Chapter 28 #2
Amahle held out a hand, silencing her. “He’s trying to get to know me, Seren.
And it’s better than a conversation that could get us all in trouble.
” She settled her shoulders back. “No, I’m an orphan.
My parents died at the hands of Lirien soldiers in a skirmish when I was twelve.
What gave it away? Do I wear my neglect on my brow?
” She teased a smile, but her eyes remained a mask.
“No. You just remind me of someone I know. He lost his parents as a boy, too.”
Seren gave me a curious look then, her body turning toward mine.
“Do you mean you?” Seren asked tenuously.
“A friend of mine. I was just disowned, remember?”
She must not have believed me, because she set her hand on my forearm. “Where are your parents now, Rykr?”
All three eyes at the table fixed on me.
I took a swallow of ale. “Dead, actually.” The statement burned my gut.
Seren’s expressive eyes softened with sorrow, and she bit that luscious lower lip of hers.
Godsdamn, I’d like to sink my teeth into it.
That thought came out of nowhere.
“I’m fine.” I wasn’t, but she didn’t have to know that.
“Cheers to a fellow orphan,” Amahle said, lifting her stein with a sardonic smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“We’ve all lost people, but that doesn’t make it easier.
The Ragnalls took me in, though, so I can’t complain.
” She paused, studying Seren with gentleness.
“Which is why I see Seren like a sister. A pale, tiny, little sister.”
Seren rolled her eyes, her posture relaxing more. Amahle wasn’t exaggerating about that part—the two women were opposites in size and appearance. Where Seren was petite and lithe, Amahle was tall, lean, and graceful. Dark-skinned.
Both were beautiful, though.
Ciaran leaned forward on his elbows, unwilling to let go of his distrust of me.
He watched me suspiciously. “So, you see, Rykr, we all have reasons to dislike your kind. Amahle’s parents, my brother—who was burned alive, tied to a stake in a Lirien town—Seren’s little sister, Esme, who was just fifteen when kidnapped by your—”
“Ciaran,” Seren warned, her voice crackling with irritation.
Ciaran hesitated, glancing at her before continuing, “Look, I’m not trying to be cruel, but if you’re trusting him with your life, shouldn’t he know the whole truth?”
“You have another sister?” What in Solric’s name?
Ciaran frowned at her. “You didn’t tell him about Esme? You shared your blood and bed with him, but didn’t tell him that?”
What the hell was he talking about?
Seren had a sister I’d never ever heard about? Why?
Amahle held Seren’s gaze and then set her hand on Ciaran’s bicep. “All right, Ciaran. I think my bed is calling me, after all.”
Surprisingly, Ciaran didn’t protest as he helped Amahle stand. Amahle slid a key across the table, a room number attached to it. “This is for the room, and your pack is already in there.” She shot Seren an apologetic look, then led him away.
Hungry as I was, I ignored my food and turned my body toward Seren as they left.
“Esme?”
Seren kept her gaze down and picked up a fork. “My little sister. She’s fifteen.”
“You have a fifteen-year-old sister I’ve never heard of?”
Fuck it. I needed to eat. I tore off a piece of bread, sopping up the broth before stuffing it in my mouth.
Seren pushed a cube of meat around in her bowl. “Yes. Don’t act so surprised. You don’t know that much about me or my family. You didn’t know about Madoc until a few days ago, either.”
“True, but from Amahle’s and your reaction to Ciaran telling me, it’s obvious you didn’t want me to know about Esme.”
“That’s not it.” She took a bite, still not meeting my eyes. “She was kidnapped six weeks ago.” Seren’s voice quivered faintly. “Taken by Lirien soldiers led by an Ederyn spy. He took her to Ibarra, and is holding her for the bounty on my father’s head.”
She gripped the table, her knuckles turning white.
“My father and brother have been trying to rescue her, but they’ve …
” She faltered, grief in each word. “They haven’t returned.
” Her voice cracked on the last word, her burdens becoming clear—the guilt, the fear of losing more family.
She didn’t need me to tell her how dire things were. I already knew.
No wonder Brogan Ragnall hadn’t been at the encampment.
The story certainly made sense—the bounty on Brogan Ragnall was sizable. He’d killed my mother, and my father had been desperate to see him brought to justice.
But the mention of an Ederyn spy gave me pause. Seren had spoken about Esme’s kidnapping with a flat, practiced tone, but beneath it, the unease crept in. I didn’t know Esme, but I knew how it felt to lose family to war. I had to tread carefully.
Seren’s story didn’t sit right with me—not because I didn’t believe her, but because something felt off. Too neat. Too convenient. I had no doubt her sister had been taken, but by whom and why? That was what gnawed at me. And if someone had lied to her, she deserved to know.
“How do you know he was an Ederyn?” I asked, keeping my voice steady as I took another forkful of food.
“I—” Seren didn’t meet my gaze. “Esme was with me when he took her. He attacked me and left a note for my father.”
“And that note said he was Ederyn?” I took a sip of ale.
That sounded unlikely. The barmaid returned to fill my nearly empty stein, her gaze flicking to Seren for a fraction of a second too long.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d had to drink, but that wasn’t what set me on edge.
The way the barmaid moved—careful and practiced—reminded me of a scout trying not to be noticed.
As she walked away, Seren lifted her eyes to me, confusion and anger sparking in her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”
“I’m just saying, if he left a note with his name on it, he’s not exactly the smartest spy.”
“What difference does it make? He was Lirien, and he took her.”
I chewed and swallowed, keeping my voice low as I sobered.
“It makes a difference. The details matter. Ederyn doesn’t have many spies of their own.
There are some, but most of the warcraft belongs to Pendara.
Truly gifted Ederyn spies aren’t trained by the Sealed Masters in Pendara, so they don’t rise up the ranks.
And an Ederyn spy who could track your father to your encampment would have to be gifted, wouldn’t you say?
” I licked my thumb, then wiped it on a cloth napkin.
Seren stared at me, open-mouthed. As though she was just realizing I knew much more about Lirien than she understood. Or that I really was Lirien. Which might not do me any favors.
“You’re missing the point.”
“No, I’m not.” I took another bite, chewing deliberately.
“Because the only way that a spy would be leading a group of Lirien soldiers this far into Viori territory would be on the king’s orders.
So why take Esme to Ibarra, of all places, instead of to Ederyn?
And if he was that close to capturing your father, why take Esme at all? Why not just take him?”
Seren bristled. “Are you saying I’m lying?”
“I’m saying someone is lying to you.”
She paled. “Who?” She hadn’t touched her food.
“I don’t know.” I almost felt guilty for saying anything, but she had the right to know. No doubt the fact that Esme had been taken while with her weighed on her heavily. “You should eat.”
Seren rubbed her forehead, her well-crafted poise unraveling. Grief commanded her face, her eyes mournful. “How the fuck am I supposed to just eat after that?” She scowled at me, then snatched her stein. Ale trickled from the corner of her mouth as she drained it.
I frowned as she set the empty stein down, then started in on her food.
“You didn’t want to know the truth?”
“I do want to know the truth, you swiver. But you haven’t put me any closer to it.”
I didn’t answer, unsure of what to say to her. Fury continued to mount in her posture.
She ate a few more bites, then slammed her fork down on the scarred tabletop. “My father knows as much about Lirien as you do. He’d be smart enough to figure out everything you just said.”
Had her father been the one to lie, then?
“I think we’re being listened to,” I murmured, keeping my eyes on the barmaid as she made another round through the tavern. She wasn’t like the others—she was too poised, too aware of her surroundings. She wasn’t just serving drinks. She watched us, waiting for something.
Seren stiffened. “Who?”
“The barmaid.” I leaned closer to Seren. “If she’s a spy, we’ve already said too much.” I sipped my ale.
“Godsdammit.” Seren took several more bites, then pushed her bowl away.
“Let’s just go.” Seren threw some money on the table, glancing once toward the barmaid.
Her movements were quick, controlled, but I could see the tension in the tight set of her jaw.
She didn’t trust this place, and frankly, neither did I.
I followed her across the street to the inn. “We should leave first thing in the morning. No sense in staying longer than we have to.”
“Where the hell else are we supposed to go? There’s nowhere safe for us right now.
” Seren strode up the stairwell just to the left of the entrance, as though she knew exactly where she was heading.
The idea of the barmaid spying on us did little to warm me to the idea of staying here overnight.
If she had been spying, all she’d needed to do was look out the window to see where we’d gone.
Seren unlocked a room at the end of the hall, her shoulders rigid as if she expected an attack at any moment. She didn’t speak as we stepped inside.
The enchanted candles cast a soft, golden glow across the small room, but the warmth didn’t reach her expression. She was retreating again, shutting herself off after that brief, vulnerable moment in the tavern. I didn’t blame her—I wasn’t exactly good at this sort of thing either.