I also know that Rafe and I need to finish our conversation, as well. There is nowhere else for us to run, no place where we can avoid having the hard conversation we need to have.
Cozy is the only word I would use to describe Rafe’s house. House is a generous word for it, too, as it’s more of a cottage tucked away in a clearing in the forest, a small stream trickling in the distance. Ivy grows up the stone walls and instead of making it look abandoned, it adds a sense of charm to the small building. The two rocking chairs on the side porch beckon us forward, inviting us in.
“This is a charming place you have, Rafe,” Ginna comments, admiring the wildflowers that are planted about near the porch stairs.
“Suprised?” Rafe asks.
Ginna tilts her head, considering his question. “No…” she answers slowly. “This suits you, actually. I can picture you curled up with a sketchbook and blanket in one of those chairs. Enjoying the quiet.”
It suits Elia as well, and I find her already on the porch, one hand trailing the bannister. It’s like both her and the cottage jumped out of a scene straight from a storybook.
“This reminds me of my farm.” Elia speaks so softly I’m not sure if she is talking to me or to herself, lost in memories.
“Less animals, though,” she adds thoughtfully, smiling when she meets my gaze.
Rafe’s voice chimes in, and I jump, not realizing he had joined us. “We used to have sheep and a few goats, butsomeone,” he raises his voice, and Elia and I share a questioning look. “Forgot to secure their pen and they ran away.”
“Wellsomeoneshould have known that I knew jackshit about tending to animals. They don’t teach you how to correctly shut an animal pen in university.”
The door slams open, revealing a short woman standing in the doorframe. Despite her small stature, she seems to be towering over everyone. She and Rafe share the same tanned skin and dark hair.
“Adrienne?” The woman snaps her head towards me, and the light hits her face, highlighting prominent burn scars on the right portion of her face, spreading from her lip and disappearing into her hairline.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringinghimhere.” Her words are dripped in venom.
“Kind of a long story, Ren. They’re not staying long.”
“What’s going on?” I’m missing a piece in this puzzle.
Rafe might have some reason to be mad at me, miscommunication aside, but I barely knew his sister. There is no reason for her animosity towards me as well.
“‘What?’”Adrienne mimics me. She shakes her head. “Fuck you, Cal. You know what you did.”
I’m almost at my breaking point with Rafe’s fury, and I am about to reach that point with her anger as well.
“Could someone please enlighten me then?! I would love to know what I apparently did to piss everyone here off.”
Adrienne shoots daggers at me. “Oh, so you’re claiming you didn’t attack theArcadia?Didn’t blow up thecivilianship?
“What are you…?” The words trail off from my mouth. My heart is pounding in my ears, and my blood rushes to heat my face. I’m struggling to keep up, the mental and physical exhaustion from this trip finally seeping in.
“TheArcadia? The galleon vessel?” Ginna glances at me before turning back to Adrienne. “That was a rogue ship. Stolen from Guilmond’s navy.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Adrienne states coolly. “It was a ship carrying refugees. Civilians who were trying to find a better life for themselves. And you destroyed it.”
“Callum?” That’s Elia. I don’t have it in me to face her right now.
My jaw tightens and I grind my teeth together. That can’t be possible. I didn’t remember the ship until Ginna triggered my memory. It was a hunt we completed almost immediately after Rafe left. The King had told me the ship was taken over by navy deserters with plans to attack Ashven. So yes, we had sunk it. But there were no civilians on board.
There couldn’t have been.
“I – there were no – ” I stop to compose myself and take a deep breath. “Like Ginna said, there were deserters from the Guilmond navy steering theArcadia. There were no civilians.”
Adrienne gestures to her face. “So what am I, then? I was on that ship five years ago. When I saw theMidasand the Hunter’s flag, I thought you were there to escort all of us to safety. Back to Rafe. And then you brought out the cannons. I barely survived.”
“Why were you on that ship, anyways? If it was full of refugees, as you claim.” Ginna doesn’t seem as shaken by the news that we might have exploded a boat full of civilians unless she’s hiding it well.
Adrienne gestures towards Rafe, as if giving him the honor to answer this.
