6. Sage

CHAPTER 6

Sage

Sawyer's eyes narrowed and he gripped his arm and left out a strangle grunt, making Edred's smile turned predatory.

"Thank you, Lord Quill," Edred practically purred and my traitorous gaze slid back to the handsome fae. "Will you join us for the evening meal and stay the night?"

"No." Lord Quill's emerald eyes locked with mine for a breathtaking moment then he turned on his heel and strode out of the hall.

"See him off, girl," Edred barked, and I scrambled to catch up with him, my arm still throbbing from the spell and my bruised chest aching with each breath.

Lord Quill was already a third of the way across the bailey by the time I'd raced down the aisle and out the large main door, his stride long and fast as if he couldn't wait to get out of Herstind castle, something I couldn't blame him for.

"My lord," I called out, although I wasn't sure what to say after that.

I couldn't arrange to have his horse saddled, since it already was, and there was nothing else I could offer him. It seemed idiotic to thank him for coming like Edred expected of me. I'd almost lost Sawyer because of him and I was about to take the largest gamble of my life.

Except that wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault Edred had manipulated the lottery and ensured Sawyer's name was drawn.

Lord Quill glanced back at me, his expression stiff. "I can't change the results of the lottery."

"I know." I dropped into a low curtsy, fighting to keep my gaze down, but just like before, my eyes lifted as if compelled by him. "This duty can't be easy. Thank you for your service."

Some of the tension melted from his gaze and for a moment I saw a glimmer of a brilliant, kind man — and I had no idea if I was actually seeing him or having another strange premonition.

"It's not so bad," he said, his tone softening. "Your brother's life—" He frowned. "Or your cousin or whoever he is to you."

"My brother," I replied. The only member of my family I had left.

"His life won't be what he'd planned," Lord Quill said, turning and continuing to march toward his horse, "but life in the Guard isn't all bad. He's lost a sister, and for that I'm sorry, but he's gained three hundred brothers."

Three hundred? I knew the Guard was more than just a handful of men, but I hadn't expected there to be three hundred.

A shudder swept through me. I had to convince three hundred men that I was one of them?

Maybe that would be easier than just trying to convince a few.

If I didn't draw attention to myself — more attention than my red hair already drew — I could find a way to make it work at least until Sawyer had enough time to flee beyond the boarders of the Five Great Kingdoms and hide.

We reached the stables at the far end of the bailey. Dodd was nowhere to be seen, which didn't surprise me given how terrified the boy had been of Lord Quill, and the fae didn't seem to care. He released his horse from the hitching post and swung up into the saddle.

"He won't need to come to the tower until tomorrow. Noon at the latest," Lord Quill said. "You have time for a proper goodbye."

"Thank you," I murmured, knowing he expected a response — and the truth that Sawyer and I would likely have to leave the castle immediately wasn't something he needed to hear.

"Miss," he said, addressing me as a maid, not realizing I was nobility because of the dirt on my clothes and how Edred had treated me.

He dipped his head in goodbye, the first time during his visit that he'd shown anyone respect, and I was grateful Edred wasn't around to witness it.

With that he urged his horse into a trot and rode out of the castle. I watched him go, my traitorous eyes still searching him out, waiting for him to disappear down the slope in the road, before the compulsion released me. Then I turned back to the keep and drew in a steadying breath of hot, humid air as Sawyer hurried across the bailey toward me.

Whether it was foolish or not, I'd made a decision and now I had to go through with it.

"What's wrong with you?" Sawyer hissed, his breath wet and rattling in his chest. "Have you lost your mind? We have to stop him and tell him there's been a mistake. If we're lucky we can convince him not to say anything to Edred."

He turned to run out the gate, but I grabbed his arm and yanked him back to face me.

"We're not doing anything. I doubt Lord Quill can break the binding spell which means he'd have to tell Edred because both of us would have to go to the Black Tower."

Sawyer wrenched his arm out of my grip. "Better to be beaten by Edred for embarrassing him than you joining the Black Guard."

"Better me than you. You wouldn't survive a day in the Gray."

"You're a girl!"

"And the better swordsman," I shot back.

One of Edred's men strode across the bailey toward us and I ducked my head, trying to look demure and praying he hadn't overheard our argument even though we'd kept our voices low.

"Lord Edred says your lesson in obedience isn't done," he said over his shoulder, as he walked past us, heading toward the guard post at the main gate. "He expects to see you in his chambers."

My pulse skipped a beat. I'd hoped Sawyer becoming a sacrifice would have been enough to please Edred into forgetting about me, but that had been a foolish hope. I'd embarrassed him twice today, once in front of Pylos when I'd interrupted Sawyer's lesson, and again in the great hall in front of half of his men when I'd hesitated to bring him the medallion. I'd been punished for less and if I made him wait, the beating would be worse. But if I obeyed him, there was a chance he'd lock me up for days and the binding spell would kill me.

I grabbed Sawyer's sleeve and yanked him back toward the keep. "We have to go. Right now."

"You're not going anywhere. You're a girl." He wrenched his sleeve free. "Do you know what they'll do to you if they learn the truth?"

"Hopefully kick me out of the Black Guard," I seized his wrist again and started pulling him back toward the keep. "We can't stay here."

"Or they'll keep you around as the Tower whore," he replied with a wheezing cough.

"Don't be ridiculous." I dragged him along the edge of the keep, heading toward the back and an entrance where we were least likely to run into Edred. "They don't keep women at the Black Tower, not even whores." It was more likely I'd be sent to court to face the king and be charged with disobeying the crown and imprisoned for the rest of my life for circumventing the lottery.

"Someone is going to find out. How are you going to bathe? What about sleeping? Soldiers are bunked in cots in one big room." He yanked out of my grip just before we rounded the corner. "Sage, this isn't supposed to be your destiny."

"It's not yours, either." He was all I had left and I wasn't going to let Edred send him to his death. And while I could tell him I'd foreseen his death, he'd just say he'd be more careful. Except I knew with all of my being that being careful wouldn't be enough to change what I'd seen.

"You could have petitioned the king, not taken the binding spell," he insisted. "I'm heir to Herstind March and not even sixteen. It's obvious someone's made a mistake."

I set my hands on my hips and glared at him. "You don't really believe it was just a mistake."

He glared back at me then sighed and ran his hands through his drying hair, making the red locks stick out at odd angles. "No. It took me a moment to realize Edred was far too happy at the fae lord's arrival. I knew walking into the great hall that my name was going to be on the summons."

"Which means Edred has significant influence on the men administering the lottery, possibly even the head magistrate." For all I knew, he had the king's ear. He'd been one of His Majesty's generals until he'd married our mother and took over the defense of the March.

That thought sent a new fear rushing through me.

"Or he's got the king's ear," Sawyer said as if he'd read my thoughts. And if that was the case, there wasn't anything either of us could do to stop Edred's plan to get rid of Sawyer.