The Bridal Party: a Fantasy Novel by Anna Holmes

Author:Anna Holmes [Holmes, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction & Literature
Publisher: Elyssia Books
Published: 2021-12-03T05:00:00+00:00

There was very little use pretending for Gerund’s sake, but Alexander walked in under his own power anyway. Cass understood the desire, but still winced when he ran out of wall to brace himself on and needed to cross the precarious empty space to the sofa. Gerund eyed him significantly from his spot on his hard wooden chair.

“Lord Fremont. You look unwell. An uneasy night, I take it.”

“And you look like you took a beating,” he answered, lowering himself shakily to the sofa. Cass stood at the arm, watching with her arms folded. “Don’t worry. It shouldn’t kill you. It’s a particular silver alloy. Just enough to stun.”

“Look at you,” he said. “A hollowed-out husk plotting against himself.”

Ruhan looked down sharply. “All right, that’s—enough. Both of you. For gods’ sake, Gerund. I didn’t want to believe you could be involved with any of this, but there were…too many signs, and I should have….” He looked guiltily to Alexander. “I should have listened.”

Alexander’s sunken eyes softened. “What are you doing here?”

He sighed. “I couldn’t sleep, knowing what Cassandra would be doing.” He looked to her. “Knowing why you were keeping watch. So I kept watch outside his chambers,” he indicated Gerund, “to see if he left, and lo and behold, I followed him straight here.”

Gerund’s face twisted. “Vexing. How I didn’t smell you or hear you, devils only know.”

Ruhan smiled in quiet disappointment. “You taught me better.”

The twist only deepened, a not-quite-right smile. “How careless of me.”

“Unless you didn’t,” Cass said, setting her jaw. “How long have you been Gerund?”

“Oh, you are clever. Twenty years.” Ruhan stepped back in alarm, and not-Gerund tilted his head. “Don’t be dramatic. Your Gerund hasn’t even realized he’s gone. He’s been having a fine time at the dance, and will until the end.”

Ruhan looked fiercely to Cass. “Is there any reason to leave this thing alive?”

“Yes,” she said tiredly.

“Smart,” not-Gerund said again with a smirk.

“Does he need to talk?” the prince asked, his hands gripping the haft of his pole arm.

Alexander leaned heavily on the arm of the sofa. “Why?” he asked at last, no longer bothering to hide the exhaustion. “I have nothing to do with your Queen. Either of them.”

The Knight Captain turned his head to observe him curiously. “So you do know, and still you’ve not sought her forgiveness.”

“Is this what her forgiveness buys you?” Alexander asked, gesturing limply with a hand to Gerund’s bound form. “Spending twenty years in someone else’s court in vain hopes that maybe someday you might get to kill some spoiled noble brat?”

“Twenty years is but a blink to me, thanks to Her Grace. And what have they been to you? Torment. Punishment.”

Alexander smiled bitterly. “Ah. Yes. My atonement. And what have I done, precisely? What did you do, for that matter? Did you plot the seelie coup yourself, or were you a wanderer like me? I’m curious.”

Gerund seemed surprised. “That—”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“The hubris of humankind.”

“Are you willing to shoulder that all yourself? I’m not.

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