Page 61 of Pawns of Fate
“Oh, you can have it. I’ve read it before,” she replied. Something about the man unnerved her, and she felt the pressing need to return to Lyla. Rose wished she could use her aura to read his energy, but she’d glow pink. Instead, she just backed up a few steps.
“No, don’t leave. Here.” He held the book out. “Take it.”
Rose backed up a step further.
“I’m sorry, I’ve startled you,” the man said, cocking his head to the side. A frown crossed his features. “I was just so excited to meet someone else who enjoysS. Queenfisher’swork.”
That was the name! Perhaps she’d misjudged this stranger. Rose stepped forward. She didn’t like to be distrustful, especially not of fellow romance readers.
He held the book out again. This time, Rose grabbed it.
The book started to glow with what looked suspiciously like a spell, and Rose realized she had made a terrible mistake. This man wasn’t a romance fan at all.
She screamed, then felt a hand, two hands, grip her from behind, yanking her arm, tossing her backward, out of harm’s way and straight onto her ass. Lyla, a blur of skirts and knives, rushed past, lunging at the hooded man.
But there was no man. Not anymore. He’d melted into a pile of shadows before Rose had even hit the ground.
“What the hell were you thinking!?” Lyla yelled, then ran over to help Rose.
Rose fought back tears as a thousand thoughts and feelings rushed to take center stage in her head.I almost died. Lyla almost killed a man. I would have never seen Nicholas or Ava or Lyla or anyone from Castle Sharp again.
Not a single one of these thoughts was helpful or calming. She wished, not for the last time that day, that she could use her aura on herself.
“I’m sorry,” Lyla said as Rose dusted off her skirts. “I shouldn’t have yelled. I just… that was very close. If I’d been a heartbeat too late…”
The commotion had caused the entire library to gather, and now their assigned guards were on the way. The pounding footsteps grew closer, and Rose realized Lyla’s bonnet had fallen off during the scuffle. There was no mistaking her for a maid now.
Ava ran up to them first.
“Lyla, you threw a knife into a shelf of books,” she whispered. “I don’t think the Ojoh are going to be very happy about that.”
Rose hadn’t even realized that Lyla had thrown a knife at her attacker, too. Things had happened so quickly. She supposed the bonnet was a moot point.
Lyla brought both of her hands to her face. Rose hugged her and used her aura. Things were about to get complicated. They all needed to use their heads right now.
“You really are too kind for your own good,” the shadowmage whispered.
The girls turned to face their guards.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“A shadow mage tried to abduct me, and my maid saved me,” Rose declared. There was no point in lying now.
The guards exchanged a confused look.
“We’ll pay for the book,” Ava added, cheerfully drawing out the knife and handing it to Lyla, who rolled her eyes and reluctantly turned it over to the guards.
“Let’s go back to the house. We’re going to need to speak to the commander about this,” the older of the two guards said. Then he added, “Will yourmaidbe compliant?”
“Of course she’ll comply. We have no intention of breaking the treaty,” Rose replied.
The guard scratched his head. “We’ll still need to tell the commander about this.” He motioned to the crowd gathering around. “He’ll hear about it either way. Your maid will have to come with us once we’re back at the house.”
Lyla bristled, but Rose elbowed her and confidently replied, “Of course. We understand.”
The guards exchanged more wary glances as the crowd around them continued to grow. The pressure of so many onlookers must have gotten to them, because they decided not to press the issue any further.
The girls nodded and followed them out of the library. Rose’s heart sank. She may have just ruined everything and sparked another war between the Ojoh and Sharps, all because she couldn’t wait to get her hands on a book. What a lady of House Sharp she was turning out to be.
