Chapter 25
Theodora’s chin shot up, her lips curving in a sly smile. “And you’re no bargain of a son-in-law, unwise and arrogant, wishing as you did in a drunken stupor.”
Rhodes stood, his shoulders squared, his voice cut sharp as he walked around the table to stand in front of her. “And you, granting it, thinking three drunken warriors would be good candidates for husbands to your daughters.”
Her eyes sparked, her cloak swirling faintly as she stepped closer. “I wanted men who could protect them, warriors with strength and conviction.”
“I have both,” Rhodes snapped back, his voice fierce. “And I will see my wife protected.”
Before Theodora could retort, Fawn hurried off the bench to step quickly between them. “Enough! This is no time for insults, no time for proving who’s the greater fool. What kept you so long, Mum?”
Theodora’s face softened as she turned to her daughter. “I wasn’t idling, child. I’ve been busy gathering what knowledge I could. And when I entered this hall, I got my confirmation.”
Fawn’s pulse leapt. “Confirmation of what?”
Theodora’s eyes slid to Rhodes, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “A witch is here—one with powerful ties to warlocks. That much is clear. We must go into the woods. There are things that must be spoken of where no witch nor warlock can overhear.”
Rhodes’s jaw tightened, his body taut as a drawn bow. “We will go nowhere. Not until I am sure of what we face.” His gaze cut to Fawn, fierce and unrelenting. “And you will remain here. I’ll not have you wandering into whatever trap she leads us toward.”
Fawn’s chin lifted, her spine straight, her shoulders drawn back. “I will not be left behind, Rhodes. This concerns me as much as it does you. More so, if witches and warlocks are near.”
“You’ll do as I say,” he snapped, his voice rough with command. “I will keep you safe from danger, whether you agree or not.”
Before Fawn could retort, Theodora let out a sharp, impatient sigh. “Oh, for goodness’ sake. It isn’t Fawn who is in danger, Rhodes… it is you.”
The words struck like an axe to stone. The fire popped in the hearth, shadows leaping across the walls, and for a moment it was as if the room held its breath.
Rhodes stared at her, his dark eyes stormy.
Fawn felt her stomach knot, her hand instinctively reaching for his arm, as though her touch alone might anchor him against the sudden chill that swept through the chamber.
The heavy door slammed open, and Boyce stumbled inside, his voice ringing with alarm. “The ravens—they’ve returned, my lord! And more of them. They flood the trees, black as night though daytime fills the gray skies. Women cry and men call out for you. You must do something!”
Rhodes’s jaw hardened, but before he could speak, Fawn turned to her mother, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
“Do you know anything of these ravens?”
Theodora’s head snapped up, her tone crisp. “Nay. But I know the master who keeps them. I can take you to him. They will follow, for they are bound to his will. But you and Rhodes must come with me, no other may come with us.”
“That is folly,” Boyce barked, stepping forward, his eyes wide with alarm. “My lord, let me go with you. The clan needs—”
“The clan needs its leader,” Rhodes cut in, his voice as sharp as a whip. He stepped toward Boyce, his tone lowering but no less fierce. “And that is me. It is my duty to save them, not to cower behind them.”
Boyce’s mouth worked as though to argue, but the weight of Rhodes’s command had him holding his tongue. He bowed his head, though his hands clenched at his sides as he said, “I will inform the clan that you intend to find the witch and see her dealt with.”
Fawn slipped closer to Rhodes, her voice a whisper as Boyce left the hall. “Trust my mum.”
He bent his head, his breath warm against her ear. “Trust a witch?” The word was edged, bitter, yet laced with conflict.
She turned her face to his, her eyes holding his steady. “You not only trust a witch, Rhodes. You love one.”
The words hit him harder than a blade, reminding him how he had yet to come to terms with it, and he gave a curt nod, sealing his choice.
They left the hall together, Theodora striding ahead, Rhodes and Fawn at her side, Sprig having been left behind, Fawn concerned for his safety.
The village had gathered in the snow-laden square, faces pale, eyes lifted to the sky where branches were bent beneath the weight of black wings.
Ravens shifted and cawed, the sound a ceaseless, menacing chorus.
Rhodes stopped in the center of the square, his presence a wall of strength. His deep voice carried over the clamor, ringing with command. “Hear me! I go to battle the witch who threatens us. Until I return, you are safe. The ravens follow me, and I will not fail you.”
The villagers stilled, breath caught in their throats, as his words rolled like thunder through them. And then, as if answering his vow, the ravens shifted as one, wings beating, their black tide rising from the trees.
A stunned gasp swept through the crowd as the creatures wheeled overhead, then followed—dark shadows trailing the trio as they disappeared into the forest.
The forest swallowed them whole, the deeper they went the louder the ravens cawed overhead, until their wings beat like drums against the sky.
Theodora led with swift, sure steps, her cloak whispering over the snow.
Rhodes kept Fawn close at his side, every muscle in him taut, his hand never far from his sword hilt.
They broke into a clearing, the trees leaning like dark sentinels, the air heavy with menace. There, at its center, stood a figure cloaked in shadow. Broad shoulders, silver hair catching the faint daylight, and eyes that glowed with a power that made the earth itself seem to still.
Fawn froze, her heart slamming against her ribs. Recognition hit with the force of a blade.
“Da…” The word rasped out of her, thin, trembling. She turned on her mother, fury lacing her voice. “You tricked us!”
Theodora said nothing, her lips pressed tight, her gaze fastened on the man before them.
Artemis stepped forward, his presence commanding, and his voice a dark rumble. “You cannot have my daughter, Rhodes.”
“Go to your mum,” Rhodes commanded, easing her away.
She went to argue, to stay and fight beside him.
“Do as I say!” Rhodes snapped and stepped in front of his wife, his stance fierce, leaving her no choice.
Reluctantly, she went to her mum.
Rhodes’s voice rang clear, the strength of it leaving no doubt he would have it his way. “Fawn is my wife, and she will remain my wife.”
“She is mine to protect,” Artemis thundered, his hand lifting as if the very forest bent to his will. “You are tainted, Rhodes of Clan MacBrair. Power drips from you like blood, and it will drown her if she remains by your side.”
“You think I would harm her?” Rhodes roared back, the ravens screaming overhead as if echoing his fury. “I would give my life to shield her. But I will not, will never, surrender her.”
The two men stood locked in defiance, fire and storm meeting in the silence of the clearing, while Fawn’s breath came quick and sharp, her heart torn between the two men she loved.
Artemis took another step forward, his silver hair catching the dim light like a crown, his voice striking the air like a lash. “You think strength alone makes you worthy? You wield power you cannot control, power that stains everything it touches. And you would bind my daughter to that?”
Rhodes’s chest rose and fell with fury, his fists clenching at his sides. “I wield what I must to protect her. To protect all who call my clan home.”
Artemis sneered, his gaze cutting like a blade. “Your pride blinds you. The power you cling to is not a shield, but a curse. It will consume you, and her with you.”
Rhodes’s eyes locked on Artemis. Heat surged through him, his vision narrowing to the man before him, the man who dared claim what was his.
When Rhodes spoke, his voice thundered like a storm breaking over the Highlands. “Bloody hell, I would fight the devil himself before I’d yield the woman I love.”
The ravens shrieked in unison, their wings beating the sky as though stirred by his fury.
Artemis stilled, his jaw tightening, then slowly nodded once, grim and knowing. “Then you just might have to.”
With that, he stepped away, moving to stand beside Theodora. His eyes never left Rhodes, the weight of his warning lingering like a shadow that reached deeper than the clearing itself.
From the shadows of the trees, a frail shape emerged, her cloak dragging over the snow.
Elune.
The ravens surged at once, swirling in a black storm above her, their cries deafening, the air thick with their restless wings.
Theodora’s voice cracked like a whip. “You had no right, Elune.”
The old woman’s head lifted, her eyes gleaming with iron resolve. “And you did? Choosing husbands for your daughters as if their hearts were yours to command?”
“Only if they accepted them,” Theodora shot back, her voice fierce, her cloak snapping with the wind that rose among the ravens.
Fawn’s heart twisted. Her feet moved of their own will, carrying her away from her parents straight into Rhodes’s waiting arms. His hold closed around her, solid, fierce, as though nothing could tear her away.
“As did I,” Elune said, her voice steady but edged with sorrow. “You know my grandson needed love if I was to save him. And you—unknowingly—gave him the power to unlock his warlock bloodline.”
“Grandson?” Rhodes and Fawn said together, their voices sharp with shock. “Warlock?”
Before either could draw another breath, laughter rolled through the clearing, low and cruel, curling like smoke through the trees. It was not Elune’s, nor Artemis’s, nor Theodora’s. It was something darker. Something evil.
The ravens broke apart, scattering toward the treetops as if fleeing the sound, leaving the clearing heavy with dread.