“Well, it’s not funny.”
I moved closer to Erien and the door. Candlelight flickered, and I could see into part of the room.
Gothero was sitting at a table holding what looked like a small green bottle, and Lord Larney was pacing up and down the room, quite visibly upset at the whole situation.
“Morgana is paying us very well.” Gothero put the green bottle down on the table in front of him. “All we have to do is make sure the duke drinks this. He will be dead by morning, and we will live in comfort for the rest of our lives.”
Erien slid his sword from its sheath, and I tried to grab his hand to prevent him from doing something stupid, but he jumped up before I could stop him.
“Erien, no,” I whispered, in my last attempt to hold him back.
Erien rushed into the room, brandishing his sword at the two startled men. “Traitors,” he growled.
I ran into the room after him. “Erien, please be sensible.” I tried to calm the situation. What was he thinking? He should have called the captain of the guard instead of rushing into the room like that. If these men were contemplating killing the duke, they must be very dangerous, and there was no telling what they might do.
Gothero’s eyes narrowed as he got up from his chair. “What are you going to do about it, boy?” He unsheathed his sword as he moved—surprisingly fast for a man of his size.
Erien stood his ground and prepared to defend himself.
Lord Larney inched toward me on the other side, his sword already in hand. My eyes darted around the room, frantically searching for some sort of weapon I could use to defend myself.
“I will make sure you hang for this,” Erien said.
“You and whose army?” Gothero sneered, creeping closer toward us.
“I don’t really think they need one,” said a familiar voice behind me. I didn’t turn; I didn’t need to. I knew exactly who it was.
Larney’s and Gothero’s eyes widened at the sight of the person behind us. “The Black Wolf, here! In the castle?” Lord Larney clearly recognized him. “How? Where are the guards?”
Erien laughed when he saw Rafe and threw a dark look at the traitors. “Looks like you two might as well give yourselves up now.”
“Put down your swords,” Rafe came up to stand beside me, “and you might get a fair trial.”
“You can’t do anything to us.” Lord Larney slowly moved backward. “You’re an outlaw, wanted by the queen.”
“She’s not my queen,” Rafe growled, inching closer and repositioning himself to shield me from them.
“Kill him. Morgana will reward us well for the Black Wolf’s head,” said Gothero, glancing at his companion.
“I think I would like to keep my head, thank you,” Rafe drawled and raised both his hands in front of him. Two bolts of white light shot out of his palms and hit the traitors in the chest. They collapsed on the white stone floor in disheveled heaps.
“Are they . . . ?” I asked, hesitant to finish my sentence.
“Dead?”
I nodded.
“No.” Rafe walked farther into the room and bent down to bind the wrists of the fallen men. “They are merely stunned.”
“So will they be all right?”
“Well, enough to stand trial, that’s for sure,” Erien replied, going over to Rafe and helping him.
Rafe finished tying up the men, got up, and clasped Erien’s forearm in greeting.
Erien wore a genuine smile. “It’s good to have you back in Silverthorne Castle, my friend. What brings you to these parts?”
“I came by to see if the young lady got here safely.” Rafe’s eyes narrowed as he turned them on me; they looked like stormclouds that were just about to burst. “I thought I told you to stay in Pixie Bush until I came to get you.”
I put my hands on my hips at his harsh tone. “Well I would have if I wasn’t so busy running for my life.” I snapped.
“And whose fault is that?” Rafe ground out through clenched teeth. “If you had remained in Pixie Bush with Penelope instead of sauntering off to that bloody fae market, the Shadow Guard wouldn’t have found you.”
“First of all, I wasn’t sauntering.” I looked him straight in the eyes. “Kalen asked me to go with him to the market, so I did. And second of all, it was Finn that led Oblek to me. He was the one who betrayed his own people just to get rid of me. If I had been in Pixie Bush, they would have hurt many more of the fae.” I crossed my arms in front of me. “Why are you following me?”
His gaze softened, but his voice was still rough as his eyes glittered, never leaving my face. “I was worried.”
I flushed. “Oh!”
Erien cleared his throat. “Well, if you two have finished, I’ll go and get the captain to remove these men to the dungeons until my grandfather decides what to do with them.”
“I should leave before he gets here,” said Rafe with a wry smile. “I don’t think Captain Raingate likes me very much.”
“Probably a good idea.” Erien chuckled and ran off to summon the guards.
Rafe turned to the door. “We should get out of here before the guards come to take away the prisoners.”
I nodded and flicked a glance at him. “Thank you for helping once again.”
“Every time I see you, you are in some kind of trouble.” Rafe’s lips quirked up in a barely suppressed smile. “Helping you seems to have become a new job of mine.”
I winced. “Sorry. It seems to have become my specialty since I got here.”
Much to my surprise Rafe burst out laughing. “Well, at least you made it to Silverthorne Castle in one piece.” He winked at me and opened the door.
I smiled and followed him into the shadowy corridor, where half-burned torches lined the white stone walls. The thunder had abated, and shafts of muted moonlight wandered in through the massive windows, lighting up the tapestries that lined the passage. “Come.
