Tonight’s path is different from the one we usually take, and it’s getting darker. I won’t be able to read Kilkenny’s lips very well.
Great.
He keeps a fast pace and doesn’t look back much, so I simply follow along on Mirren.
We end up in what may have once been an open meadow, except there are trimmed hedges creating a zig-zagged pathway of some sort. Kilkenny suddenly brings Ghendor to a halt and swings off the horse, landing adeptly and barely pausing before walking toward me.
Show-off.
I halt Mirren and painstakingly climb down. The ground moves beneath me, so I hold on to her saddle until I regain some semblance of balance.
Kilkenny assesses me before he says, “Right this way.” He jerks his head toward the hedges and sets off into them. The pathway is so dark, I can hardly make out my own feet against the grass. Some parts in the terrain crunch beneath my boots, reminiscent of fallen leaves in autumn. It’s odd, but I don’t stop to figure it out. I remain close to Kilkenny, my heart racing. What if something jumps out at us? A snake? A… rebel? The princess said there are occasional rebel attacks. I’m tempted to grab his hand so he can’t leave me behind.
Kilkenny stops suddenly, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword, and my heart wrings in my chest. I draw in a breath when he relaxes. He glances at me and points down one pathway. It leads to a large clearing—the very center of the maze.
There are a few unlit lanterns on posts bordering the circular clearing, and some sort of small structure at the center. Kilkenny pulls something from his pocket, making his way over to one of the lantern posts. A small ember sparks. He lights each of the lanterns, until the space is illuminated. It’s obvious now that the structure at the center is a small stone fountain.
Kilkenny approaches me. Can I scream loud enough for someone to hear if he attacks? My heart is hammering.
Kilkenny holds out his hands, palms up. “Relax, Garrick. I didn’t whisk you away to kill you.”
To my embarrassment, a sigh of relief whooshes out of me.
He brushes a few dark strands of hair back from his forehead, a brief smirk on his face. It sharpens his cheekbones and makes his eyes dance in a way that’s … not unpleasant?
“I’ve brought you here to teach you how to defend yourself. You might as well leave Paramount with a few new skills, especially given that you’ll be traveling back home and there are plenty of dangerous people out there.”
I stare at him, trying to make sense of his words. Does this mean I’ll be returning to Cluain Baile without an escort? Can I truly trust this Mainlander?
“The quicker you cooperate, the quicker you can get back to your boring dressmaking.”
“It’s not boring to me.”
I swear he rolls his eyes. “Let’s see what those dressmaker hands can do.” He gets into a fighting stance. “Hit me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hit. Me.” He makes a fist and waves it around.
“I’m not going tohityou. I don’t want to hit anyone.”
He reaches out and grasps my left hand, balling it into a fist.
He’s noticed that I’m left-handed? That’s… observant.
“Make sure that your thumb is never tucked into your hand like this.” He folds his thumb in, hiding it in his own palm. “If you strike like this, you’ll break your thumb.”
There have been a lot of confusing moments since the night I was taken from my home, but this one is rising higher on the list. I’m convinced this man is unhinged. “I cannot afford to hurt my hand. I have a very important dress to make.”
His expression is flat. “Well, aren’t we high and mighty?”
My jaw slackens.
“Hit me.”
I shake my head firmly.
“I’m sure you have a lot of frustrations to get out. I represent a lot of what this place is. I keep taking you away from the work that you must do to secure your freedom. I answer to the princess, who is forcing your hand, and to the very people who sanctioned your arrest. In fact, I have once personally enforced the banishment of Undesirables.” He pauses, eyes narrowed on me. “What good are Undesirablesfor any?—”
