble?”
Veda nodded. “She thinks she has special status because she beds the King. She’s in an especially foul mood because he hasn’t been interested in her lately. She blamesyoufor his preoccupation.”
“Me?” Nessa asked incredulously. “Ireallydon’t think she has anything to worry about. I am not interested in…bedding…the King.”
Veda gave her a look that clearly saidI don’t believe you for a second, and Nessa suddenly worried that she hadn’t been as subtle as she thought when ogling Bridei’s god-like body. Okay, so maybe she was curious and a little star-struck, but she would certainly never act on that curiosity. After all she had a boyfriend that she was going back to. Hopefully soon.I just have to get to the well…
Despite Veda’s efforts to avoid her, Lair managed to step in front of them, forcing them to stop. She looked at Nessa with cat-like eyes, an oily smile on her lips. She was beautiful, Nessa had to admit. Striking, even, with her dark hair and chiseled features. Even her lips had just the right amount of plumpness and color. If this was the 21stcentury, Nessa would probably have suspected Lair of having injections of collagen and maybe even a boob-job.
“Did you enjoy your soup last night? I had a hand in making it.”
The soup. Nessa remembered suddenly that she hadn’t recognized the woman who brought it. She also remembered heaving over the chamber pot, assuming her near execution had been the cause. But apparently that wasn’t the case at all. Anger rose quickly, and she took an aggressive step forward, pulling her arm away from Veda.
“Youpoisonedme! You…witch!” This made ittwiceshe’d been poisoned since she’d arrived.
Lair’s eyes flared wide and she slapped Nessa across the face, hard. “Don’t you call me that! You arenoone! You are a liar and a traitor! By all rights you should be dead right now!”
Nessa slapped Lair back as hard as she could, then tackled her with all the fury of a woman who’d been through altogether too much in too short of a time. She may have lost her mind for a moment, and a crowd was already starting to gather, but she didn’t care. It felt too good to finally punch and kick and fight against something real and solid, and Lair was giving as good as she got.
Nessa was vaguely aware of cheers as she managed to flip Lair onto her back by grabbing her hair and pulling as hard as she could, following her down onto the ground in an attempt to pin her there. By now more people had come to watch, and the noise and shouting of the gathering crowd grew louder. Nessa didn’t know whether they were cheering for her or for Lair, but in her frenzied and possibly unhinged state, it really didn’t matter. It was when the cheering suddenly stopped that she began to worry.
“Stop!”The booming command left Lair frozen in place, her hand still twisted in Nessa’s hair, Nessa’s fist pulled back to throw a punch. Ru was beside them, growling, teeth bared at Lair.
Nessa watched as blood dripped from a cut on her lip onto a pale cheek below her. Then she turned around, carefully shuffling away from Lair and slowly standing.
Bridei was looking right at her, and he looked…smug?
It dawned on her that he probably thought she was fighting Lair forhim! She marched up to him and punched him as hard as she could in the arm before she could think better of it. He didn’t flinch, instead, he laughed.
“What was that for, Ashta?”
“I just want to make it very clear that I wasnotfighting her for you. She poisoned me, and I defended myself. That’s all.”
“She poisoned you?” His gaze swung to Lair, and whatever he saw there convinced him immediately of her guilt. His eyes narrowed and his smile disappeared. “Why, Lair?”
Lair pouted prettily, but her eyes were still sparkling with anger. “Youknowwhy.”
Bridei crossed his arms. “No, I don’t think I do. Enlighten me.”
Meanwhile, Domech was laughing so hard that he was doubled over.
