Page 86 of Knightfall
“What about Avia?”
Connor shook his head. “Polite disinterest was the best I got. Boredom even, when they sat together at dinner tonight. But … when he looked at you—”
“Yes?”
Every eye in the room focused on Connor, who ran a hand through his unruly brown curls and then cupped his chin. His eyes flickered from Ryan to Quinn and then Declan before he answered. “It was hard to describe. There was a hint of desire. But the overriding emotion was excitement. Or maybe … elation?”
“What the hell does that mean?” Ryan got angry. He stomped over and grabbed me, dragging me back to the chair to sit on his lap. His arms locked possessively around me for a moment.
I was starting to recognize his need to hold me when he got upset.
Connor eyed the pair of us for a moment before he said, “I’m not sure.”
Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think he’s trying to get a read on the five of us. Trying to be divisive.”
“Again. Why?” I leaned my head back against Ryan and let him stroke my arms.
Quinn turned and looked me in the eye.If it was me, I’d use it as a distraction technique. For whatever it was I really wanted.
“Well, if he doesn’t want Avia and he doesn’t want me, what the sarding hell does he want?”
The silence that followed my question was deafening.
We didn’t know.
* * *
The day after Abbas’ arrival and finger-sucking ploy, was hectic.
I had a morning breakfast with all the ambassadors. Connor accompanied me and did his best to smooth things over with Meeker, the Sedarian ambassador, who still had a bee in his bonnet over Abbas’ visit. He was doing an excellent job until…
“Haven’t haard a single thing about his plans!” Meeker scolded as he shoved a buttered croissant into his mouth. He kept talking even as he spat bits of crumb. “He’s such a smug bastaard though. Waatching me, knowing he’s gaat elven chain. Good luuck with him activating thaam though! Ha.”
I tried not to hide my ignorance of the subject. Other than understanding elven chains controlled the person who wore them, I knew very little about how they worked. The elves on the Isles of Peth typically guarded their secrets well. Only the country of Sedara had ever gained their confidence. “Well, thank goodness for that. Then what they stole has little value.”
“I didn’t say thaat—”
“So do they have the ability to activate the chain?” I took a sip of my juice. “Or did they steal something they couldn’t use?”
“I, they—” Meeker suddenly stopped talking and glared at me, realizing Abbas could activate that chain.
Hell and sard. Not what I wanted to hear, I thought.
“Do you think Abbas is too old for my sister?” I asked, staring over at the pair of them, who’d shown up across the hall and were serving themselves breakfast. I pretended I hadn’t noticed Meeker’s slip.
“Entirely,” Meeker eyed me.
“I’m inclined to agree. What kind of country has a suitor visit before the girl is even of age? It’s rather manipulative, isn’t it? To influence an innocent young girl that way?”
Next to me, Connor squeezed my hand twice as Meeker went stiff again. And all Connor’s hard work went to nothing.
I stared at Meeker as though I didn’t know what I’d said. But, Sedara had sent Declan over when I was only fourteen. My mother had declared him her ward and sent him to class alongside me. She’d never given him the lavish reception of a suitor, hadn’t told me about it until I was eighteen. I was certain Meeker considered my mother’s actions a slap in the face.
I considered her sensible, recognizing what a snake-in-the-grass Abbas was. Declan had been my age and hadn’t had nearly the same seductive powers when we were younger. But throw a young girl a ball, as we were about to do in a few days … lots of princesses could get swept away in the romance of it all. I wouldn’t let Avia be one of them.
I wasn’t quite sure why my mother had allowed Abbas to have the full suitor treatment. I thought perhaps her illness had made her leave the details to her butler, Jorad, who ran everything in the castle according to a long book full of protocols. If she was well, I very much doubted she would have approved how Abbas kept his hand low on my sister’s back. So low it could easily slip—
“Should I go break up the happy couple?” I asked, as I saw Avia start. She didn’t squeal, but I was pretty certain our honored guest had just taken privileges.
