Chapter 52
Fern
“So what happened?” As I put my bags on my bed, Sparrow followed.
“How are you? How was the trip?” As I sucked in a breath to reply, the questions kept coming.
“Did you find the tomb of Drathnor and have incredible adventures?” She pointed a finger at me.
“You promised to tell me all about it. A pinky swear is a very serious thing.”
“Can it wait until I’ve had a bath?” I asked with a weary smile. “I smell like soot and dragon.”
“You can do both.” I watched in wonder as she went charging into the bathroom and then yanked on the rope to summon servants to fill the bath.
Which is how some time later, I came to be sitting neck deep in steaming water, scrubbing myself clean as Sparrow sat perched on the lip of the bath.
“So, were there any undead knights lurching through the tomb?” She raised her arms and then groaned, imitating the movements of a revenant. “No, ghost dragons!”
“No undead anything.” I settled back against the bath, placing the soap on the rim. “Just… memories of a dying queen dragon.”
“Oh.” Sparrow’s shoulders slumped. “So the silver dragon riders didn’t have to rescue you from some terrible crypt creature?”
“Not a creature.” With a blink, it all came back. The dragons melting the very rock above as us the cave threatened to collapse, and then Dain… When I looked up, her eyes were wide, utterly fixated on me. “The cave was collapsing around us and—”
“The arrogant one with the blue eyes swept you into his arms and out of the cave to safety?” she said.
“No, the one with the knives. He’s a lot wirier, but men like that can be ridiculously strong.
My brother…” She shook her head, then stabbed a finger in my direction.
“The big fellow with the scowl.” I blinked.
“He was the one. So taciturn and grumpy, but everyone knows a man only does that when he’s pining for a woman.
Seeing you were in danger, he was forced to act, saving you from being crushed by falling rocks.
He plucked you from the jaws of death and then flew you to safety. ”
“Close.” I grabbed the soap and spent far too much time lathering it between my hands.
“I’m not sure if Dain is pining…” My voice trailed away as I remembered what I saw on the walls of his room.
All those drawings had me reconsidering what I was about to say.
“But yes, he saved me from being killed by a cave collapse. Got acid burns for his trouble.”
“And you nursed him back to health, and as you applied a poultice to his arm, he confessed his true feelings for you?” she asked hopefully.
“As I applied a salve,” I corrected, “he seemed particularly put out by the whole process and wanted me to leave him alone, but…”
“But?”
She leaned closer. So close, I feared she’d fall into the bath and join me.
“We visited the silver riders’ family home.”
“You met the parents?” Her yelp had me smiling. “No man does that unless he has serious intentions.”
“There is…” As I stared at the water, it wasn’t the curls of steam I saw, but the tavern. Kael’s confession, then Lorien’s and Lance’s. “Some evidence that might be the case.”
Sinking deeper into the bath did nothing to protect me from Sparrow’s rabid gaze.
“Some evidence? Some evidence?” Her voice was getting louder and louder.
Spill the beans!” she demanded. “I had hopes one of them would try to woo you, but not all three! I told Cora that there was no way a man would fly a woman from one end of Nevermere to the other without an ulterior motive. This whole trip, it was about getting closer to you. They wanted to prove they’re the men for you. ”
“Three?” I asked with a smile. “You didn’t include all four in this scenario?”
“Lance?” As her eyes went wide, she sat up straighter.
“The lieutenant too? I knew he was sweet on you at the cadet’s ball.
I was telling some of the maids that, but they were all ‘he’s always carried a torch for Pippin.
’” When I stared blankly, she explained.
“Left the king at the altar for four of his riders and poor Lance didn’t even get a backward look.
Of course, the whole keep is a twitter now. ”
The soap slipped from my fingers, sinking to the bottom of the bath.
“Pippin, the former king, Draven, and all of her men, they’re coming the keep tonight to participate in the vote for the new duke, but tongues are wagging. The going theory amongst the maids is Pippin heard that Lance is back in the corp and she’s here to finally add him to her harem.”
I watched Sparrow’s lips move, but the words didn’t really register. Instead, they seemed to echo around in my head, getting louder and louder, but they weren’t alone.
“There was no way I was letting you become a cadet without my protection,” Lance had said at the tavern. “I became a lieutenant because that would give me a legitimate reason to get close to you.”
“I said no, he wants you,” Sparrow continued, oblivious. “A man doesn’t fly a woman all the way to the keep and help you get settled just to be a gentleman. Now it’s his turn for a bit of happiness, and you’d be better for him than Pippin. She’s already got far too many men in her bed.”
It was my turn to respond, but the words didn’t come.
Instead, in my mind’s eye, I replayed the moment when Lance had us stop in the middle of the dance floor as everyone else whirled past. It was like a beautiful bubble, and while I was marvelling at it’s rainbow sheen, it’s shape wavered, threatening to pop.
“Gods, I don’t know how you’d manage three men, let alone four,” she continued.
“Mum always said males are more work than they’re worth and just to find one to warm my bed when I need them, then send them on their way, though I don’t think those silver riders would be amenable to that.
They seem like the possessive sort.” A sharp knock at the front door had both of us turning. “Maybe that’s them now!”
“Sparrow…!”
She was off and out the door in seconds, leaving me sitting in a bath of cooling water. I told myself it was that which had me shivering. Climbing out of the bath and towelling myself dry, I then slipped on a dressing gown before exiting the bathroom to find out who it was.
Only to discover there was quite the audience at my door.
“Goodness!”
I was forced to yank the neck of my dressing gown closed as several riders stepped forward. Slade, his name came to me as he held out a bouquet of bright yellow and white flowers.
“Lady Fern, these are for you.”
Sparrow looked at me, then Slade, her grin widening. Of course, that was when the silver riders and Lance came walking around the corner. Before Slade could pass me the flowers, Lorien was there, plucking them from his grip and then wincing when he took a sniff.
“Freesias? Terrible smelling things.” He looked over his shoulder at his brothers. “Remember when our Ivy filled the house with them?”
“Gave everyone a headache for a week. Now roses…” Kael produced a bouquet with a flourish. Pretty and pink, this lot were. “These smell as sweet as you do, lass.”
Lass? Sparrow turned to me, mouthing the word gleefully.
“I do smell a lot better than I did,” I replied. “And now I need to get ready for dinner. If you’ll excuse me…”
My voice trailed away as the silver riders pushed past me, walking into the suite without so much as a by your leave. Lance at least had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed, even as he did the same. If I was frowning at this imposition, Slade looked positively thunderous.
“You’re supposed to be dressed properly, cadets,” he growled.
“We put the bloody uniform on,” Lorien shot back.
“Collar’s undone,” another rider said, settling against the doorjamb with a grin. “Boots aren’t regulation. If you’re not dressed appropriately, you won’t be allowed in the hall.”
The insulting way the rider inspected the men had me stiffening.
“We’ll make sure to do all of that before we go to dinner.” Kael slammed the door in the other riders’ faces before turning to me. “Now, a vase–?”
“That was terribly rude,” I spluttered as Sparrow took the flowers and dumped them into an empty water jug.
“And presumptuous. I didn’t agree to go to dinner with any of you.
” Dain’s sigh was barely audible, but I caught it as he settled against the wall.
“Though perhaps accepting the other riders’ offer was a good idea.
At least I’d be sitting with people who want my company. ”
“Best not to ask what we want right now.” Kael’s eyes sliding down my body so slowly I could almost feel his gaze was to be expected. Lorien losing his smile and Lance’s eyes burning brighter blue as he did the same was not. “I can tell you it involves losing that dressing gown.”
“You–!” I snapped.
“If you need convincing that we want your company.” The lieutenant’s voice sounded hoarse, cracking on the words as he took a step closer. “I’m fairly sure each one of us could provide you with ample evidence of that.”
I blinked, going pale as my response died in my throat. My body tensed, but was it to rush towards them or away? Away, I decided finally, if only to disguise the fact my cheeks were burning bright red as scuttled back to my room.
“I need to get dressed,” I squeaked. “Then we can talk about what our next step is.”
“I’d like to take a few steps that way and join you in that room,” Lorien said under his breath.
His eyes rolled my way when I paused on the threshold, simply staring.
Those dark eyes always sparkled with mischief, but this…
this felt different. Everything had changed now and that realisation had me stepping away from the lot of them.
Not Sparrow.
She followed me inside, slamming the door shut, then bounced over to the bed with barely contained glee.
“Did you see the four of them? They were fair undressing you with their eyes! They like you, Fern.”
“Shh!” I hissed, looking meaningfully at the door.
“They do like you!”