“I was,” he admits, wincing as I work the dried blood around the broken flesh on his cheek. “I came to apologize for what I said at the orphanage. I spoke out of turn and shouldn’t have made assumptions about your life.”
The sweep of my hand falters and I wait until he meets my eyes.
“Did that hurt?” I ask.
“A little, but it will heal.”
“Not the cut, the apology,” I quip.
He glares at me, and I hand him back his torn piece of tunic, now covered in a fine layer of dirt and blood. He shakes his head as he begins again toward the manor, and I pull my braid over my shoulder as I nibble on my lower lip.
“Thank you for the apology,” I say quietly as we cross the lawns.
“Did that hurt?” he asks.
“A little,” I admit and his mouth quirks up at the end, then falls so quickly I’m not sure I’ve seen it.
“Shivaria! Thank the stars,” Felias calls from the gardens, “And thank you, General.” He approaches and clasps the general’s hand before rushing to hug me. “Where did you find her?”
My spine stiffens as I prepare for the tale that is sure to be the end of my time in the A’kori court.
“I followed her trail into the woods. It seems she got a little turned around once the sun went down and fell into a shallow pit.”
“And you retrieved her?” Felias gasps.
“I did.” He nods once, looking me in the eye as he lies to my uncle.
“My boy!” Felias pulls him into an awkward embrace and claps him on the back. “Shivaria, thank the general,” he says.
“I already have,” I assure him.
“Have you?” The general tilts his head, pinning me with a gaze as he waits expectantly.
“Haven’t I?” I tap my finger on the bottom of my chin, squinting my eyes at the sky thoughtfully. “Perhaps when you fell on top of me you hit your head, and it slipped your mind?”
The general’s eyes twinkle in the moonlight.
“Thank you,” I say with a slight bow of my head. Though I have no idea why he would, if he’s willing to keep this secret, so am I.
Felias ushers me inside after offering the general a long and sincere thanks as well as an open invitation to visit again soon, which I’m not sure I personally care for. My uncle leaves me at my door, promising that he will make time for another garden luncheon soon.
I’m a little surprised to see Tig and Eon waiting for me when I enter my suite. They must have seen me coming home, at least, I hope they haven’t been waiting here all evening. Eon looks on the verge of falling asleep as she waves at me sleepily from where she lays on my bed. Tig points to the bath and I stumble toward the steaming tub, moaning at the mere thought of hot water soothing the new knots I gained struggling with the general.
I sink into it, letting the scalding water wash over me. I imagine the general will also need a bath once he makes his way home. A small part of me can’t help but feel a little bad about the bruise he’ll have to explain in the morning. The warrior in me can’t wait to see the evidence of my handyworkon his face.
I wash my hair before I end up falling asleep in the tub and reluctantly step out before the water cools. Tig hands me a robe and brushes my tangled mop of hair while I swallow down a pinch of the herb that wards off my dreams. I wonder what time it is, then decide I don’t care and head for the bed. Eon is fast asleep on top of the duvet. When Tig looks like she’s about to wake her, I pull a small blanket from the end of the bed and drape it over the sleeping sprite.
“She can stay,” I say, crawling in beside her. “You can stay too, if you’d like.”
For a second I think she’s about to wake her sister and haul her out into the night. Just as quickly as it came, the moment passes, and Tig rushes to turn out the lights. I close my eyes and the thick cushions of the settee rustle lightly as she settles in by the fire just as I let the darkness take me.
CHAPTER 16
THE MANOR, A’KORI
Present Day
Sunlight dances across my eyes and I yawn, stretching the sleep from the tight muscles in my arms. My eyes flicker open in a series of sleepy blinks, and I suck in a gasp. Eon’s startlingly toothy grin is only inches from my face. Though she has always been opposed to coming near me, it seems a night sharing a bed has done wonders for our rapport.
