Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 68: Someone Cursed Like Me

Erinne stared across the table at Wren, her question hanging in the air. It was him, her family, and a couple of knights on the back wall that stayed nearby. The servants came in to bring their meal as soon as she arrived and it was strange food. She couldn't even recall food like this from when she was a child.

She hadn't even tasted it yet before she asked her question that left Wren staring at her. It was like all the air had gone out of the room. Several seconds passed until he finally gave her a small smile and picked up his fork and knife and started cutting his food. "I hope you enjoy your meal." He stated but he sounded uninterested in any of it. It was like a polite statement made automatically.

"Wren?" She cocked an eyebrow. "Why did you bring me here? You said we could talk at dinner."

"No," he corrected with a mellow tone, "I invited you to dinner."

"I want to know—"

"Eat." He cut her off, words sharp this time and she swallowed uncertainly. Cold Hammer tensed next to her while Andol looked up from his plate of strange food. Then he blinked and the sudden tenseness was gone and he offered them a smile. "Enjoy your dinner. Save the conversation for later." His eyes flicked to Andol pointedly and she wanted to curl her lip, but she understood his meaning. He didn't want to talk about it in front of her son.

Sighing in aggravation, she turned her attention to the platter before her, pushing at it with a fork. She honestly wasn't sure how she was supposed to eat this. She frowned and looked back at Wren. He was cutting it up into bits so she glanced at her mate and then did the same. Cold Hammer followed suit, cutting Andol's food for him first.

She sampled it cautiously, but it was full of flavors that melted in her mouth and she chewed a little more vigorously after that, several bites in before Wren spoke again, "Did the birds help ease your journey?"

"The gryphons?"

"Yes."

"It helped," she nodded, "but it's still not ideal in my current state, Wren."

"For that I am sorry," he murmured, "I hope you enjoyed flying, though."

"It was an experience," she replied. She expected Cold Hammer to pitch in, but he didn't say a word. He was stoically silent. Wren nodded, his scraggly dark hair falling over his eyes. As he brushed it back, she tried to focus on them a little more but he didn't look up from his plate. She wanted to know if that strange green glint was still there or not.

The silence continued, only the sounds of their chewing and the knives scraping the plate as they cut their food filling the room. If she'd known he planned to stay silent on the reasons why he'd brought her here, she would have skipped dinner with him and had it brought to her room.

"How have you been?" He interrupted the quiet again but he was still staring at his plate, no longer eating food from it.

She wanted to scoff but she held her tongue. Before she could answer him, however, Cold Hammer did, "Miserable because you forced her to come here." Her heart jumped in her chest and she looked back and forth between them but Wren didn't look up from his plate. She saw Cold Hammer's scowl deepen before he said, "You don't even have enough respect for her to own up to that. Will you not even look at us?!"

"Cold Hammer," she set her hand on his arm as he glared across the table. Andol had stopped eating, too, now, looking on with apprehensive eyes and she glanced back to Wren who was slowly setting his fork down.

He stood with slow ease and she could feel Cold Hammer's muscles tensing underneath her hand. At his full height, he finally looked across the table at them and spoke, voice tight, "Enjoy the rest of your meal in peace. When you have finished, I have a servant prepared to watch over your son. You may meet me downstairs when you are ready."