“Wait!” Aura touches his arm. “I want to end his life.”
He releases his hold and gestures to the bloody and beaten man frozen on the dock.
“Be my guest, Princess.” His hand glides along her lower back, drawing her closer.
She considers Guy’s position and is about to strike when he makes a final attempt to save himself.
“P-please…p-please, P-princess Aura. I b-beg y-you!” Guy’s pleadings are pathetic.
Her father taught her better than that.
She grabs his collar and pulls him down to her level. She spits in his face and rams the sword through his skull.
14
AURA
September 5th, Year 21, 10th Era
Toftlund City, Treland
Aura matches Calder’s long strides as they nearly run back to the longhouse. Through his beard, she can observe the strain in his jaw. His gaze is slightly narrowed and focused. Typically, she is comfortable in his stoic silence, but tonight, he exudes an uneasiness that has her on edge.
“Why are we abandoning the corpses? Should we not summon a guard or a Drengr?” She asks when he continues to ignore her.
“They are for your father to sort out. Your safety is all that matters to me.”
Aura stops walking.
He looks over his shoulder with an urgent growl. “I need to return you to your family.”
“What is happening?”
Her mind shatters like a glass pane, and her poise disintegrates as she gazes at the bloodied man who prominently appears in her dreams.
“Why did Jarl Guy wish to kidnap me? What does any of this haveto do with the Queen of Skalor? And,” she shivers, then realizes. “She is your mother!”
She shakes her head aghast at the whole fucking situation.
This cannot be true!
Everything that has happened since she left Isabel’s house on the day of the Trial feels unnatural. And now, Calder appears at the docks in time to rescue her from Guy.
“You were in the longhouse with some drunken woman in your lap!” Envy bites in her words, but she has stopped caring. Tension in her temple throbs while the earth spins under her feet.
“I saw him lure you outside and decided to follow after taking care of the distraction he sent me.” He cracks his neck. “She will not be bothering anyone anymore.”
The crushing heartbreak of the past month feels like a boulder pressing against her heart. She winces from the pain.
“You chose to carry me home that night aboard your ship. You found me on the roof. Why do you continue to attach yourself to me only to decide that you don’t want me?” She strides up to him despite the traitor tears burning in her eyes. She slams a fist against his chest. “I deserve answers.”
His thumb wipes the tears from her face. His touch lingers along her skin, stroking her cheek. “Beautiful girl,” he whispers. “I am so sorry-”
A commotion further down the street interrupts his apology, forcing them apart. Her father marches with a contingent of heavily armed Drengr.
“Where the fuck have you been?” He directs his rage at her. “Someone said a fucking Skalor Jarl took you from the longhouse, and they were right.” As he turns his crimson-tinted gaze on Calder, Aura dives between them.
“It was not Jarl Calder!” She shouts, raising her hands in his defense despite their tense passion. “Jarl Guy and I walked around town, and he… tried to…” She focuses on the cobblestones to gather her thoughts. “Calder rescued me.”
