“M’lord,” Warna chided softly. She was standing so close, he could smell her hair.
Verice cleared his throat. “I will confess to you that I was going to ask forgiveness for my unconscionable actions, and beg your pardon,” he murmured. “But I will return your honesty with my own. I’ve no real regrets. Except that…”
“M’lady, do you wish us to start on the next—” One of the women approached from behind. Warna shot her a glare that practically scorched the woman where she stood.
“M’lady,” Verice chuffed at Warna as the woman fled.
“Except that?” Warna prompted him, her own eyebrow raised.
“Except that we stopped,” he whispered.
She flushed again, but her lips curved upwards, lifting his heart with them.
“M’lord,” Ricard said from a distance off.
Verice turned on him, at the same time Warna lifted her head. But the man was impervious to their glares. “There’s a need,” he said simply.
“We need to discuss this,” Verice lowered his head to Warna’s ear. “But I fear…”
She leaned in toward him, humming her agreement. “We’ve duties, m’lord,”
“True enough, m’lady,” Verice stood for a moment more, sighed and stepped back. “Dinner, then?”
Warna’s eyes were bright, filled with anticipation. “Dinner would be—”
Horns sounded from the walls, calling an alert, warning of assault from above.
Verice snapped his head up, scanning the sky. Two mounted creatures spiraled above. “Warna, get the humans into the—” He paused, frowning, and lifted a hand to shade his eyes as he studied the two figures. “Ancestors, there must be a new man on horn duty. That’s—”
The horns sounded again, with an ‘All’s well’.
“What are they?” Warna asked.
“More like a who,” Verice said, frowning. “It’s Wolfe and Kalynn.”
Warna caught herbreath as the creatures from that lovely tapestry spiraled down, beautiful wings spread wide to slow their descent into the courtyard. They gracefully settled to the ground, folding their wings to allow their riders to unbuckle and dismount.
A streak of mottled colors jumped down from the pack on one animal’s back and ran for the stables. Warna was fairly sure it was the cat.
Verice started in their direction, but Warna hesitated. Every eye in the courtyard was fixed on the two new arrivals, but there was little welcome there. All work had stopped as Wolfe and Kalynn dismounted and greeted Verice. The bustle of activity had been replaced with an odd stillness, wariness, and fear.
The women behind her had gathered at the door of the barracks, and the children were being hustled inside. The fear in their faces was obvious. As much as Warna would like to see the airons up close, she felt a need to respond to that fear. She walked back, trying to catch their eyes and offer reassurance. “There’s nothing to fear. Just friends of the High Baron’s come for a visit.”
That got her stares of mingling disbelief and exasperation. “Lady,” one of the eldest said. “That is the ChaosReaver.”
“It’s said he tears out the living hearts of his enemies,” another whispered.
“No,” Warna shook her head, thinking of the cluttered stairs of the Tower and Wolfe’s smile. “He’s—”
She heard footsteps behind her, and all the woman’s eyes went wide. Warna glanced back to find the trio advancing on her.
“What is this?” Kalynn’s voice was like a knife as her glare raked over Warna’s cloths and the rags in her hand.
“Kalynn,” Warna started her greeting, but froze as Kalynn spun on her heel, and confronted Verice.
“You were to care for her, claimed she was under your protection,” Kalynn snarled. “And yet what do I find?” Fast as lightning, her hand rose, and she slapped Verice. “Humans are not slaves!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
