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Chapter 48
Taveon
“Rafe, wake up.”Taveon nudged his oldest friend, who was sprawled out on Taveon’s sofa beside the flickering fireplace. Ever since he’d learned of Bree’s betrayal, he’d been camping out here instead of in his own quarters, too overwhelmed by her ghostly presence she’d left behind. His friend had been hurt, but he’d never say it aloud. Taveon could see the truth in his eyes. Rafferty had fallen for the Redcap girl. And Taveon was beginning to feel as if he had,too.
Rafe groaned and threw an arm over his head to shield his eyes. “The world is a cruel place. Do not force me to face it rightnow.”
“Bree is staying,Rafe.”
With that, Rafe was on his feet in an instant. Taveon frowned at his friend. He was a mess. His silver hair stuck out in every direction, and there were purple spots underneath his eyes. He had definitely been into theale.
“What do you mean she is staying?” Rafe asked. “She sold us out to Lord Dagen so that she could win herfreedom.”
“It appears that Bree regrets what she has done, though I do not blame her in the least.” The Prince pressed his lips tight together. He did not think his friend was going to like what he had to say next. “She wants to stay here. I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how she is. She is determined to do what she thinks she should do. And so she has volunteered to fight as mychampion.”
“What?” Rafe stared at Taveon, dumbfounded. “This cannot be real. I am hallucinating. This is all some kind of dream, isn’t it? No, scratch that. It is anightmare.”
“Is it truly a nightmare if she isstaying?”
“No,” Rafe admitted. “It is not a nightmare she is staying, but it is certainly a nightmare to imagine her fighting all those battles. There are dozens of them coming now. And why in the name of the forest would she volunteer to do such a thing? After she was the one who told Lord Dagen thetruth?”
Taveon’s face warmed as he thought back to the moment he’d shared with Bree. That smile on her face. That look in her eye. Perhaps Taveon was going delirious, but he could have sworn he’d seen something in her eyes. An emotion he didn’t dare imagine could bereal.
Could Bree actually care for him? Surely she couldn’t. Not after everything he’d said and done. But her hand had pressed against his chest. Her fingers had wrapped around his. Taveon shook his head to get rid of the memories. He needed to focus on the conversation at hand. Bree’s life could depend onit.
“As much as I would like to stand here and speculate, there is no time for that,” Taveon said. “For whatever reason, she has decided to stay. And she has decided to fight. The battles begin later this day when the moon dips low in the westernskies.”
Rafe stared at the Prince. “Today? But she has not completed her training. She is not ready. There is so much more she needs tolearn—”
“We have approximately half a day before we must meet the others in the fighting pit for the first round of battles.” Taveon grasped his friend’s shoulder tight in his hands. “Go to her, Rafe. Work with her as much as you can. Get her ready enough so that we can link my power to hers. Make sure she cannot fail. For her sake, notmine.”
