Page 97 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

We both went quiet then. I knew we had to get back. But I wondered… ‘Do you think he really is trying to be a hero, Donavyn? Do you think he’s doing the right thing here, even though he’s a dark bastard?’

Donavyn sighed and looked away from me again, his face grim. ‘I truly don’t know. And the bugger of it is, I can’t tell if I’m uncertain because I don’t want to believe he could do the right thing. Or if it’s God’s insistence not to trust him. All I know for sure, is that I don’t. And I won’t. Even if he does good for the kingdom here, he’s a monster. And I’ll make certain he’s tried and convicted as one.’

We pulled each other close for one last embrace and Donavyn stroked my hair. “You look beautiful,” he croaked.

“Thank you. You’re very handsome.”

He didn’t even react, just pulled away and took my hand. “Are you ready to face tonight’s gauntlet?” ‘Do you remember our plan?’

I nodded, though inwardly I sighed. After our small argument yesterday, tonight, Donavyn and I were to portray lovers in tension. A façade neither of us relished. But it was to offer the wary Hanson hope that I could be drawn away

I squeezed Donavyn’s hand, then took a deep breath and swept out of the alcove quickly, praying my cheeks were still red from my nerves, leaving Donavyn to follow me out in the hallway, glaring at my back, as if we’d just argued. I ducked my head and refused to meet any eyes in the corridor, praying the servants saw what we wanted them to see: Lovers who’d argued—or worse—and who were attempting to cover. It was imperative that if words were whispered about me tonight, they had nothing to do with Ruin or dragons.

I couldn’t let anyone focus on anything other than the potentially brittle nature of my relationship with Donavyn.

33. Are You Not Entertained?

~ BREN ~

An hour later, I’d put aside the earlier events. Our plan for the night had been slightly more difficult because the event wasn’t the banquet we’d expected, with assigned seating and obvious movement when someone rose from the table. Instead, the royals had brought jesters, dancers, bards, and musicians. The nobles mingled and circulated, while the servants brought plates of food and drinks around in a constant flow.

That was why the other hallways in the castle had been so empty. The servants weren’t just attending and replenishing tables tonight, they were serving everyone. As the nobles grew drunker, louder, and looser, the poor servants were frazzled and harried more and more frequently.

Ruin arrived half an hour after Donavyn made a show of reluctantly following me into the room. But by the time Ruin showed, we’d already established our dance. Not the ballroom waltz. But the plans of two Shadowfang attempting to bait our prey.

Once we’d entered and I’d received the queen’s approval, and Donavyn dodged the king’s comments about my late arrival with excuses of needing to smooth the path with his assistant, Donavyn hovered over me for a few minutes during which I ignored him, then dropped into a chair next to Faye. I didn’t talk, instead nibbled disinterestedly at food, and drank my first glass of wine far too quickly.

At first, Donavyn attended me, though I gave him no attention. But minutes before Ruin arrived, he pretended to give up in frustration, and turned his attention to Grace who sat at my other side.

By the time Ruin took a seat across from our small circle, I was huddled up with Faye and shooting occasional sullen glances at Donavyn—who was obliviously enthralling Grace with tales of dragons and battle.

I felt Ruin’s eyes on me at various times, though never for long. I wondered if he’d taken so long because he’d called for a messenger to get a report out already. I prayed he hadn’t been quite so impatient, because it was unlikely we’d be able to intercept it if he took the risk of using a royal messenger instead of the network runners.

But I had to hand it to him, however he might think or feel about what he’d learned, and what had happened between us, it didn’t show in his charming smile or deep chuckles. He held court with a handful of the nobles—all more mature women, though he flirted outrageously. Did he not care about the audience, as long as he had feminine attention? Or was it because he’d taken my warning to heart and was avoiding the fluttering of innocent, younger Ladies?

Eventually, Donavyn asked Grace to dance and the two swept off. I let my eyes follow them so anyone watching would think I was hurt, or irritated.

Then Donavyn, scandalously, returned Grace to her chair, ignored me, and offered his hand to another young woman I didn’t know, on the other side of the circle.

This time I didn’t hide a dark look, letting my gaze send a clear message of disapproval right to the back of his neck.

He did an admirable job of pretending to ignore me, yet hunching slightly as if he felt the gaze.

“They’re all the same. I did warn you not to make your admiration quite so obvious, Lady Brennan,” murmured the sour women who’d been set down by Hanson on my first night here. Ruin sat alongside her, purring compliments, and Hanson was nowhere to be seen. Despite Donavyn’s insistence he’d been prowling earlier in the night, clearly looking for me, I hadn’t seen him since we arrived.

“The General is free to dance with whomever he wishes. As am I. I dance with many men,” I said airily, letting a hesitation reach my tone because we all knew I only danced regularly with Donavyn and Hanson, though I’d taken a turn on the floor with other Lords at times.

The woman smirked, but Ruin stared with a dark, measuring look.

The young lady gave a delighted, tinkling laugh from the dancefloor, and I whipped my head to look at them, then, as if someone had lit a fire under me, I leaped to my feet, murmuring something vague to Faye about needing to find a servant for a drink and sweeping away as if I was fleeing.

And precisely as we’d hoped, Hanson appeared at my shoulder before I’d made it halfway across the hall.

“My Lady Brennan—”

“How many times must I tell you I am not a Lady!?” I hissed at him, not even meeting his gaze. Walking quickly, though keeping my chin high, blinking as if I fought tears.

When I reached the end of the dancefloor nearest the doors, I hesitated as if I wasn’t sure where to go, then quickly turned and plowed through a cluster of nobles to reach a servant with a tray of goblets of wine, taking one before the servant had time to offer, and pretending to drink deeply from it.