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Shit. Forget being a man, I was ready to whine like a child. The chief was going to chew me up and spit me out.
Evanna stood to her full height, signaling her scolding was over, and I pushed to my feet after her. “Thank you, Princess. I hope to prove myself to you again and earn your forgiveness.”
She offered me a slight nod, but an unexpected air of amusement danced across her features afterwards. Evie arched a single brow at me. “We’ll see about that,” she whispered. “Come by my room tonight. I may have a few chores for you to redeem yourself.”
God, I loved that woman.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Narrowing her eyes at me as though she was still scolding me, Evie turned around, and walked towards the others.
Harrison soon took her place beside me. “Hey, it is time for the sky riders to rest before we head back home. Land riders will keep watch while you all sleep.”
It was only then that I realized most of the people around me were already sleeping. The women, the elderly, and children had cleaned themselves in the river and changed into the clothes the land riders provided. The injured had been tended to by the medicine woman brought from the castle, and that included Nikau.
They all laid along the area with soft grass, covered by thick blankets. I couldn’t even imagine the relief they must feel to finally be free, and among people who would make sure they were safe.
In the back of my mind, I wondered how Harrison and the others had brought so many provisions for all the people here on their horses, but then I noticed the two packed carriages parked along the tree line.
Serenity spread through the clearing, and I noticed Kingston helping Evie cover herself with a blanket before taking a spot on the ground behind her. Ever the guardian. Smiling, I made my way toward the group, but took a spot closer to the outside rim and river, not wanting to disturb the others who were already all snuggled in place. Even the Dragons were snoring.
Taking two blankets, I rolled one up under my neck like the rest had done, and the moment my head rested over it, exhaustion crashed into me. I was gone before I could finish extending the wool throw over my legs.
The sharp tip of a spear’s blade poked my chest, and I woke up with a start, to find Lachlan’s weapon right above my heart.
“Arm yourself or die like a coward,” he seethed, a tempest of fury in his eyes.
Smacking his blade away from me with my palm, I jumped to my feet, unsheathing my sword in a split second. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked, holding my sword between us, and truly perplexed by his behavior.
“What is wrong with me?!” he echoed, as though he couldn’t believe my audacity to ask such a question. “You are the one who failed to kill the guard before he blew the horn, and then decided to play the hero and attack the Warlock King!” he barked, pointing out my stupidity. “And you call yourself an Elevated Warrior? My cousin almost died because of you!”
My blood boiled with his accusation, but what irked me the most was that he was right.
He pointed his spear at me again. “Fight me, if you have any honor at all.”
“Stand down,” Asher ordered, pushing away Lachlan’s blade, and placing himself between us. “Braxton is still in training,” he defended.
“And you trusted him with this mission?!”
“He’s a far better warrior than any of us when we were training, and has abilities you couldn’t possibly imagine. The mission went awry, but that is always a risk, and we dealt with it. You know as well as I do, we couldn’t have gotten inside the Hollow if he hadn’t been there.”
Hand tightening around the hilt of my weapon, I stepped out of Asher’s shadow. I appreciated his words, but I didn’t need him to defend me. “I’m sorry I made a mistake, but your cousin’s injury had nothing to do with me. He was attacked by a sentry when we were retreating.”
“It had everything to do with you,” Lachlan replied, his tone disbelieving. “The instant you allowed that horn to be blown, everything that followed was your responsibility. Do you not realize that?”
My jaw tensed, noticing that the rest of the Elevated Warriors had come to our side, having awakened because of the scuffle. They formed a barrier around us, blocking us from everyone else. Probably so Evie and the chief wouldn’t notice.
“I’ve owned up to my mistake and I am prepared to face the consequences, but who the hell are you to decide what those are?” I barked.
“That is enough out of you,” my commander warned me, his arm pressed against my chest—I hadn’t even noticed that I was inching towards Lachlan. Then Asher’s fuming gaze whipped towards his former brother. “And you too, Lachlan. I will not allow you to defame any of my men. If you have an issue with any Elevated Warrior, then I suggest you go to the chief and place a formal complaint. Otherwise, get out of my face. You have no voice or weight here.”
“Maybe I should be the one to teach you a lesson, boy. Then you might actually become a good warrior,” Lachlan spat, ignoring the commander’s warning. The spear twirled in his grasp, revealing he was itching to get a piece of me.
Derisive laughter escaped me. “Please. You have some balls to even stand there, all righteous after what you did to Princess Evanna. Or have you forgotten you are the one begging for her forgiveness right now?”
The man’s eyes basically went red.
Asher whirled around to face me. “Not. Another. Word.”
