Page 10 of Ravenrose

Once they’re gone, Fel sits back on his throne, his shoulder sagging slightly. He looks up to address the general. “We found him about a mile south of Rosecliff, scouting a position with a couple of other men.”

The general’s disinterest couldn’t be clearer. “Just kill him and be done with it. He’s a scout, nothing more. It’s unlikely we’ll get anything useful out of him.”

“That’s not true,” I hear myself interjecting.

All eyes turn to me.

The look on the general’s face says he might just want to flay me alive for adding my two cents, but I continue, all too aware of the room’s attention on me. “He’s not just a scout.”

The male standing next to the general—Breck, I think Riven called him earlier—snickers. “Not a scout? Of course, he’s a scout! We found him in the woods—scouting.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, looking at my brother, waiting for him to dismiss me.

“He might have been scouting.” I emphasize the word just as he had, and his dark eyes slide venomously back to mine. “But he’s not a scout.” Holding up my fingers, I tick them off as I continue. “His mannerisms, his court knowledge, not to mention the man’s flagrant disregard of royal protocols, his armour—it’s too nice for the lowest ranking position in the ranks—and, of course, the overall air of entitlement and smug-ass attitude.” My gaze moves to my older brother. “He’s not just a scout. He’s noble. Or if not noble, then very close to nobility.”

The general grunts and waves me off, dismissing my assessment. “He’s a cocky foot soldier who thinks he knows everything. I’ve seen it a thousand times.”

My jaw ticks.

Fel, who’s stayed quiet until this point, speaks up. “We’ll hold him for now. Question him. I want to know why Kovaria is scouting so far east. And I want him alive—for now, anyway.” His gaze falls on the general, who looks as if he wants to argue but thinks better of it, giving Fel a curt bow of his head at the orders before turning on his heel, marching out of the room, and taking his soldiers with him. But not without a farewell glare at me.

“Always a pleasure, General!” I call out to his back.

The large man pauses, his shoulders tense, but he doesn’t turn, then strides more stiffly to the exit.

“Rowan—” I turn to my right to find Riven wiping his face with his hand and Fel doing his best to hide a small smile.

The corner of my lip twitches upward. “Come on, you can’t tell me that wasn’t a little fun.”

Chapter 5

ROWAN

“Isee you and the general have been working on your relationship.” Fel sighs while slumping down in his chair, exhaustion written all over his face.

“He’s a dick!” I bite out.

Next to me, Riven coughs sharply to hide his own snicker.

But only amusement dances in our eldest brother’s tired eyes. Usually, he’s the most rigid of the three of us.

“I see the new governess is earning her keep,” Fel teases lightly.

“That has yet to be seen,” Riven laughs, giving me a playful shove. “Ro’s vocabulary has certainly grown more diverse, but there are far more creative names she could have called him.”

I return his playful shove with a more forceful version of my own, and Riven has to grip the arm of his chair to keep from falling out.

“Let me guess what lessons you were avoiding tonight,” Fel laughs, and I shoot him a warning glare—giving Riven one more shove for good measure. “Dancing, posture…”

“Manners, perhaps?” Riven tacks on.

“I would never!” I reply, painting a look of shock and indignation upon my face, feigning innocence while pushing aside the nightmarish memories of posture lessons. Hours and hours and hours of maintaining the proper way to sit, stand, and curtsy.

Ridiculous.

The fact that the boys don’t have to attend such lessons irks me to no end.

Fel and Riven’s laughter fill the room, and the sound warms my chest.

Gods, I’ve missed this. It feels like ages since the three of us have been together. Fel had been called away to new duties with the Sitaran army, spending more time at Aurielle with our father. Riven, too, had been gone more and more for training. Our father has been grooming each of us for our future roles since the day we were born. Remembering this could be one of the last times the three of us are together like this has my heart tightening painfully in my chest.