Page 72 of A Deception of Courts

Seeing the pain in his eyes, they revealed that Erix had so much more to say, and there was even more I wanted to hear. But I had to put an end to this, before the interaction distracted me from what waited outside of this house.

Erix, even now, proved to be the distraction I once wanted, but now did not need.

“I hope you find some solace in this conversation wherever it is you end up next,” I said, trying to keep my focus on the door ahead of me but wishing everything to look up at him one last time. “Rafaela will come in shortly to speak with you. Once you have proven yourself as an innocent party relating to Gabrial’s murder, then you have until sundown to leave Berrow.”

“I understand. Goodbye then, little bird.”

I took one shaking step and stopped again. “What has happened to the other gryvern?”

“We’ve… they’ve dispersed. Sometimes I still sense them in my mind, but the connection has been quiet for a while now.”

“Shame,” I replied, mind whirling at the new concern of protecting my people. “We could have done with them for the battle to come. Monsters to go up against the monsters that will no doubt find themselves on our doorstep again.”

“You really have changed too, since this all began.” If Erix felt shame or discomfort for me referring to him as a monster, he didn’t show it.

“I haven’t had the choice not to,” I said.

“If it means anything, the man I see before me is not the same one who told me he was frightened of the dark.” Erix drank me in a final time, turning his eyes from my boots and back up to my face where they settled. “I am really proud of you.”

My heart pranged in my chest, the feeling not as unpleasant as I would’ve expected.

“It’s not the dark that scares me anymore,” I whispered, forcing the words out before I could stop myself.

Erix fell into the question I had set up for him. When he asked it, I sagged forward with some feeling of relief. “What frightens you now?”

Just as he had, I allowed myself a final look at him. I glanced up at Erix, imprinting this new version of himself into my mind. We were so close that he stared down the arrowed point of his nose at me. His wings shifted nervously at his back, anticipating the response I had built within me.

“I’m scared to death of losing those I care about,” I whispered, turning my back and severing our connection. Only when the bedroom’s door was within reach did I finish what I had to say. “So, Erix. Do me a favour, and keep yourself alive.”

As I walked out into the blinding light of day to Duncan, who waited for me at the end of the path, I was certain I heard a reply.

“For you, I shall. Little bird.”

CHAPTER 21

I couldn’t take my mind off Erix no matter how hard I tried to.

Duncan sensed it, so it wasn’t a surprise when he didn’t question me after I asked for us to be alone. My impactful yet brief conversation with Erix had a lasting effect. I couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting before my friends and allies, pretending I could concentrate on the matters of demon gods and death. My mind was shrouded in heavy fog, and I needed a fresh breath to clear it. I longed for a moment of peace, locked behind a closed door, with no need to force a smile or pretend my mind was not preoccupied with other thoughts.

I was satisfied to know that Rafaela’s wound was being seen to. Duncan had assured me that Althea and Gyah would keep a close eye on the matters of Berrow, allowing me time to work through everything that had happened. Not that I really cared for what Kayne was doing, but I asked anyway. He was important to Duncan, which meant he was important to me. Although my inquiry was wasted, as Duncan hadn’t seen Kayne since we arrived back in Berrow. He shrugged as he confirmed it. His response was dismissive and misplaced. Clearly, there was tension between them, and I wasn’t ready to unpack it.

The attack on Imeria and the death that followed did a number on me. Duncan as well. It surprised me that Kayne wasn’t the first one to check on Duncan. Apparently, the ex-Hunter found it more important that the fey people he’d once sworn to hunt were settled in their new homes. There was a part of me that was thankful for him. Kayne provided more of his time to my people than I could have.

“I found this,” Duncan said from the open doorway, leaning against the frame as he inspected a dust-covered bottle in his hand. He scrutinised the dark glass, lifting it close to his face… so close that his green eyes seemed to cross one another. “There is definitely something inside, and the cork hasn’t spoiled. Should be good enough to drink. What do you say, fancy taking a risk with me?”

My chest warmed at the thought of a stiff drink. Not melted ice or water collected from a well in the heart of Berrow that needed boiling before it was safe to ingest.

“Trust you to find wine even in a place like this,” I replied, cheeks prickling at the thought of taking my first swig. I had hopes it would help deal with my tangled thoughts of Erix.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Duncan replied, a grin tugging his lips up at each corner. There was no ignoring the shadows hanging beneath his eyes, the same that also spoiled my face. We were exhausted, but even in this state, the concept of sleep was displeasing. “The rest of the storage I found has been ransacked. By rats or people, maybe both. We shouldn’t let it go to waste.”

“What would Nathanial think if he could see you now? Duncan Rackley, solving problems with a bottle of wine,” I said, vividly remembering how Duncan poached bottles from Abbott Nathanial’s store cupboards as a youth, but more recently during our short stay in the Abbott’s attic room.

“Old habits die as hard as sinful ones,” Duncan mocked, forcing the aged voice of the kind-hearted Abbott.

My smile was short-lived as I remembered Nathanial being torn to pieces before our eyes by the gryvern. And I had just left one to face Rafaela’s judgement. The possibilities of whatever outcome she’d come to haunted my mind.

If Erix was guilty, it would at least solve the issue of who killed Gabrial. And if he was innocent, that person could still be among us.

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