Chapter 15 Inspiration
~ brEN ~
I instinctively looked over my shoulder in the direction Donavyn and Ruin had disappeared when I felt a jolt of white-hot rage in the bond. But either Donavyn got control of himself quickly, or he shut me out, because it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
“You’re very kind to find me,” Grace said, unaware of my preoccupation. “The other Ladies are… I don’t know. They seem bored… or perhaps merely uninterested in me.”
Actually, they’re pompous, and only interested in other women when they think they might gain something, I thought. But I didn’t want to hurt her. “I was happy to see you,” I said honestly. “But… I hope you don’t mind, I wanted to warn you about one thing.”
Grace’s brows popped up and she looked to our left where the others were still gathered, the women whispering, the men chuckling, all of them looking off in the direction Ruin and Donavyn had disappeared.
“What is it?” she whispered, her eyes widening.
I grimaced. “I’m not certain how to say this without sounding… indelicate,” I said quietly.
Grace’s chin jerked back, but she looked me right in the eyes. “If your intent is for my good, there’s no need to be delicate,” she said.
I was impressed by the qualification she gave. I nodded and patted her knee to reassure her. “I assure you, I have no intention but your good,” I said with a smile, though it faded quickly. “The thing I would warn you about is the Furyknight who joined us this evening. Ruin Galdec.”
Grace’s interest turned to surprise. “Oh?”
I nodded. “He is… not a good man. Very capable,” I assured her. “But his conduct with women…” I trailed off and shook my head. “You’d said that you found the dragons fascinating—I don’t blame you. I did also. But he will use that. I just wished to warn you. He is not safe.”
Grace frowned. “A Furyknight? I thought they were men who—”
“They are. Usually,” I added hurriedly. “But I have… personal experience with Ruin.”
Grace’s cheeks warmed.
I looked away and sighed. “I just didn’t want to see him hurt you, that’s all.”
“Thank you, Brennan,” she said quietly, her hands curling in her lap. “I should have known that any man who took an immediate interest like that was probably… not being honest.”
“I have no doubt his interest was very real,” I said flatly. “I just don’t trust him to have your best interests at heart.”
She nodded, but I hated the sad look on her face. “Thank you for warning me. I’ll take great care with him.”
I didn’t respond, because I suddenly wasn’t sure what to say. She looked deflated. As if she’d come here tonight with hope, and I’d just destroyed the last of it.
‘Akhane?’ I reached out wondering if the dragons were still close to the castle. Thankfully, she was still in reach.
‘I weary of this night, Bren. As do you.’
‘What wearied you? Are they making you do—’
‘No, no. I simply don’t enjoy frightening people as Kgosi does,’ she sighed, which made me want to giggle.
Then, a young Lord who hadn’t been a part of Faye’s group approached, and I got to watch Grace blush as he asked her to dance.
After smiling my encouragement to her, when he took her to the dance floor, I walked to the tables at the entrance of the ballroom where the food and drinks were laid out and took a cup of the sweet juice.
I took a sip and pretended to watch the dancefloor, considering whether to slip out and wait for Donavyn back at the room—could I really stomach facing Ruin again tonight?
I didn’t want to. But before I could ask Akhane about the wisdom of disappearing, a hand brushed my elbow.
I turned quickly—too quickly, I almost spilled the juice—to find Hanson standing next to me, his head tilted, and eyes fixed intently on mine.
“Oh!” I gasped, then froze when he leaned right in until his breath fluttered in my hair.
“I am not your enemy,” he whispered. “And we are not finished.”
Then, before I could think of an appropriate response, he stepped back, bowed, and walked away.
Watching his broad shoulders disappear to the other side of the ballroom without a backwards glance, I didn’t know whether to cheer, or sink into despair.
~ DONAVYN ~
Late that night when we were finally able to extricate ourselves from the drunk nobles, Bren and I both walked back to our chambers utterly silent.
I’d already told her what happened with Ruin, and she’d already shared with me what Hanson said.
But we’d been dragged into more frivolous conversations, and tittering dances…
I could feel Bren dragging as we walked, and prayed it was merely the end of a long day, and not more pain over Ruin.
But how could it not be?
When we reached our chamber, I opened the door and ushered her in, and we both sighed with relief when I locked it behind her.
Finally, alone.
I turned to face her, to pull her in and hold her, but once again, she’d swept straight to the bathing room. ‘Did you learn anything about the dragons, or how Hanson’s using them?’ she asked as she disappeared into the dark space.
I debated following her, but decided if she’d wanted me to join her, she would have invited me, so I took a seat on the lounge and unbuttoned my jacket, loosening my cravat while I waited.
‘He did, actually. According to Ruin, the dragons are part of his way of using Hanson, keeping the Lord under his thumb. He says they don’t listen to Hanson, they listen to Carnage—which is another reason I’m skeptical of his claim he’s sent Carnage to the border.
If he was a man I trusted, I wouldn’t fault him for hiding his dragon nearby.
But because I don’t… I don’t know what to believe. ’
‘Wait, Carnage is keeping those dragons there for Hanson?’
‘Hanson believes it’s at his behest, but they’re just leverage. Ruin says they’ll do as Carnage asks, and Carnage will release them as soon as this task is done. But again, who knows what to believe?’
She was quiet for a few minutes. I heard water running, but only for a short time. Then she appeared in the doorway, still dressed, but her hair down in a simple braid, and patting her face dry with a small towel.
“Can you help me with the corset?” she asked quietly.
I leaped to my feet and followed her into the bedroom, my chest tightening. Was she only wanting assistance with her clothes so she didn’t have to call a maid? Or did she want me to touch her?
Give me wisdom, I prayed. She hadn’t touched me—not like that—since Ruin had appeared.
And even though I understood why, it was painful.
I felt the flinch in her occasionally, and it broke my heart.
But each time I’d raised it to reassure her, she’d thanked me, then hurried into a different conversation.
She didn’t want to talk about it.
Was it wiser to let her sit with it for a time? Or were we avoiding the inevitable?
I didn’t know, and so, when I helped unbutton the dress, then unlace the corset, I didn’t attempt to touch her in any way that wasn’t necessary. But I prayed she’d turned to me with that heat in her eyes.
She didn’t.
“So, he still didn’t tell you who he’s trying to trap?” she asked without looking at me as she held the now-open corset to her chest and trotted across the room to the wardrobe where her nightdresses hung.
That was another new development. She’d always slept naked with me before. But now she draped herself in a long nightgown. Though the fabric was so thin, I could see the shadow of her nipples through it, and in many ways I found it more tantalizing than if she’d just appeared naked.
Which was a problem after four nights without a touch.
I cleared my throat as she looked at me over her shoulder, and I realized I hadn’t answered her question.
“Uh… No,” I said, mentally scrambling to remember what she’d asked me.
What Ruin said.
Right.
“He was very up front about his suspicions that I’d kill him. He’s always been a perceptive bastard,” I growled. “But no, he didn’t tell me.”
“What did you do?”
“I broke his nose again.”
Bren’s head emerged from the neckline of the nightdress and she stared at me. “Are you joking?”
I shook my head. “I wasn’t out of control. I assessed the need. It was a very measured decision.”
She gaped at me. “But—”
“He’d already healed from his beating four days ago. He says Carnage’s power is growing—that’s something to watch. I told him to make sure and heal quickly, because we had work to do.”
Her eyes widened. “Donavyn—”
“He was disrespectful.” To you. I didn’t add that. I didn’t want her thinking about what he might have said. “As I told Kgosi, it was discipline. Not revenge.”
She stared at me for another long moment, then sighed and shook her head. “Well… okay.”
“He now understands that if he’s to stay here, he has to report daily. To no one but me when he’s in the castle, and to send reports daily when he’s not.”
“You think he’ll do it?”
“I think he’ll play the game as long as it suits him to do so.
He tried to intimidate me by implying he’d let the king know about my misconduct in bringing you here.
He’s either a very good liar, even better than I thought, or he really didn’t know you were with me, or that you’d been tested.
Which would make sense since he hasn’t been back to Vosgaarde. ”
I sat on the end of the bed to take off my boots. She sat next to me.
“So… what now?”
I shrugged, my chest tight with uneasiness and switched to the bond. ‘Nothing has truly changed. We still need to determine what he’s told Hanson, and whether he’s working with the Fyrehold King, or planning to use him.’
I sat up and tugged off my shirt, then realized she was staring at me.
I went still. “What is it?”
“I’m just… a little stunned by how calm you are,” she said softly. ‘You’ve been so angry and… agitated. He’s defied you and you’re… you’re just turning to face the next hurdle.’
I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been, and how much it had affected her. I reached for her, putting a hand to her face. ‘You don’t need to worry. I’m not going back to that place. He made me angry tonight—very. But I didn’t lose control. And I won’t again.’
She nodded, and for a moment I thought she’d kiss me. But then she looked away and the moment passed, so I continued to undress, and tried to think of anything else I hadn’t told her.
‘I don’t think he’s quite as confident and composed as he appears.
He’s a very good liar, I don’t deny that.
But he’s only a few years older than you, and I heard him stumble tonight and mention Draeventhall.
He covered it well, and quickly. But that’s death for a spy.
I think he’s more off balance than he’s letting me see.
Even though he resisted telling me who he’s pursuing, he gave up more than he realized. ’
‘Which was?’
‘We know more about the dragons now. I don’t believe his claim that Carnage is outside the borders.
I’ll have Kgosi investigate, see if he can find any hints of the male’s location.
We also know he’s doing something “on the side” with Hanson.
Something he admitted was for selfish gain.
Financial, probably, given Hanson’s wealth.
But, I’m not sure he realizes he let that slip.
Perhaps he’s just arrogant enough to truly think it isn’t a problem.
He thinks I brought you here for my personal gain.
Regardless, it doesn’t change our plan. You have to pursue this with Hanson and find out what they’re up to. ’
‘I cast suspicion on Ruin for Hanson tonight.’
‘Good. The more they look sideways at each other, the less energy they have for thwarting us.’
‘But, even though he came back for me this evening, I’m not sure what else I can do without making some kind of agreement with him. Every time I ask him questions, he gets skittish because I haven’t committed.’
My gut tightened, because I knew exactly what she meant. ‘We’ll have to keep trying and see what he offers.’
“Maybe I can get him to talk about Ruin since we both work with the dragons, and then you can find out if Ruin’s telling the truth about what’s between them?’
‘We could, but it would prove nothing. As a spy he has every reason to deceive Hanson. It’s his intentions for the throne and Vosgaarde that need oversight. But I have to let him think he’s got me on the back foot about you. Keep him cocky so he slips up.’
Bren sat next to me, staring at the wall, chewing her lip.
‘He knew about the safehouse. Horace said he’d been faithfully reporting…
can we intercept some of those reports? Figure out what he’s sending back to Vosgaarde, and to whom?
Could we watch all the safe-contacts, see when one is sending something? Hope we catch them?’
‘If he’s following protocol, he’ll be sending the same report—coded—through all three networks,’ I sent. Bren’s brows shot up. ‘It’s in case one message is destroyed or intercepted. That’s part of why we figured out we had a mole—because reports were coming in differently from the same areas.’
‘So, he’ll be using a messenger from the Inn?’
‘Yes, but it would be nearly impossible to intercept—we can’t know when he’ll send a report.
Part of our protocols are to be random in both time and source of the intelligence reports we send.
Not only is it difficult to pin down when he’d send word to Vosgaarde, it’s very risky.
If we interfere with a messenger and he learns about it, he’ll go underground.
It’s one of our lines—spies are warned to leave the moment their lines of communication are breached.
And worse—if he is the mole, and he finds us interfering with communications, he could use that as false evidence that I’m the problem. ’
Bren frowned.
I waited, but she didn’t speak. ‘What are you thinking?’
‘How much do you trust Horace?’
‘I established Horace personally before he stepped in for Vosgaarde. I’d trust him with my life.’
‘Even after he gave us up to Ruin?’
I sighed. ‘Horace knew we’re on the same team. It was a natural conclusion, especially when Ruin presented himself, knowing you were there.’
Her lips twisted and I internally winced at the mention of Ruin finding her like that.
‘Is there any way we can use him to intercept one of Ruin’s messages—something that won’t tip Ruin off?
Some way for us to see what Ruin’s sending back into Vosgaarde—and to whom?
Because he’s either going to send news for the king that is honest and useful.
Or he’ll send to the mole, so we’d have an identity. A connection at least.’
I was about to dismiss the idea for the risk it posed, when I remembered something very important.
I rubbed my cheek and Bren tipped her head. ‘You look very smug all of the sudden. What is it?’
‘An idea,’ I said. ‘It might not work. But… it also might.’