Page 10 of Of Blood and Banes
As I toss her a glance, a group of shadows stretch across the forest floor from behind us.
Daeja twists her head to survey the area.“We have company.”
When I turn to face the approaching group, Sethan catches my gaze at the front of the throng. His eyes narrow, hinting at what he’s already thinking—see, I told you.
Daeja snorts, clearly attuned to my own irritation as she positions herself between Darian and me but keeps her focus set on the rebels walking our way. Sethan is accompanied by ten others, all with their weapons drawn. With a few of Sethan’s gestures, several of his guards break off from the group, pass Daeja and I, and seize Darian before escorting him back toward Midkeep.
The few who remain are frozen at Sethan’s side, poised and ready for the next command. Sethan makes eye contact with each of them and dips his head, dismissing them one by one. Silently, they turn and walk back to Midkeep. Leaving only me, Daeja, and Sethan.
“I can take him. Though, quite confident of him to send off the rest of his men.”
“I don’t think he’s here to fight…”
But Sethan stares at me as if he’s taking off every brick, piece by piece, of my self-confidence. Waiting for me to crack. Waiting for me to give in. It might have only been seconds, but it ticks by like hours. A drop of sweat rolls down the back of my neck.
“What?” I bark, attempting to mask my nervousness with irritation. Anything to break through the awkward silence and readying myself to hear the“I told you so.”
His expression doesn’t change. “They’ve made a mistake.”
“They?”
“Whoever decided you’re the one to save us.”
CHAPTER 3
WHOM I’M SPEAKING TO
Sethan and I argue over what should be done about Darian with Daeja lingering behind me. Her rigid posture silently challenges Sethan to say the wrong thing or take the wrong step. Eventually, we settle on a shaky agreement that Darian will stay in the dungeon untouched for the night. We can discuss more tomorrow.
After I persuade Daeja I’ll be fine returning to the town, we part ways. Sethan escorts me back to the healer’s quadrant in a painful silence. After he leaves, Marge tends to my once-again-ruptured sutures with whispered scoldings. In the middle of clenching down on a rag and digging my fingernails into my palms to stay silent while the other Arterians sleep, I finally agree to take it easy. After the liquid burning in my ribs subsides, I stretch out the tension in my jaw and sleep.
The next morning, a group of soldiers usher all of us Arterians out of the rebels’ healer’s quadrant. I’m not the only one disgruntled by the guards surrounding us, herding us like sheep down the cobblestone streets of Midkeep as passersby watch us with stunned intrigue.
We wind down several busy roads, bumping shoulders with one another as the guards keep us in close formation. We’re ledto a massive stone building near the center of the town, its tile roof spanning higher above the rest of the multi-story homes and shops surrounding it. Four other soldiers stand guard at the building’s…entrance?
It’s in the style of a drawbridge. Except, there’s no moat or anything to cross. The thick, heavy wooden panel lies flat on the busy cobblestone street. I lean forward to peek across the other two Arterian squad members on my right to exchange a confused look with Archie, who shrugs with splayed hands.
Just as I turn to scan the rows of Arterians behind me for Melaina, a rebel soldier barks, “Keep it moving!”
Our tightly formed squad—with no optionnotto—follow the rebel soldiers surrounding us over the drawbridge door, past the four guards, and into the large building.
The cavernous stone ceiling spans at least sixty feet up into crisscrossing beams with dragons of all shapes and sizes carved into the rock faces. Long, rectangular tables stretch out in front of us, with at least thirty seats on each side of them.
As I scan the room, not a single thing is made of wood. All of it is made of stone. Even the windows lack drapery. Instead, thick iron bars cage the outside of the windowpane with the glass itself being a hazy shade of gray.
Despite the ample amount of sunlight washing in through the two-story tall windows aligning the entire western and eastern wall, several sets of iron chandeliers are strung across the length of the room, their flames flickering with a quiet serenity.
On the farthest wall from us, beyond the tables, is a colossal fireplace that nearly steals my breath. Positioned at the head of the table, directly in front of the fireplace, is Sethan. Already he has his soldiers filling the seats closest to him as he stares down the long table.
Directly at me.
A drop of sweat rolls down the back of my neck.
“You just say the word and I’ll quit pretending like I can’t take them all out in one breath,”Daeja chimes in my head.
I bite my tongue to keep myself from snickering as I hold Sethan’s gaze and push away my nervousness.“This building we’re in is made of stone and iron. I have a feeling it was built specifically so it couldn’t be burned down.”
“Oh, and you think that’ll stop me?”
