10. Ten

Ten

I pulled a wool blanket around my legs, the warmth of the fire heating my back as I shuffled a worn deck of cards. Ata and Pri sat on the couch above me, sipping on tea, while I dealt out the next hand.

We had spent the afternoon cautiously getting to know each other. At one point Ata had promised her, point blank, that if she even thought about hurting any of us, she wouldn’t hesitate to put a dagger through her chest. Wren had immediately scolded her as Pri laughed, saying she knew she would like her. Slowly, throughout the morning, while the men sorted out the logistics of our journey, we learned about her. Pri’s escapades far surpassed the juvenile pranks Ata and I pulled on the boys during our childhood. She seemed to have lived so many lives, gone on so many adventures. There was a depth to her that I hadn’t expected, a strong current of emotion that ran just underneath the surface if you took the time to look for it.

“That’s my allure,” she said, placing a card on the coffee table. “They don’t see a threat when they look at me, they don’t see danger—but they should. That is the beauty of powerful men, they always underestimate the women surrounding them. All the while I’m weaving their minds into tangled webs, stealing their secrets and impregnating their governments—their systems—with distrust.” She smiled back at me wickedly, and I could see it; could imagine how she would do it. I smiled as I wondered how many kingdoms she had reduced to rubble using her methods.

“So.” I lowered my voice, my eyes glancing to the men huddled in the corner. “What’s the story with you and Wren?”

She tilted her head, her golden locks cascading over her shoulder and grazing her neck. A small smile graced her lips as she glanced back at him. “He sees me, truly sees me; beyond any facade or superficial layer.” A loving sigh escaped her lips before she turned back to us. “I think, even if I had no beauty to offer him, he would still look at me the way he does now.” Her eyes sparkled with a radiant light, her cheeks flushing as she spoke about him.

The passion in her voice and the tenderness in her gaze was undeniable as I watched her. She was in love with him.

I grinned up at Pri as she pulled the blanket strewn across her lap to cover the red seeping into her skin and beamed back at us.

“How did Andrues and Landers react when they found out about the two of you? They seem . . .” Ata paused searching for the right word. “Protective.”

A laugh bellowed out of Pri loud enough that the men briefly glanced in our direction before returning to their intense discussion over maps and strategies.

“Even if they could have done something about it they wouldn’t have. They tried that once and it did not end well, for either one of them.” She flashed us a devious smile as she gazed over at them with a look I knew all too well.

It was the same way I looked at Ardan and Wren—how I looked at my brothers.

She slid her long slender fingers through her hair, chuckling quietly to herself before continuing. “They are protective, but Wren has never given them—given me—a reason not to trust him. I think they are just relieved to see me happy again. It’s been centuries since I have allowed myself to even consider the possibility of loving someone.”

I managed to keep my expression neutral as she casually hinted at her age and made a mental note to ask her about it in our next conversation. Maybe she wouldn’t make me feel like a simpleton for not knowing how everything worked in the real world.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

Pri looked down at her hands, long enough that Ata said, “You can also tell us it’s none of our damn business.”

Pri looked up and smiled, a strained sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “No, it’s good to talk about it. I should talk about it, it’s just hard.”

I pulled my legs to my chest, giving her a reassuring gentle nod.

“My husband, Liam, was a Traveler like us. We met in Locdragoon, and it was . . .” She took in a sharp breath. “He was my first love. And for a while, it was perfect. We were young, and so happy to be free of our Realms and get to travel and explore the world together. But as time passed we started to drift apart. I started my training to become an Intelligence Officer for Locdragoon and he . . . just couldn’t find it in him to support me. I knew it was because he was scared of the situations this job would put me in, but it gave me back my fire—my passion for life. I just couldn’t lose that part of myself again. His passion was history.” She laughed softly.

“Gods, he loved it; traveling from realm to realm collecting stories from the elders and viewing ancient artifacts. That’s what made him come alive. For a while, seeing the passion and love he had for his work, and traveling with him, was enough for me. It used to make me so happy to see him light up when he finally found items he had been searching years for. But eventually, I realized somewhere . . . in the midst of our life together, I had stopped living for myself. I was empty and resentful toward him. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and if I am honest, I was more angry with myself because I forgot who I was. That’s when I decided to make something of myself and go into intelligence.

“We started fighting more, and seeing each other less. When I finally graduated from my studies, I was sent on assignment to Ammord. I arrived angry and unfocused from the fight we had the night before and when I got there . . . I found the nearest pub and drank myself into a stupor. I let too much information slip, and the next morning I woke up, bound in an interrogation room, with my husband chained to the wall behind me.” A tear slid down her face, and she let it drop onto our hands.

“For hours they asked me questions—asked for secrets that I could not give. And every time I did not answer, they cut him. They never laid a hand on me, even though I pleaded for them to hurt me instead. Liam begged me . . . He begged me to tell them everything, to end his torture. But what they wanted to know would put children in danger, and I—” Her voice cracked. “I just couldn’t. I wanted to, with every fiber of my being, I wanted to tell them . . . But I couldn’t be the reason hundreds of children died. So I stayed quiet, and they continued punishing him for it.” She looked back over to Landers and Andrues and one corner of her mouth inched slightly up.

“Those two are the only reason I’m still alive. I didn’t know them then, but they were able to get us both out. Andrues was still learning the ways of healing back then, and Liam had lost so much blood . . . We couldn’t find a healer that was willing to help someone they knew was being hunted. Liam died hours after they got us free. They saw me break that night. Completely, devastatingly break.” She sniffed as more tears began flowing down her golden cheeks.

“That one night took my entire heart, and I vowed to never love like that again; to never give away my heart to anyone again. Because love, in this kind of work, is a liability.” She wiped her face, looking back up at us with light shining through her eyes again.

“I was able to keep that part of me locked down, for centuries. Of course I had lovers—bedded people—but never allowed emotion into it. Then Wren . . .” Her lips spread into a wide smile. “He blew into my life like a tornado, and I had no chance against him.”

I looked over at Wren. He was sitting at the table with both hands gripping his hair, immersed in whatever was in front of him, and smiled at the image she had painted for us.

“He breathed life back into my dead heart. All the anger I was holding onto didn’t stand a chance against the love he poured into me. He supports me with a fierceness that makes me believe so deeply in myself, and stands behind every decision I make, even if he disagrees with it. Even if it scares him.”

I beamed up at her.

“He is lucky to have found you,” Ata said, looking over her shoulder at Wren.

“I’m glad he did, he seems happy,” I chimed in, as the men rose from the table to stretch their limbs. Wren sauntered over to us with a sly smile etched onto his face and stood behind the couch, slipping his hands over Pri’s shoulders.

“Now, what are you ladies laughing about?” Pri tilted her chin back, her eyes meeting his gaze.

“You, of course,” she crooned, smiling as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips and ran his fingers over her jaw. Ata and I exchanged smirks. I didn’t know if I would ever get used to seeing him like this.

“So, what now?” Ata asked over her shoulder toward Andrues. She pushed herself off the couch and extended a hand to pull me from the floor where I sat at their feet. The move was so similar to the morning before, when we were saying goodbye in our dorm for what I thought would be the last time. My heart lurched, as the reality of the situation sank back in.

“We will remain at this location, it’s uncertain for how long,” Andrues answered, glancing over to Landers. “Before we enter Ammord, there are a few things we need to handle.”

“What things?” I leaned against the arm of the couch, my eyes scanning over the four men left standing by the table. Ardan lifted his hands to his chest, palms facing me as he walked toward Ata; as if to tell me he was not involved in this. I groaned.

What now?

“What things?” I repeated, standing straight and crossing my arms. Landers grinned at me, as if to tell me to brace myself, and on cue Taft scoffed and threw his hands into the air.

I knew what was coming next.

I knew these gestures all too well.

“We are not doing this! We don’t need her. I can protect her. I always have.”

“Not doing what?” I demanded, annoyance spilling into my sharp tone.

“We discussed this already,” Andrues responded to Taft with agitation matching mine flooding his voice.

“Discussed what?” I said sharply, taking one step forward and locking my eyes onto Andrues. I could feel the eyes on my back, watching us closely.

“You are not going to put this on her!” Taft was shouting as he placed himself in front of me like a barrier between the two men across from us.

“Oh shut the fuck up, Taft!”

The room went silent and everyone’s eyes focused on Ata. With a quiet slap, Pri’s hand collided with her mouth to stifle the giggle that was currently escaping her lips as Ardan looked at the ceiling, suddenly so interested in the stones above us. Landers chuckled softly at the scene playing out in front of him and leaned onto the edge of the table.

“Spare us this tantrum of yours, and let us get on to the important shit,” Ata hissed.

“Excuse m—”

Ata took a single step forward and lifted a finger, silencing Taft. Even though she was across the room, and he was twice her size, he took a half step back, recoiling at the ice in her stare. He regained control of his face within seconds and his eyes darkened as he stared at her, squaring his shoulders.

“You do not speak for her. You do not own her.” Her voice was a growl, each word flowed out, steady and piercing. Her eyes turned to Landers and Andrues. “Tell us what is going on. Now.” It was a command, not a request, and Andrues’s back straightened in the way it would if a king had stepped into the room.

Landers shrugged in that vexatiously casual way of his before he answered. “We need to train you. All of us should train, but you . . .” He jerked his chin toward me. “We need to train you.”

“Train me for what?” I asked, stepping around Taft.

“To have more control over your shadows.” Landers pushed off the table, rolling his sleeves up over his muscled forearms as he smiled down at me. A black tattoo slithered down to his left wrist and I let my eyes linger there for a second before meeting his gaze again. “And see if you manifest any other magic, like we talked about this morning.” He smirked at Taft, letting those last words roll off his tongue a little smoother.

“You already spoke to her about this? Without asking me first?” Taft snarled.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the implication of his words.

“I was unaware she needed your permission to make her own decisions,” Landers said coolly, looking back at me with a smirk.

“Why would that be a bad thing?” I tilted my head, my brows furrowing as I looked up at Taft. Why would he get so worked up over this? We had trained together for years, preparing ourselves for battle. Preparing for this.

“Ask them,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. He shook his head in disgust and turned for the stairs. I scoffed as he climbed the steps two at a time and disappeared toward our bedroom.

Typical .

This was the problem with him. He always felt like he knew what was best for me, never trusting that I could figure it out for myself. Always making me question my judgment.

My mind flashed to Pri’s words, how Wren made her feel empowered—made her believe in herself. I shook the thought from my head. He was just scared, we all were. He wanted to keep me safe. That’s all this was.

I turned back to Landers and Andrues. “What is he talking about?”

“If your shadows can do what we suspect, you could shield us while crossing into Ammord,” Andrues stated.

“Of course, it is your choice. If you do not wish to train we will accept that, no questions asked. If you do, but do not wish to use your shadows to cross the border, we will accept that as well,” Landers said as Andrues nodded in agreement.

“I’ll do it. I want to train.” The words came barreling out of me before I had a chance to process what I was saying. The corner of Landers lips tilted up as his eyes looked me over, like he was assessing if I understood what I was committing to.

“Take the evening to think about it. If that is still your decision in the morning, we will start.”

I nodded, as a breath escaped my lips.

“Anyone else need a drink?” Ardan’s voice broke into the silence, snapping the tension that had lingered in the wake of Taft’s outburst.

“Oh, me! I make the best concoctions,” Pri responded, slapping the back of her hand on Ardan’s chest. “Let’s go make some, see what skills you have.” She walked past me as she teased Ardan, making her way to the kitchen.

The room felt light again as chatter consumed the silence. I slouched back onto the arm of the couch as Ardan rubbed my arms before wrapping his around me.

“He will come around,” he whispered, tightening his arms around my shoulders.

“I hope so.”

“He will.” He dropped his arms, flicking my nose playfully before following Pri into the kitchen.

“Let’s see these skills, Pri . . .” His voice trailed off, drowning in Pri’s laughter.

“You okay?” Ata knelt behind me on the couch, perching her elbows on the arm beside me. I looked over at her and rolled my eyes.

“Why does he always feel the need to start a fight?” I groaned. She had talked me through this argument with Taft more times than I wanted to admit. But she always supported me, even though I knew she wished I wasn’t with him. She pushed her shoulder against mine and smiled up at me.

“Wanna get drunk?”