Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 50898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
“A raven burst from the turret window!”
Black wings cut through the gray sky near the turret and Fawn froze, her heart slamming against her ribs… Rook.
The bird wheeled once above, releasing a sharp, piercing squawk. From the trees, the waiting ravens answered in a chorus, lifting as one into the air to follow. Together, the dark cloud of wings wheeled and vanished into the distance.
Fawn’s mouth went dry, shock rooting her in place. Rook’s wing had not yet healed. He could not have flown. Unless… unless some other power had seized him. Her pulse stuttered. Had she harbored evil all along, brought it into the very keep with her?
Cander’s cracked voice shrilled across the villagers, feeding the moment like oil to flame. “There! You saw it! The bird flew from the turret itself! Whoever dwells there is the witch!”
The villagers stirred, fear darkening their faces as their gazes turned. One by one… eyes settled on Fawn.
Fawn clutched Sprig tighter against her, the kitten pressing low in her pouch, hissing softly as though sensing the sharp bite of suspicion around them. Her breath came uneven, her mind racing. Would they believe Cander’s raving? Would they see her not as their laird’s wife but as a witch who had brought ruin to their doors?
Beside her, Rhodes’s grip on her hand tightened, as steady and determined as when he held a sword. Then, with deliberate calm, he stepped in front of her, broad shoulders squaring to shield her from the eyes of the crowd.
“My wife is no witch,” he said, his voice as cold as ice. The square went still, his words carrying to every ear. “Let no one here dare say otherwise or they will answer to me.”
A murmur rippled, unease twisting through the villagers until another voice rose to challenge it.
Elune.
She stepped forward, her gnarled hands steady despite the tension in the air. “There was no trouble here until Cander arrived,” she said firmly, her gaze fixed on the old man. “The ravens followed him. Not Fawn.”
All eyes turned again, this time toward the stooped figure at the edge of the gathering.
Cander’s cracked laugh carried through the cold. “And what of the sheep, hmm? The attack came after Elune arrived. Who’s to say it wasn’t her? Maybe it is she who calls the birds, she who whispers to beasts. Maybe she is the witch you seek.”
A collective gasp rose, the fear swelling like a wave ready to break.
Rhodes stepped forward, his presence a wall between Cander and the crowd, his voice thunderous. “Enough! I will hear no more talk of witches. Not one word.” His fierce gaze swept the villagers. “You will not tear this clan apart with suspicion.”
Silence fell, heavy but relieved. Shoulders eased, heads bobbed. The people wanted his certainty more than they wanted Cander’s fear.
Rhodes’s command rang out again, as confident as the blade he wielded in battle. “Cander, Elune, you both will return to your cottages since neither of you are familiar to us. Boyce, place a guard at both their doors. None enter, and none leave until this is settled.”
The villagers nodded, grateful for the order, relief breaking across their faces now that their laird had drawn a line.
Rhodes did not release Fawn’s hand as he turned and walked her through the parting crowd. Their footfalls rang against the frosted earth, the silence thick around them.
When the last eyes were behind them, Fawn leaned closer, her voice a whisper against the cold air. “Rhodes… I fear there is a warlock among us.”
CHAPTER 24
Rhodes’s stride was purposeful, his grip firm around Fawn’s hand as they entered the keep. The murmur of villagers faded behind the heavy door, replaced by the crackle of torches in the hall. He did not release her.
“I should go to the animals,” she said quietly, glancing toward the stairs. “They’ll be unsettled after all the noise, after the ravens.”
“Not now,” Rhodes ordered. “If you run to them straightaway, it will look as though you care more for them than for what just happened in the village. The people are watching, Fawn. You cannot give them reason to think you hide something.”
Her first instinct was to argue, to rail at the unfairness of it. But she swallowed it down. He was right. As much as it pricked her pride, she saw the wisdom in his words.
“Very well,” she said at last, reluctant but yielding. “Later, then.”
He gave a brief nod and guided her to a table close to the hearth in the Great Hall. At their presence, the servants shifted uneasily, some bowing, others darting glances their way before returning to their tasks. Rhodes ordered food and drink be brought to them, and soon a platter of bread, cheese, and roasted meat was set before them with tankards of ale and hot cider.
Fawn had scarcely taken her seat when the great doors creaked open again. Boyce strode in, Sara at his side. The young woman’s hand clutched protectively at her rounded belly, her face pale.