The Witches' Blade by A.K. Mulford

Author:A.K. Mulford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

Chapter Eighteen

Rua slept most of the day. Bri had left as the predawn sky began to lighten. It was evening when Talhan brought her a tray of food. He gave her a half-smile and left. She didn’t think Bri had told him, but his twin must have warned him not to push her today.

Rua ate only a few bites of food. Her body ached. Her feet were bright red still, burned from the snow. But it was nothing compared to the pain when she sat up. There was no comfortable position. She cursed herself again for what she had done. Did everyone hurt like this? Bri seemed to think not. They had gone too fast, Rua pushing him too far, and she had hurt them both in the process. Her face still burned with shame. She would never be able to look Renwick in the eyes again. She thought about leaving. She could flee in the night, but the Eagles would go with her. She could say she was going to Yexshire to find the spell book, but the only place she’d rather be less than Murreneir was Yexshire. Besides, the thought of riding a horse with the pain between her legs made her wince. She would need another day to heal.

The sound of revelry picked up as the Harvest Moon celebrations were kicking off. The faint sound of music and people cheering found its way from the center of the camp all the way to her tent. Rua set her glass of water back down on her tray. She needed a real drink. And to stop sitting in this tent thinking about all the ways she had messed up.

She pushed the tray to the side. She didn’t want more dried fruit.

Moving to the wardrobe, she picked a pale blue dress. It was made of thick wool with long, belled sleeves. It was beautiful, but plain. Perfect. She did not want to draw attention tonight. She layered her silk chemise under the dress, protecting her skin from the itchy wool. Then she donned her gray fur mantle over her shoulders. She slipped on her black leather boots. They were not appropriate for a celebration, but they were more comfortable than her slippers and her feet still ached. Her long skirt would hide her boots, anyway.

She left her hair unbraided, flowing in long dark waves down her back. When she pushed her way out of her tent, she found the Twin Eagles standing there.

“See?” Talhan smirked at his sister, holding out his hand. “I told you she’d want to go.”

Bri rolled her eyes and passed her brother a gold coin.

“I take it you two want to go to the Harvest Moon celebration?” Rua asked, feeling a lightness finally starting to lift from that hard rock in her chest.

Bri shrugged. “They will have mead.”

“Right, well, let’s go then.” Rua gestured down the path.

“Yes!” Talhan whispered excitedly to himself. Rua couldn’t help but chuckle at his excitement.

“You could have gone without me.” Rua raised an eyebrow to him as they walked toward the larger pathways leading to the center of camp.

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