Page 34 of Enchanted Shadows
They all seemed to understand the stigma they were fighting against in being the first team of women in Wylan. So why the hell would they risk it? For what? A night out on the town in Savaryn?
Never mind the fact that I once had the hell beat out of me by my general and spent the night in the mountain for something minor in our training: starting a fight. Even though the prick had deserved it. I took ten lashes in the mountain for a fight and had to run even while my back healed. I lived in fear during my own training, riding that fine line of standing up for myself but staying out of the mountain. Meanwhile, these women were off going to parties. Though I didn’t want them to fear me or experience what Ihad been forced to endure, I did want them to treat it seriously. To understand the privilege they now had in being able to train in this safe manner.
Miles used his magic to rotate the wheels on a horseless wagon. It was powered by an Enchanted’s power. Not horses. And it could go as fast as our magic willed it, which was damn fast if we wanted.
I hopped on and we were flying toward Savaryn.
“Do you know where they are?” I asked as the wind flew by so fast it made my eyes water.
“I asked the men after Alvarez started talking. There are two parties tonight. Stirling’s and Whitman’s.”
I sighed out a string of curses.
“So I take it you know which one?”
Unfortunately, it was not Emric’s parents’ that the women went to. I’d wager a large amount of coin on it too. “They’re at the Stirling party. Wren used to date one of the Stirling boys. Or still is. Not sure.”
Miles scrunched up his nose. “We don’t like that.”
“No. We don’t.” The elder Stirlings were Theon Valanova loyalists. Bram Stirling was the grandson of a Theon loyalist. That alone didn’t damn him, if he wasn’t an entitled brat who had never been told no in his life. Never faced a consequence in his existence.
“Right.” Miles urged our chariot faster.
We pulled up and parked the wagon out of sight, behind a few trees.
“Plan?” Miles asked.
“See what they are up to first. Blend in.”
Miles tugged at his shirt. Black like mine. We weren’t exactly dressed for a party. Hopefully all parties were inebriated enough already that we could just stick to the walls and watch. Find the women. Get the hell out of there.
As soon as we neared the door to the Stirling mansion, weheard the thump of the deep bass. This was not just a social drinking party it seemed. I thought back to earlier in the day, the women dancing to a music that wasn’t there. Was that not enough dancing for them, so they’d randomly decided to go dancing for the real thing?
No. If I wasn’t at the Stirling mansion, I would believe that. Hell, had we been at the Whitman residence I would be knocking back a whiskey before getting the women out of there. The fact that Bram Stirling was here meant that this was far more calculated.Personal.
Hormones were involved. After doing my best for forty-five days to keep all hormones out of this team, we’d finally sprung a leak in the most wretched of ways.
Miles and I stood against a wall. He handed me a drink, and I took it, just to look like we were being social. Neither of us would be drinking tonight.
“Look for Bram,” I told Miles. “I’m certain my sister is here either for him or because of him.”
Miles gave me a nod as we kept watching.
Sure enough, I found him on the dance floor in the main entertaining room. This room was a third of the size of the ballroom in the castle. Why an estate in Savaryn needed a ballroom like this was beyond me.
What was the point of these parties anyway? I’d never understood it. More harm and hurt came from the drunken ramifications than good. I supposed it was a status thing, though I wouldn’t know. I had never cared much for statuses. Nor feeling like hell after drinking too much.
Bram turned his dance partner around as their bodies ground against one another to the beat of the music, but I found that it wasn’t my sister that he was kissing. Relief flooded my veins. Thank goodness his attention was elsewhere. For close to a year, Ihad tried to tell my sister she deserved better. But there were some things you just had to find out for yourself.
I felt eyes on me and instinctively looked up. To the brown eyes of Zara. Standing in a clump next to some Savaryn women and the rest of the team.
I squinted at her. Of all of them on the team, she knew better, dammit.
“Sorry,” she mouthed.
I glared.
And then before I could stop it, Wren released some of her pale green magic on a breeze which wrapped around Bram before smacking him in the back of the head.
