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Wyn snorted. “She likes to blow things up. We had to ward her tower to keep Carenlume from imploding.”
“Honestly, I'm not feeling better about a visit to Aunty Ásví.” Ayda furrowed her brow at Hùisdean, who only shrugged and smirked back in response.
“It's very typical behavior for a wizard.” Elion contributed. “She's the best at what she does, so even though she vacated the court, we'd never insult her by replacing her while she's still alive.”
“Don't you mean a witch?” Ayda was curious if Ásví was particular about the title.
“Whatever you do, do not call her a witch,” Wyn said, pushing some of his hair off his forehead to reveal a small white scar on his temple. “I did that one too many times during my magical training with her as a child.” He winked, indicating that there were no hard feelings. “She prefers to be referred to as a wizard.”
“Not a problem.” Ayda supplied quickly. “It still sounds like she'd rather be left alone than have us visit her.”
“We've probably scared you off,” Hùisdean admitted, “but she's not that bad. If I thought she'd harm you, then I would never suggest we go there.” There was a seriousness, almost a possessiveness, in Hùisdean's voice at the admittance. “She's not safe, but she's good.”
Ayda scoffed. “Are you quoting C.S. Lewis at me now?”
“Absolutely not,” Hùisdean smiled coyly. “His lore is much too convoluted.”
“May the old gods help you all.” Wyn rolled his eyes. “All right, we'll get out of here. Hùisdean, I'll talk to the stable master for you so the two of you can leave in the morning.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Hùisdean nodded. Wyn, Elion, and Imra said their goodbyes to Ayda and expressed their gratitude for her help again, filing out of the room until only Hùisdean and Ayda were left.
Ayda flushed at the intensity of his gaze, now focused entirely on her, and tried to look anywhere in the room but right at him.
“Is that what we're doing now? Pretending that what happened tonight didn't happen?” Hùisdean scowled.
Ayda picked at some of the embroidery on the quilt. “I don't know what you're talking about.” Her voice was quiet, and she hated herself for running from the subject, but the last thing she wanted to talk about right then was why she'd thrown herself on top of Hùisdean in the middle of a battle.
“I see.” Hùisdean sounded disappointed, his lips tightening into a thin line. He reached out his hand as if to touch her again and stopped short, dropping his fist to his side. “Get some rest. We'll leave in the morning when you're up.”
He disappeared on swift feet without saying another word. Ayda didn't realize he'd left until the door slammed shut. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't demand to depart at dawn again. This time, it was whenever she woke up.
Don't think about it. Ayda chided herself harshly. She rolled over in the luxurious bed, grabbed a pillow, shoved her face in it, and screamed. It was childish, but she felt better when she was done.
Ayda lay resting there for a few minutes before getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom. She'd already had one bath that day, but if they were headed out to find Hùisdean's secluded wizard of an aunt, she doubted she'd have another opportunity.
Ayda grabbed her cell phone and was pleasantly surprised to discover she had service. Plenty of magical folks these days created extensive warding to allow their devices to work across magical property lines, but they were so remote that Ayda hadn't known what to expect. She immediately turned on the faucet and started to compose a message to Pippa while the bath filled.
Please tell me you're awake right now.
Of course, I am. Do I go to bed at 8:30?
I didn't even realize what time it was.
Ooh. Is that sexy elf prince making you see stars already?
For fuck's sake. No. Well. I don't know. I thought I hated him.
Thought? That's news. Although I could tell from the day you met him, you didn't hate him.
Rude.
Don't blame me. I call them how I see them. Why are you texting me and not getting it on with the elf prince—the PRINCE, I might add?
Because he IS a prince. I'm not in the habit of starting things I can't finish, and we have no future.
He could definitely help you finish.
You're the worst.
