“They’re merely enchanted trinkets, Soaraway. Calm yourself.”
“I’ve had quite enough of your antics, Norrlen.”
Dyna sighed. There they were, bickering again.
“Take it off.” Cassiel reached for the ring.
Raiden moved to block him. The action wedged her between them, pressing her against Cassiel’s chest.
“Mind yourself instead.” Raiden tried to tug the curl of hair Cassiel was holding.
Cassiel jerked his wrist away from him, inadvertently pulling on her hair, and Raiden pulled it back in the other direction.
“Ow,” Dyna hissed. “Would you please desist? Both of you.”
But they weren’t paying attention.
Cassiel clenched his jaw. “Remove your hand before I break it.”
“I will do as I please, Soaraway.”
The Rangers and Eldred rushed their way. Listening to them squabble like idiots and having the whole market stare at them both humiliated and angered her.
Snatching out her blade, Dyna slashed through the lock of her hair. Cassiel and Raiden watched speechlessly as the red strands floated down to their feet.
Dyna stormed away, never feeling more humiliated. She should have stayed at the inn and locked herself in her room.
Swift movement caught her eye, and Dyna looked up at Aerina standing alone at the end of the street. A male elf came up from behind and covered her mouth before she could scream.
“Aerina!” Dyna sprinted to them. “Put her down!”
Two hands rammed into her back, and the cobblestone came rushing to her. Her head cracked against something hard, and pain stole her vision. Dyna screamed, clawing at her skull. Warm blood seeped through her fingers.
She broke it. She broke it.
Someone grabbed her, and she screeched.
“Lev sheli!”Cassiel grabbed her face. “Look at me. Look at me.”
Her wild eyes fixed on him, her chest heaving with harsh breaths. Blood leaked down her temple, and she reached for it with shaking fingers.
“Breathe,” he said. “You’re all right. You merely bumped your head.”
Dyna forced herself to suck in a breath.
“There you go. Another.”
She took several more mouthfuls of air until her heart stopped racing. The ringing in her ears dissipated, and slowly her surroundings came into focus.
A crowd had gathered.
Raiden held his weeping mother, shouting something at Halder and his guardsmen. Camsen pinned the elf that had grabbed Aerina under his knee. Beside them, Sowmya and Yelrakel had another elf at sword point. He must have been the one who pushed her. Though they may have not been needed, since he was unconscious. Blood leaked from his broken nose.
“I thank you for showing some restraint,” Eldred said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
It took her a moment to realize he wasn’t speaking to the Valkyrie.
“The fact that he breathesisshowing restraint,” Cassiel said coolly. She winced as he pressed a torn piece of his tunic against her temple.
