“Battle mages couldn’t find the source of the breach, so at this moment we still don’t know how the horde of Grims reached the castle,” Barracus spoke grimly, his hands resting on his lap, concealed beneath the black robe that hid his feathered arms. “Seven more patrollers were assigned to each of our four closest stations. Two of them will search perimeters for the cause of the breach.”
They didn’t wait for a proper meeting to start discussing what had transpired at the Aurora Rite. Reality didn’t wait to burst the bubble of bliss that lingered in my room.
“We might not know how it happened, but we know who’s guilty of it,” Gwinifer said, tapping her fingers on the armrest.
“We don’t have the luxury of insinuations. Speak plainly,” Cerridwen said, a picture of calm.
“Varian clearly had a hand in this,” Gwinifer replied, her nose wrinkling as if she were physically repelling it.
“He is an obvious candidate, especially after his provoking game,” Cerridwen answered.
“There is no way he’d make himself look that guilty,” Finnegan argued. He sat next to me, resting his chin on his hand and frowning at the omelette that he had practically left untouched.
“Unless he wanted us to think he’d been there all along,” Gwinifer retorted.
“So you think it was an intentional attack?” I asked. “Do you think he planned it?”
“Yes, I don’t think it was merely a ward failure. He was deliberately provoking Reagan, drawing him out, waiting for him to turn.” She cast a glance at him. “Sorry, brother, but that’s a fact.”
Reagan shrugged. “I have difficulty believing he would put our people in danger. It’s the one thing I think he wouldn’t risk.”
“Are you joking?” Gwinifer asked with a crease in her forehead. “You give him too much credit.”
“Let’s say you’re right. To what end?” Reagan continued. “How does attacking the Rite get him closer to what he wants?”
“He could have been looking to discredit you,” Cerridwen said, her arms crossed elegantly over her chest. “A large number of citizens were present. If he intended to trigger you, as Gwinifer says, then you would seem like the unruly lord while he might have come across like the level-headed one.”
Reagan stared at his plate, considering it.
“There’s another thing,” Finnegan said evenly. “We were surprised to see Scions at the Rite.”
“Who?” Cerridwen asked, her arms falling into her lap.
Finn shook his head, as if to say he didn’t know.
“And how do you know they were Scions?” Barracus asked.
“Gwin and I saw their mark, but we didn’t recognise them,” he answered. “There were three of them at the west end of the courtyard. The same direction the attack came from.”
I mindlessly shifted in my seat. The memory of my attack in Erisea crossed my mind, and maybe Reagan’s too, because we shared a glance.
“They were dead calm when everyone was running. Plus,” Gwinifer added, “the mark was very clear. All the more reason to think Varian is behind this.”
“He could. He associates with them. But Varian doesn’t command them. The group would need a reason to attack the Rite,” Cerridwen reasoned, her eyes flicking quickly to me.
“There aren’t any sympathisers in this city, so they must have come from elsewhere,” Barracus added, taking a sip of his coffee.
I hadn’t seen anyone with that mark and hadn’t really expected them here, especially since Reagan had said they hadn’t been spotted in Mountheim for quite some time. But now, with a human living in the castle...It would have nothing to do with the attack. What would be the purpose of harming citizens as well?
Reagan squeezed my hand, pulling me from my thoughts as the others continued to debate. His eyes studied me, his upper body leaning a few inches in my direction, lips set into a hard line, as if his mind had wandered to the same place mine had, wondering what might have happened if I had crossed paths with them.
Our chairs were already close, making it easy for him to take my hand, lift it, and brush his lips over my knuckles. And he did. All of it. In front of his entire staff.
I watched, both enthralled and curious, helpless against the heat that surged through me and the aching need that followed his touch. His lips curled as if he had sensed my reaction.
“We’ll need to follow up on that,” Cerridwen remarked, eyeing Reagan and me keenly. “Maybe even check for sympathisers, see if they’ve got ties here.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed them all watching us, while Reagan seemed completely oblivious to where we were, still nodding, still brushing his lips over the top of my hand.
