Silver Hollow (Borderlands Saga #1) by Jennifer Silverwood

Author:Jennifer Silverwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jennifer Silverwood
Published: 2020-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Once Upon a Nightmare

“Tell us the tale!” the children clamored with a mixture of growls and hoots, depending on their nature. The more human of the bunch blended together with people who had fur, scales, and horns.

“Aye, you must tell us how you came to our band, Ambrosius,” Rado chimed in before taking a bone out of the hunk of charred meat in his hand.

“I was just coming round to that, lads and lassies. First, before you protest further, I should warn you, this is a very boring story, a tale as old as time, as they say.”

Amie watched with a mixture of annoyance and amazement as Emrys drew in the wandering band with his words. As soon as they had reappeared at the campfire, two women who looked more beast than human offered them bowls of steaming stew and catlike smiles. Amie barely had time to murmur a thank you before children had gathered to sit at their feet and the rest of the troupe had introduced themselves. She felt lost in a sea of names and faces straight from a fairy tale, from furry Amaryllis Faun down to sweet, scaled Brillig Toadstool. Yet there was kindness in these people she had never felt from the humans Drustan had raised her among.

Emrys was in his element, always guiding the conversation with the practiced ease of a politician. For a moment, she wondered back to the tapestry in her childhood home of King Arthur. A niggling suspicion had her watching her husband in the firelight for glimpses of the legend behind the name. While the notion had been hovering at the back of her modern thoughts for some time now, recent events made the impossible possible.

There’s no way he’s really Merlin, even if Grandfather’s name is Arthur…

“And they live in a castle called Caerleon,” she muttered.

Emrys jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow, sharp enough to draw her attention to the glare behind his smile. “You are being far too rude, letting me prattle on like a milkmaid, my love.” He oozed false humility that made her want to punch him in his pretty face.

Some of the troupe laughed, Rado the loudest, as Amie laid a hand on Emrys’s arm. “Forgive me, dearest. I was nodding off, I’m afraid. I believe I must beg your leave and retire,” she said, laying the accent on as thickly as she dared.

“No, she hasn’t told a story yet!” little Brillig clamored while reaching a small, clawed hand to grasp her skirts.

“Oh, yes, please tell us,” the others said.

A woman with starlight glowing in her hair sang her wish. “So few dare wander as we anymore.”

And finally, the seemingly human fingers of Amaryllis Faun curled around hers, tugging the same way the child’s vivid-green eyes compelled her to agree.

Amie laughed, nearly forgot to maintain her father’s impeccable accent, then began, “Very well. If I must bore you to sleep, so be it.” She glanced over to catch Emrys’s fond smile and relaxed posture.

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