Page 131 of Oath of Rebellion

Eirwyn gasped, stepping out of his arms. He immediately went on alert, needing to protect her. He battled with his possessiveness.

"Scarlet, are you alright?" Eirwyn pulled her forward, grabbing her forearms to check her over.

Knox jerked, his eyes shifting to Scarlet in shock at seeing her in a one shoulder dress made out of one long piece of cloth. Apprehension washed over him, clawing at his stomach as his eyes met hers. She had been changed too, and she was not happy about it.

Antlers stuck up on top of her head between two long floppy ears. She had white freckles on her cheeks along with her regular freckles, whiskers, and a pale pink nose. When she turned slightly to hug Eirwyn, he saw a wolf's tail poking through her awkward dress.

Knox stepped over. "Red," he said softly, a knot in his throat. "I thought you'd gotten out with the prisoners."

He pulled her into a hug, lifting her feet off the ground. She stiffened, then slapped his back and rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"I took a healing potion, then jumped into the rebellion. What the king tried to do with Eirwyn–it wasn't right."

"But are you alright?" he asked, gently setting her on her feet.

"I'll be fine, Knox," she whispered, not letting him go. That's when he knew she was more upset than she was letting on. She never accepted physical affection or comfort, not since her dad died.

She only allowed herself a few moments of comfort, then she was pulling back. She stiffened her spine and lifted her fist, glaring at him. She punched him in the bicep.

He grunted out of instinct, but his skin was tougher now from the shifting scales so he barely felt it. "Hey, what's that for?"

She put her hands on her hips. "You're the leader of the Robins? This whole time, and you didn't tell me?"

He shrugged and ran a hand over the side of his head sheepishly. "You're a Hunter, Scarlet, and you've stayed away from the forest for a long time. I wasn't sure where your loyalties lay, so I thought it was better to leave you in the dark."

She glared at him and crossed her arms. "Pa would've joined the Robins long ago. Maybe I would've too if you'd have shared about it. We'll never know, will we?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms, cocking a hip and wiggling her nose and whiskers as she glared at him. "I knew there was something going on with you, but it took a nationwide rebellion for me to find out."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry, Scarlet. But are you chewing me out so we avoid talking about your–ahem..."

He trailed off, and Scarlet's cheeks flushed. It'd been years since he'd seen her blush that brightly. His brows rose.

"I'm not going to talk about it," she said, tilting her head up and stomping through the glen to the Lone Road.

Eirwyn walked beside Scarlet, chattering and trying to comfort her. Lailant looked at him and said, "She's going to need you a lot more in the coming months. We all will. Seal that hole up to stop the spread of the curse, then start leading your people, your majesty."

She nodded, then turned and walked away.

Knox raked a hand over his head and stretched his neck with a sigh. He had so many questions. He shook his head, his mind fuzzy from the use of so much magic.

Ashur closed the grate with a bang, making him wince.

Knox shook his head, dizziness swarming him. He straightened his shoulders and waved his hands, weaving vines over it and then growing a tree from seed over it for good measure. His hands shook with the effort, then dropped to his side.

Ashur slapped him on the back when he was finished, and Knox almost went sprawling. Ashur jerked him upright and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, mate. Don't realize my own new found strength. You going to the Edge?"

"No, I just need some food and good night's rest. We might need to hunt for some of these people. If any of them pushed themselves in using their magic like I did, they'll need something warm and hearty. They're safe for tonight, but we'll need to set up patrols anyway. It's still Growlers mating season, after all."

Ashur grinned and crossed his stony arms.

Knox raised his brows. "What?"

Ashur shook his head. "Nothing. It's just... you're going to make a great king."

Knox stiffened but didn't argue as they went back to camp, his mind trying to organize and plan what their next steps needed to be.

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