sword from his grasp and squeezed his hand once before releasing him and leading him around the side of the house. Wasting no time, she hammered the hilt of the sword against the door.
When it flew open, a broad-shouldered man she’d met many times before towered over her, his lips curled into a smile. He glanced from Ara to Eirik, his teeth flashing. “The lord and his lady.” A chortling sounded behind him from the warriors crowded into the room, a single candle between them. A trap. They’d been waiting for Eirik, but he was too smart for them.
Ara lifted her chin. “I am no one’s lady.” She jerked her arm back, slamming the hilt of the sword into Eirik’s stomach. He grunted in pain. She hit him again, driving him to his knees.
With rain falling in a sheet between her and Audun, Ara narrowed her eyes. “I’ve come to make a deal.”
Audun studied her for a moment, his eyes keen. His smile dropped, and he nodded, gesturing to his men. Two warriors lifted Eirik under the arms and carried him in out of the rain.
“Tie him up,” Audun ordered as he stepped aside for Ara to enter.
Water trailed her steps, and she stopped at a table where two warriors had Edmund tied to a chair. Jerking her head to one of the men, she channeled her inner general. “Start a fire in the hearth. It’s freezing in here.”
The man looked to Audun, who only nodded.
Ara dropped into his vacated seat as he kneeled in front of the hearth. She met Edmund’s curious gaze. No fear shone in his eyes. That wasn’t who this man was.
If they were to get out of this, she needed his magic. Hers was practically useless in a fight, but throwing sounds wasn’t her only skill.
Ara set her sword at her feet and leaned back, wringing water from her hair. “Congratulations on your transfer of power, Lord Orr.” She said the title with a sneer. He’d stolen Eirik’s power without a fight, yes, but also without earning it. One was only as powerful in Cana as the warriors who supported them. Audun, it seemed, had much support.
Audun sat across from her. “I never thought I’d share a table with the fabled Edmund Kent, but I do not know who you are other than the woman who shares Eirik’s bed. Why should I make a deal with you?”
Ara crossed her arms over her chest. “Ask him.” She nodded toward Eirik.
Eirik thrashed against the ropes tying him to his own bed. “She’s a Belaen spy.”
Understanding dawned on Audun’s face. “A spy.” He laughed. “We like spies in Cana.”
“No, you like assassins.” She lifted a brow. “If you’d like, I can be that too.”
“The woman has bite.” His face sobered, and he leaned forward. “But I assure you it is not as strong as mine. Tell me what it is you want.”
“Safe passage for the delegation. That includes Edmund here.”
“And what of Eirik? Do you wish to beg me to spare his life as well? Do not forget, girl, I now have a host of warriors supporting my claim. What do you have to bargain with?”
She shrugged, ignoring the nerves building in her gut. “Your life.”
A laugh boomed out of him as his eyes surveyed the room. “You are surrounded, Ara of Bela. My life is not yours to give.”
“Are you so sure about that?” She met Edmund’s gaze with a nod.
It was faint at first, the buzzing of magic filtering through the air. A breeze blew through the room, bringing with it rain through the open window. One of Audun’s men jumped to close it, but he was too late.
Air tunneled through the window and under the door, lifting the wet hair from Ara’s neck. A chill raced through her as she watched every Canan in the room jump from their seats in panic as Eirik’s belongings flew at them.
Four years. That was how long Ara had gone without seeing magic other than her own.
Four long years of pretending hers didn’t exist, of hiding it like she’d done most of her childhood.
She laughed into the wind as it picked up speed, circling the outer edges of the room and throwing the warriors against the walls. Eirik held onto the bed, his ropes keeping him in place.
Yet there was Edmund, sitting with his hands tied behind his back and his face serene, showing no signs of the effort this magic cost him. Wind was his power, much more