Of Thorn and Thread (Daughters of Eville #4) - Chanda Hahn Page 0,89
saw a shadow move and a curtain fall back in place.
“Liam, take her to the southern tower. Keep her comfortable. After all, she is a royalty.” He beckoned and Liam drew close, kneeling on bended knee. The king whispering into his ear instructions while those keen eyes never left me.
“Yes, your majesty,” Liam said, his voice low.
King Pharell clapped his hands, and two female servants slipped out of another alcove. They were clad in gray dresses with white aprons, their hair similarly styled in buns under a white mop cap. The taller one beckoned gently.
I was hesitant at first and turned to Liam for instruction. Liam was stoically silent. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had wandered willingly into a trap. Led here by the noble intentions of Liam.
Liam grasped my upper arm and pulled me after him, my feet barely making purchase along the ground. I was running on tiptoes to keep up when we passed Devin in the hall.
“Devin,” I cried and dug my heels into the ground. “You’re okay.”
“Aura?” Devin replied. He raised his arms for a hug, but got a surprise when Liam pulled me away.
“What in the world, Liam?” He moved to confront his friend. “Release her.”
Liam’s eyes darkened. His hand never left my arm. “You would do well to not question my authority, or do you forget I’m the Commander of the Guard?”
“And you would do well to remember, brother,” Devin challenged, “that I’m no longer one of your men. I don’t answer to you.”
The two of them squared off, neither backing down.
I don’t want to fight him, but I will. Devin’s thoughts made my decision for me.
“Devin, it’s fine.” I gently pulled my arm and felt Liam release me. “I’m safe.”
“I’m not so sure,” Devin answered, but stepped back and let us pass. “Something odd is going on here.”
I moved to follow the two servants up a flight of stairs to the southern tower.
After a few moments, Liam whispered. “You had no right to interfere.”
“I did it because he didn’t want to fight you.”
“No, I mean interfere with me,” Liam said.
He reached forward and pulled me against the wall. I was a few steps above him and now we were at the same height.
“You tricked me.” His voice filled with anguish, and I knew then I had deeply hurt him. “Put a spell on me and abandoned us amid our greatest need.” He laid his palm against the stone wall above my head, looking deep into my eyes for an answer.
“I did it to protect you. I was going to stop the blight by myself,” I said.
The muscle in his jaw tensed and he wouldn’t meet my gaze. He beckoned me forward. “You failed at both,” he said.
The stairs leveled out, and as we came to the top floor and stopped in front of our destination, the shorter servant pushed a door with a heavy iron handle, and it swung inward with a creak. She waited for me to be escorted in, and I crossed the threshold and stood on the plush carpet near the bed.
“But you made it here safely,” I said.
“None of the men could wake me from your spell. By the time it wore off, it was midday. I left them behind, raced after you, and found the golden thread. Fighting off the thorns, following your trail until I found this.” Liam pulled the spindle from under his cloak and tossed it onto the bed. “I thought you were dead.” His head dropped, and he took a deep breath. “I wanted to give up. Right then and there. If it weren’t for the stupid basajaun. He dragged me back to the men and then retreated into the woods.” He wiped at the corner of his eyes. “What were you thinking?”
“I was only thinking about you.”
“There you go, all self-sacrificing again.”
“I’m fine, really.”
He grabbed my shoulders and whispered. “But she could have killed you.”
“She?” I glanced up at Liam in realization. I felt betrayed, fooled, duped. I was a complete moron. “Liam, I never said the gender of the person imprisoned within the cell. That it was a woman responsible for the blight.”
He looked away, and I knew.
“You know about Tatiana.”
Liam nodded. “I told the king about what we found in the fog’s vortex, what was in the lesser fae court. He told me the tale of the crazed queen, intent on destroying his kingdom. He knew it must be her, here for revenge.”