I sighed, and raked a hand through my hair. “No. Not really. But she’s fought such a battle to get this far. I don’t want to see her confidence knocked just as she’s claiming it.”
Olve nodded. “That was my concern. She’s a great deal stronger than when she arrived, but with such a short time to train, she won’t increase in physical strength much. We need to find the balance between growing her skills and wearing her out if she’s being assigned so soon.”
I nodded grimly and let myself turn to look, trying to keep my expression indifferent, as if I only considered her wellbeing.
But, my stomach clenched at the sight of one of the men gripping her shoulder and leaning into her smiling face. I grit my teeth and forced myself to look away again.
“We can trust them,” Gunnar affirmed. “They’re all proven—though I’m uneasy about the king bringing her in so quickly. Mainly because of the training she’s expected to absorb so early in her Furyknight journey. She hasn’t settled into her normal duties yet.”
“I’ll discuss it with her Wing Leaders, and we’ll focus her training for the specific roles she’ll play on this mission. But yes, it’s a worry. The king is adamant, however. And I can’t see a better plan to propose. I’ll be with her, of course, and a handful of the others. But in the end, the true risk is on her shoulders. She’ll carry no protection of tradition since anyone she meets in the field won’t know she’s a Furyknight.”
“And if she’s found out, they’ll have little fear of her, as a woman,” Olve growled.
A searing wave of anger rippled down my spine at the casual way Olve implied she’d be easily removed. Not at the man himself, but at the truth he spoke. Because itwastrue. If, once we entered enemy territory, we were uncovered, our intentions discovered, I would be feared—my position and physicalstrength ensuring that I was, at the very least, used for political leverage.
But a woman?
Especially a woman who’d been presented to them as nothing but mycompanion?
Unless they believed she possessed information they desperately needed, they’d simply execute her.
I began to sweat, and had to find a reason to look away and wipe my brow. Gunnar and Olve didn’t know the truth about Bren and I. They discussed her with me as a military asset—something I knew she’d be delighted by. Shewantedto be seen as no different than the men, even if she’d play a different role.
“Well, at least we know she can be trusted withthislot,” Gunnar said, a hint of affecting edging into his tone as he regarded the men crowding around my mate. “And I trust your judgment, and the king’s in appointing her. We can only do our best to equip her for the task.” He went quiet for a moment, then looked at me. “Funny, isn’t it, that we’re here now, when we considered not even letting her test for Furyknight?”
As Olve chuckled like it was nothing but an amusing memory, anger punched me in the guts with such force I had to take hold of myself.
They do not know.
They’re only observing the shift—which is positive.
They both stood in her defense, now.
I knew it all to be true, but I was still forced to take a deep breath so I could speak with some semblance of casual calm.
“Yes. Thank God I didn’t listen to you all,” I said softly.
Both their smiles faded as they looked at me—perhaps I wasn’t as calm as I thought? But luckily we were interrupted by one of the men coming for advice from Gunnar, so I wasn’t tempted to scorch them both with words as fiery as my dragon in a rage. Instead, I heeded my own caution and excused myself.
I couldn’t afford to stay there and watch her be crowded and pawed. My agitation skewed my perspective on my comrade’s comments.
I needed to be alone and breathe and recenter. Because I had just sworn her in to a lifetime’s purpose—and a potential death sentence. And she was overjoyed.
I needed to share her delight when she eventually made it back to me.
My shoulders crawled towards my ears at the thought of the hours we’d spend apart today—and in the days ahead. And how many of those hours she would be within reach of these men and…
Gunnar’s words from moments before echoed in my head.“Well, at least we know she can be trusted with this lot.”
But could we? Because I knew something neither of them did: That Bren carried wounds inflicted by the hands ofShadowfangmen.
And the only reason those men remained alive was because they were too far away for me to reach.
If they’d been here, I had no qualms admitting to myself that they’d be dead—one in particular by my hand. Personally.
Because, while these menshouldbe trusted, and supposedlycouldbe trusted, I’d learned that at least a handful of them could not.
And that cast suspicion on the lot of them.
