Isa shuffled uncomfortably. “I trust Macklin more than I trust you.” She could not think of anything else to say, but it was the honest answer.
His shoulders seemed to sag, but she must have been imagining that, for he bared his fangs and licked them absently before answering her. “Let us return and get this Macklin safely on his journey then.”
Chapter 12
Aden kept a comfortable distance from the rest of the group as they walked back to the mansion.
The manservant, Luca, had placed himself between Aden and Isa. The cowardly one from the previous night, Macklin, was on the far side of her. Aden did not fail to notice that Macklin was staying as far away from him as possible.
Aden walked in front of them. He could not blame them for not trusting him. He would not want to leave his back undefended against himself.
There was something familiar about this Isa, but he could not quite place it.
He glanced back over his shoulder. He was far enough away that he could barely make out some details of her face. But he was so far away that he also could not see her properly at all.
He adjusted the muscles in his eyes, willing them to bring her face into focus. The action pained him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, blinking rapidly.
He could not recall ever having met someone named Isa. He would have to inquire about her family name; perhaps he knew her father or a brother. Or perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him and the sense of familiarity was derived from their unfortunate encounter the previous night.
The small reminder of the terrifying events of the previous night made his heart race. He had never been more frightened in his life. He could still hear that bloodcurdling scream vibrating in his ears.
These people had just tried to kill him only hours prior, yet he was willingly walking back to their mansion with them.
He could have kept walking south along the canyon when he’d had the chance, but he still had not found Warrior.
Regardless, he could not in good conscience have left these people stranded in the mountains without at least contacting someone from the village to alert them that the bridge was down.
And this Isa had been right. If he had tried to approach anyone in the village, he would have been... hunted.
Apparently, the cowardly husband Macklin would be the hero of the day.
“The next bridge is about a two days’ walk from here,” Luca instructed Macklin behind him.
“After you make it across, come back north to alert the villagers, then travel back to Allys,” Isa added. “My mother will send up the proper resources to get the bridge rebuilt as quickly as possible.”
“And you are sure you will be fine here?” Macklin asked. His voice was low, obviously not meant for Aden’s ears.
“We have plenty of food,” Luca responded. “And the weather should be clear and warm. It will be like every other goldenreign holiday, just a touch early.”
“That’s not what I was referring to, and you know it.” Macklin’s voice had dropped to an even deeper register.
Aden shot another glance over his shoulder. Macklin had moved closer to Isa and was practically hovering over her.
“Do you have a better idea?” Isa replied, also whispering.
“We could all go together.”
That actually was a good point—If they clearly did not trust Aden, why would they not all make the long journey to the next bridge? When Isa did not respond right away, Aden looked back again. They were grouped closer together, as though she had moved toward Luca to include him in this quiet conversation.
“But the Floutast?”
Floutast? Surely they were not referring to the ancient writer. Aden could not imagine why he would be a part of the current conversation.
“Curse the Floutast,” Macklin replied. “I don’t want to leave you here.”
“You were the one who volunteered to go!” Isa sounded flustered.
But then, she had also sounded flustered during all the interactions she’d had with Aden.
