Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,32

frozen to the spot.

Brander cleared his throat, and Aria stepped closer to me, slipping her hand into mine while she pulled me with her toward the largest tent in the middle of the camp. I followed her with unease rushing through me; as if she felt it, her eyes found mine. She turned, smirking before she shook her head. I felt nervous and something else, something strange from her touch that caused my stomach to somersault.

At the front of the tent, Aria turned, blocking Brander’s entrance as Siobhan paused as Aria stood her ground. Brander stepped back, bumping into the king, who observed what was unfolding.

Aria rattled, and I swallowed hard as the men nodded, stepping back. No one else was inside the medical tent, and from the look of it, Aria didn’t intend to let them in either. She let the flaps close and turned, slowly looking around the area until she spotted the tonics, and I followed her.

“You’re a phoenix, aren’t you?” I asked, unable to keep the awe out of my tone. She turned, smirking at me as she shook her head. “Can you speak?” Aria lifted her finger to her lips, her eyes sparkling as she pointed to the front of the tent, then her ear.

I smiled awkwardly, watching her grab for the tonic to open it, tending to my arm while Siobhan stood in shock. I tried to stop Aria, but her eyes lifted, and I saw the pain in them if only a glimmer. Her fingers slid over my burns, and I gasped as pain shot through my charred flesh.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Aria whispered, barely above a breath.

“You’re the Princess, and I am a peasant,” I announced.

“And?” she shocked both Siobhan and me into silence. “I am Aria, and no matter what blood runs through my veins, we’re all in the same boat, just trying to survive. There are better chances in greater numbers, are there not?” Aria laughed, and I swallowed hard. “Wish I were the peasant, and you the princess.” She tended my wounds as if I wasn’t at the bottom of the food chain and her atop it.

Aria had meant what she’d said, which shocked me. She was royalty, one of only a few who carried Hecate’s magic within her veins. Aria held immense power, and yet there was a humility within her that floored me. She wasn’t what I’d thought she would be. She was… humble.

“Did I burn you too?” Aria asked, sliding her attention to Siobhan.

“No, My Princess,” Siobhan uttered, her eyes wide with confusion. “I thought all Hecate witches were vain, hostile bitches who didn’t bother themselves with peasants or those beneath them?”

“You were told what to think and how to act in our presence. I was taught to be above you and rule with coldness. I choose not to be that cold-hearted, uncaring bitch they told me to become. Life is entirely too short to be an asshole, is it not?”

Siobhan laughed, her hands moving to touch Aria’s face. She jerked back, and Siobhan’s hands dropped. Aria exhaled slowly, holding her hand out to accept Siobhan’s, but they trembled. It scared Aria to touch her or to be touched. I watched in silence as she allowed Siobhan to place her hand into hers before covering it with her other.

“Blessed be,” Aria whispered, yanking her hands back.

“Blessed be, Princess Aria.” Siobhan shook. Her eyes were wide with shock from Aria’s touch. Had she felt what I had when I touched her?

“Just Aria,” she insisted. “I don’t want to be a princess. It sounds entitled, and I’m just a girl trying to survive, like you.”

“But you’re a Hecate witch,” I pointed out.

“I am. But I am one held by her enemy, and nothing more than his slave. I am powerless and trapped, just like you. The only difference is I don’t plan to stay trapped or remain his prisoner.”

“He can hear you,” I whispered.

“I’m aware, and I honestly can’t be bothered to give a fuck. He broke the last one I had to offer him. Is your arm better?” Aria’s eyes held mine, which sent hope shooting through me; deadly, dangerous hope that Aria was everything Esme had said she would be.

“Yes, thank you,” I said, noting the tears swimming in her eyes. “I am sorry that you were hurt and assaulted.”

“Others have endured a lot more than I have. I will survive because it’s not within me to accept defeat. It was very