Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,100

of whiskey while forcing the witches to wait with the camp followers, which was just a nice way of saying, ‘whore,’ I’d learned from Soraya. They followed the army to offer services while earning coin. I stood, hearing Brander groan as I moved over to take the crying babe who had to be miserable with the wet blanket concealing her.

“Give her here,” I stated, watching the relief play on Siobhan’s face. I took the slight burden from her, walking back toward the fire as the smaller ones followed me to the heat source.

Brander tossed me an irritated look over his shoulder, still getting the fire going. I took my seat, pulling off the babe’s wet clothes before gently rocking her. My dress was soaked, but there was little I could do about that at the moment. Greer walked to where I sat, handing me a blanket of rough wool, which I used to swaddle the babe within, making cooing sounds as she continued to cry her discomfort at being cold.

Once she was warm, her cries continued. I sat back, placing my lips against her head. I sang softly, Rescue by Lauren Daigle, to calm the tiny thing while I stared into the flames that danced seductively. I shut the room out, singing to her as she watched me. A tiny fist entered her mouth, and she sucked greedily against it while staring up at me through pretty brown eyes.

When the song was over, I turned, frowning deeply when I noticed the entire room watching me. Swallowing past the uneasiness that lodged in my throat, I took in the bright eyes of the tiny witchlings. I lifted my stare to Knox, who had leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he’d listened to me comforting the babe. I swung my attention to Brander, grinning at the silent babe before his sapphire gaze slid to mine with a smile burning in them.

“You have a calming nature for something so chaotic, Aria,” Knox murmured, turning as men approached him.

“The king’s room is ready, and a bath prepared for him and his witch,” a soldier announced. I stood, turning to find Dana beside me with a soft smile playing on her lips.

“I think the wee beastie enjoyed your singing, My Queen,” Dana muttered, accepting the content babe from me before smiling sheepishly.

“Just Aria, please,” I swallowed, doing my best to ignore the title and the witches who curtsied as I moved past them, heading for Knox, who continued to watch me silently.

“We will eat first, woman,” he said as I stood awkwardly before him.

Knox nodded toward the table, set for dinner and moved from the wall, making his scent waft toward my nose. I silently followed him as he pulled out my chair, allowing me to slide into it before he pushed it in and took the one beside me. Knox had impeccable manners for being such a caveman. He’d kept me as dry as he could while riding, holding me against him to keep me from becoming chilled, and at night, he gripped my body tightly to ensure I wasn’t cold.

It was crazy how one minute we were enemies going at each other’s throats, and the next, we were civil and protecting one another from the elements. At night though, he’d stoked my fire until I was nothing more than mush with a pulse, leaving me that way before falling asleep with his arms cradling me like I was precious to him. It unnerved me, creating confusion, which I was certain he did on purpose.

Women brought warm food to the table, and I closed my eyes, inhaling the freshly cooked meat and vegetables that someone had whipped up out of thin air. Servers moved around the table, loading dishes full of steaming hot food while others poured whiskey into glasses. They offered it to me, but only when Knox nodded to the servers, which I refused to acknowledge since he allowed me alcohol and meat.

Everyone waited for something, so I sat there with my hands in my lap, watching the people around the table. The castle was in a state of readiness, and yet no one had met the army or been present to welcome us.

“Knox,” I whispered, leaning over toward him. “Where are the people that live here?”

“Dead, murdered by witches,” he stated, lifting his fork to take a bite of meat, which signaled that everyone else could eat.

“That’s sad. It’s a beautiful place.”

“So were the people murdered