CHAPTER 19 #2
I sounded as concerned as the staff, as if I cared the same, as if he were a friend. But no, I wouldn’t wish death on anyone, least of all someone who had gone out of their way to protect me. Judge’s order or not. But his family—
My eyes drifted to Gwin. She was skimming through the same book again, clearly restless.
“What were you doing in the human lands that day when I met you on the train?”
“Meeting someone,” Gwinifer replied briskly, her attention fixed on the page.
“A human?”
“They are the ones living in that part, yes,” she quipped, throwing me a wry glance. “Good guess.”
Satisfaction stirred within me at the faint lightness that slipped into her tone.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
Her eyes lifted to meet mine, one brow raised. “Go ahead.”
“Finn mentioned that Reagan’s parents adopted you. Do you know what happened to your parents?”
“My parents?” she repeated, surprised. “They’re dead. They died when I was young, and a battle mage heard about a child with unusual behaviour at a human orphanage and brought me to Elinor. She found my parents’ names and their obituary papers. She also discovered that I’m hybrid-born.”
I blinked. “Really? How do you suppose your parents met, if their ancestors haven’t lived in the same lands for a long time? Or are you just from a hybrid lineage?”
“I never knew, but you’d be surprised how often this rule has been broken in the past.”
I hummed, realising I had leaned further over the table, her story pulling both of us away from other thoughts. “So, who were you visiting?”
She inhaled quietly, resting against the back of her chair, her onyx hair cascading over her shoulders. “Someone I rescued on a mission. A human who was taken against her will and forced to serve some sick bastards.”
“Serve how?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Gwinifer’s mouth curved into a sneer. “In any way they wanted. Fetching their glasses, cleaning the mud from their shoes, cooking their meals, and . . . In the worst ways.” Her voice was cold with disgust and rage. “A servant with no rights, treated as less than a person.”
I fought back the grimace creeping onto my face. “How did you find her?”
“We heard a rumour about a human in a dwelling just outside a town. They tried to pass her off as mageborn to keep their servant, but I saw through it,” she said, a wicked grin darkening her face.
“And I made sure they regretted it. Erica did too. She made them pay for keeping her for almost two years.”
Gwinifer’s expression sobered as she continued.
“But she still carried their marks for a long time after that. I spent weeks with her while she stayed in this city to recover. When you experience trauma like that, even if we influenced her mind, her body would still carry the trauma, and she wouldn’t even know why. So, she stayed for a while.”
It was so rare to see Gwinifer with a longing expression. I recognised it and couldn’t stop staring. The way she spoke about this human, the look on her face—this wasn’t just someone she rescued. This was genuine affection.
“Is she in the human lands now?” I asked.
Gwinifer cleared her throat. “Yes, she’s there now, living her life as she should be.”
My heart tightened in my chest. “And do you meet her often? Does she know who you are?”
“I meet her rarely. She thinks I’m human too, a friend, no one important,” she said. Then, to my surprise, she actually smiled. “When I see her, we . . . Well, it’s almost like it was before she left.”
My gaze lowered.
Not just a human. This person was something more to her.
“Don’t make that face, Red,” she said, her usual smirk returning. “She’s well now. She’s happy.”
I offered a sympathetic smile. “I’m still sorry.”
The way she stared at me told me she understood. I said nothing more, and we both reached for the books spread across the table, scanning through them a second time.
◆◆◆
I heard noises in the middle of the night, not sure how, but it made me jump out of bed and leave the room in the nightgown I was wearing. I crossed the dark hallway and rushed down the steps.
“And did they arrive in time?” asked a voice that I recognised as Cerridwen.
“The largest force arrived yesterday afternoon,” Gwinifer’s voice said. “That means you went up against them before, didn’t you?”
My feet hurried down the steps, barely escaping a fall. My chest was tight, but I didn’t stop to consider it, nor did I give myself a moment to think twice about what I was doing.
“What protocol was this?” Cerridwen asked acerbically.
Warm yellow light spilled from a door left slightly ajar, illuminating the hallway.
Something urged me to slow my pace, but I ignored it. I went straight in, pushing the door open.
The noise startled Cerridwen and interrupted her as she spoke, standing in front of the dining table with her hands on her hips.
My eyes darted to a figure sitting casually, spread in the chair, raising an eyebrow as she took me in. Gwinifer. And behind her, Finnegan rested against the wall, arms crossed in front of him.
My pulse skipped and raced as none of them spoke at the sight of me. But it wasn’t their silence that concerned me; it was the fact that I couldn’t find him as I faced the room.
I dug my nails into my palms, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Is he here? Did he . . .” I began until a thump like a glass being placed on a table came from behind the door. I stepped past it, entering the room and turning to my left, toward where the sound came.
“You’re back.”