“Shit.” I flex my fingers until the magic fades. It’s been a while since I’ve lost control like that.
I charge outside the carriage, expecting to find one of my soldiers sprawled across the grass. But then I freeze. “Claren?”
My little brother peels himself off the ground, groaning. “Damn it, Tauren. What did I do to deserve that?”
I run over to him, helping him up. “Sorry. I’m tense today.”
“Yeah…” He smacks the dirt from his tunic. “Tense.” He shakes his head.
“Why are you here?” I notice a basket tipped over by his feet.
Picking it up, he shuffles nervously. “I came to bring you some food. The servants said you didn’t eat this morning, and I didn’t think you’d pack anything to eat while you waited.”
I study his awkward stance. “You sure that’s the only reason?”
Wincing, he glances at the trees. “No… I’m worried about Dahlia.”
There it is. Gesturing towards the carriage, I take the basket from him. “I hope you didn’t bring anything too delicate.”
Claren laughs shyly. “It’s just sandwiches.” We walk towards the carriage. “And I packed some chocolates too for…” His voice trails off as we duck through the door and sit down. “She’s not back yet, is she?”
“It’s still early.” I dig through the basket and pass him a sandwich. “We can’t expect her to find the way out with Maeve so quickly.”
He watches me, but I can’t meet his gaze. “Tauren?”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Are you that delusional that you won’t even consider?—”
“Watch your tone,” I warn. “I am not just your brother, remember? The castle you skip about in belongs to me. The clothes you wear were stitched bymypeople. I am your lord.”
“Is that what you said to Maeve before she left us?”
Pain stabs at my heart.
“You might’ve convinced everyone else that Elheart stole her from us, butIhaven’t forgotten.” Claren shakes. Heshouldbe shaking.
“Elheartdidsteal her from us.”
“He didn’t, and I know that deep down you know the truth.”
A swallow lodges in my throat. I don’t like to think about the night before she left. I’ve spent so many years being angry that the memory is nothing more than an awful dark mess in my mind.
Claren’s fingers twist in his lap. “I never told you this, but… I spoke with Maeve right before she left.”
“What?” I breathe.
“She visited my room and told me that you and her had another fight about Elheart, and that she’d had enough of it.”
“You knew she was going to run away and you didn’t warn me?” I bite out.
“She was old enough to make her own choices,” he replies, but I barely hear him through my rage.
He could’ve stopped her, and he didn’t. This whole time…
My fist slams into the wall of the carriage. “She’s in there because of you!”
“She’s not!” Claren yells, standing up. “She ran away from us because you were so damned jealous that Maeve had found happiness with someone other than us that you drove her away for good.”
