AISLIN | I

CHAPTER FORTY

AS WE returned to Kavan, the caravan was deafeningly silent. Queen Aria sat radiating fury from her carriage. The only thing she had said since the incident was "We're going home, now!" The subsequent silence was so oppressive that I couldn't help but squirm in my saddle, which is not a good thing to do when you're riding astride in a dress with a very high slit. My leg was getting cold. I channeled my nervous energy into scanning our surroundings. Leland seemed to be doing the same, but his face was cherry red and his ears were so flushed it seemed like they might bruise.

After I knocked Juniper to the floor, the fight in the Ecrin ballroom ended quickly. The ballroom was bathed in a smattering of blood and the adrenaline slowly washed away as reality came back to us. The ballroom was void of people except for the fallen soldiers on the floor and the fighters. Tables were overturned and food and glass littered the floor. I felt my syndicate fall into place behind me.

"What are we going to do with this?" Blakely-Rose asked, her voice dripping with disgust as she poked the sole of Juniper's boot with her toe.

"He's coming back to Aberystwyth with me. I'll see to it that Father takes care of him properly." Willow assured his little sister with a hand on her arm. Juniper let out a groan as he tried to raise his head and flopped it back down on the floor. Willow turned to him and pulled him roughly to his feet. A pair of armed guards relieved Willow of his load and carried Juniper off to face the music.

Gasps and murmurs of shock flooded the ballroom as the partygoers began to trickle back in. One pair of footsteps rang above the rest and stormed in our direction. Queen Aria, sporting a look of fury that could melt steel.

I surveyed the ballroom and my comrades to ensure no fatal damage was done. The worst thing I saw was some broken vases and flatware and a crack in the plaster where one of Blakely-Rose's stars had lodged itself.

I strided over to the man at the base of the stairs who had the misfortune of catching my dagger. He stood hunched over in pain, trying not to bend the knee that had received the blow. I placed my palm firmly against the back of his thigh and used my other hand to swiftly remove my blade from his joint.

"It won't kill you. At worst you'll lose your leg." I assured him as he bellowed in surprise and anguish. I stood him upright, grasped his sleeve at the shoulder and pulled the cotton piece from his shirt with a satisfying rent. Using the shirtsleeve I wiped the blood from my blade. I then used the fabric to fashion a crude bandage around the gash my blade had left. It definitely wasn't adequate, but it would last him until someone with better equipment arrived. He collapsed to the floor.

I heard footsteps behind me that drew my attention away from the groaning man. Turning around, I made eye contact with a familiar pair of green eyes. Leland stood in front of me, looking disheveled. His white hair was partly plastered to his face and partly sticking out in all directions, his emerald eyes looked tired, but bright with adrenaline.

He lifted his left arm up and hanging from his hand was my sword, the one I had dropped earlier. I reached out and removed it from his grip. My fingers brushed against his and I felt shivers dance down my spine.

Looking back into Lelands eyes, I saw that the small interaction had affected him too. "Thank you." I said, my voice coming out in hushed tones.

"My pleasure." His voice came out about three octaves higher than it should have, causing him to jump and me to snort as I stifled the laughter that was threatening to escape my lungs. He cleared his throat, his voice returning to normal, "My pleasure." He repeated, flushing pink.