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Breakfast in the temple the following morning was an interesting affair. Ava, Lysa, and the knights took breakfast in the great hall with the sisters and their knights. They were given their own table with Ceana, but for some reason Ava couldn’t fathom, one of the sisters had decided to sit with them. Her name was Fionn, and she was the sister who was often accompanied by Ceana around the temple. Rather than sitting beside Ceana, however, she sat beside Ethne, who was sitting across from Ceana and Liadan. Ceana kept glaring across the table at Ethne, and for some reason, little blonde Fionn blushed bright as an apple every time she did.
Ethne, however, seemed unbothered. She was too busy glaring hatred at Lysa, Rowan, and Saoirse. Rowan was seated beside Ethne, and Lysa was sitting in Rowan’s lap, which seemed to upset Ethne greatly. Ava couldn’t understand why, especially when Lysa had sat on Rowan’s lap many times in the past. She had also sat on Liadan’s lap!
Saoirse was sitting beside Rowan and Lysa and kept feeding them both from her plate. She would scoop a spoonful of oatmeal and feed it lovingly to Rowan, or pick a slice of bread from her plate and place it on Lysa’s playfully waiting tongue. Ethne watched this and seethed, while – unbeknownst to her – Fionn watched Ethne in great sympathy.
The only one behaving in a remotely normal manner that morning was Liadan, who was her usual serious self, though very peaceful and happy as well, smiling more often and giving Ava doting looks that made her heart melt. They had made love for hours the night before. Liadan had surprised Ava with her new strap, a phallic device covered in sheepskin. It was the first time Ava had ever been penetrated by such a device, and after watching how greatly Lysa had enjoyed riding Ethne’s strap, she had been eager to ride Liadan’s. The big barbarian had not disappointed her, lifting Ava easily up and down on the sheepskin phallus until her sex burst between her trembling thighs.
“So your plan,” said Ceana, breaking Ava’s lusty thoughts, “is to travel to a temple so the girl can have this child? Why not stay here? You said it yourself, Liadan: the girl’s father isn’t even looking for her!”
Ava clenched her teeth and paused over her bowl of oatmeal, spoon in hand. Ceana had been referring to Ava as “the girl” all morning and had done the same the evening before, as if she refused to acknowledge her presence at all. Ava had been ignoring it for Liadan’s sake, but this morning she had just about had enough.
“We cannot stay here, Ceana,” said Liadan firmly. “The king is ignoring us for the time being, yes. But what will happen once he learns of our child? He might perceive it as a threat and send men to kill her! Kill us! This little temple could not withstand the king’s men. Many would die senselessly.”
Ceana tightened her lips and had no argument, though she seemed bitterly unhappy that Liadan was going to leave. It was so painfully obvious to Ava that Ceana wanted her sister and missed her dearly, but Liadan was so focused on protecting Ava and their child that she wasn’t seeing it – yet another reason for Ceana to despise Ava.
“Where, then, shall you go?” Ceana asked heavily.
“What about one of the old temples in Elloris?” suggested Rowan.
“Elloris?” repeated Liadan. “The old elven realm?”
Ava liked the idea. Elloris was an ancient land that had been abandoned since the disappearance of the elves one thousand years before. There were many places to hide there, for the realm was quite large and one could easily become lost within and remain undiscovered for decades. There were also so many protection spells over the old buildings that many were still standing in-tact. When Ava said this and looked eagerly at Liadan, she could see the knight’s eyes relenting.
“I agree, it isn’t a bad idea,” Liadan said.
“So you will go running off to some ancient elven temple because the girl tells you to?” complained Ceana and shook her head.
Ava’s nostrils flared. “The girl’s name is Princess Ava,” she said loudly, and the table went still. She straightened up, gazing steadily at Ceana as she said through her teeth, “Future queen of Illa and the seven realms, heir to the mighty House Damaris, and your sovereign. You will show me the proper respect by addressing me as such.”
“Or?” prompted Ceana, who was sitting very still, calmly regarding Ava.
“Or I don’t know what will happen to you,” Ava returned darkly. From the corner of her eye, she could see Liadan trying not to smile.
To Ava’s surprise, Ceana’s brows went up. She was impressed. Her eyes went to Liadan. “You know, little sister,” she said, “I was worried Princess Ava was too soft and weak and selfish to take care of you.”
Ave tensed.
“But now I see you shall be just fine,” Ceana finished and returned to her oatmeal.
The tension seemed to break around the table, and everyone returned to their meals. When Ava glanced up, it was to find Liadan looking down at her with something like pride. She leaned over and whispered very low, “I thought you would stab Ceana in the eye with your spoon! I’ve never been so proud to call you my woman!”
Ava blushed happily and returned to her oatmeal with a haughty jerk of her chin that made Liadan chuckle.
And so it was settled: they would ride for Elloris and there find a temple for Ava to give birth. That morning, the knights donned their armor, and Ava sadly tucked away her white wedding gown in Liadan's saddlebags, pulling on instead the torn blue traveling gown she had been wearing since her escape from Caradin. “You shall wear it again,” Liadan had promised her, “when we are wed again on our anniversary.” Why was Liadan so sweet? Ava had pulled the towering knight near and kissed her.
To Ava’s delight, Rowan and Saoirse had volunteered to accompany them to Elloris. Saoirse explained that she was concerned for their safety, for the forests of Elloris were full of orcs and goblins, and such creatures would be attracted to Ava’s dragon egg. They would come in droves to take it. When Ava asked why, she was shocked to learn that orcs and goblins enjoyed eating dragons.
Mother Tiede bid them a sweet farewell, loading them down with free bread, dried meat, and milk, and with their new knapsacks and bundles, they gathered on the step to say their final goodbyes to Ceana.
It was a cold wintry morning, though the sky was bright blue over the land, and a steady breeze lifted their hair. Birds were singing, and the sound lifted Ava’s spirits. She was still giddy from the night’s festivities. Liadan had danced with her so merrily, she couldn’t stop thinking of it. She hadn’t known Liadan could dance!
Ceana and Mother Tiede stood on the step, gazing down at the group as morning sunlight stretched pale fingers over them.
“Take care of my baby sister, Princess Ava, future queen of Illa and the seven realms,” said Ceana, surprising Ava with her playfulness.
Ava was clutching Liadan’s arm and lifted her chin regally as she answered, “I shall always take care of my sweet Liadan! You take care and be here when we return to visit!”
Ceana seemed pleased by Ava’s answer and surprised Ava further by bowing deeply to her. When she had straightened up again, she looked at Liadan and said, “I am unhappy to know my niece shall be brought up so far away in an elven temple and not in the land of our blood. Do bring her to visit one of these days.”
“I shall,” Liadan answered.
Ava felt guilty to hear Ceana’s words, but she knew they had to hide in elven lands because it was the safest option at the moment. A temple was also ideal because such places were holy ground, blessed by the gods themselves, their blessing reinforced by the prayers of ancient priestesses.
All priestesses were granted the power of healing and blessing by the gods. Such had been the way since the dawn of time. Even among the Wildoras, the priestesses could heal wounds through prayer. And so, Ava was delighted when Fionn, the little blonde priestess, came bursting out the temple doors, knapsack in hand, and begged to accompany them.
Ceana and Mother Tiede looked around at Fionn in shock.
Standing there in her simple red robe, Mother Tiede was a very tall, stiff, and dignified woman, so seeing her lose her composure almost made Ava giggle. The Mother’s eyes about popped from her head when Fionn announced her departure.
“You shall do no such thing!” Mother Tiede cried, completely appalled.
“I shall!” little Fionn wailed – so defiantly that Mother Tiede gasped in shock.
Not only was Fionn carrying a knapsack, but she was also wrapped in a fur traveling cloak against the cold. She ran down the steps with her red robes flying behind her, and to everyone’s surprise, she threw herself against Ethne. The Knight of the Sparrow caught Fionn against her and looked around guiltily.
Ceana’s lips tightened. She was incensed. Ava gasped when the temple knight’s hand went immediately to her sword hilt. “Just as I suspected! You fucked Fionn, you—!”
Liadan looked irritably at Ethne. “Shite. Did you really?”
Still holding Fionn in her arms (as Fionn gazed up at her dotingly), Ethne shrugged and gave a wincing smile.
“SLAY HER!” Mother Tiede bellowed, her eyes popping like a frog. “SLAY THEM BOTH!”
Ava was shocked by the woman’s rage, and even more shocked when Ceana drew her sword to obey.
Behind Ava, she heard the ching of blades being drawn in retaliation, and when she glanced back, Rowan, Saoirse, and Lysa had all grimly drawn their weapons – though Lysa looked as if she might stab Ethne, not Ceana.
Liadan had also drawn her blade. It blazed with fire as she took a protective step in front of Ethne. Ceana’s blade was glowing with the same golden flame. She looked down the step at Liadan regretfully.
“Step aside, Liadan,” Ceana said heavily. “It is the law, and I must obey. Ethne and Fionn both must die. For once, do not be dragged into the messes of your cowardly friends!”
“Sister, please!” Liadan said through her teeth. “Do not make me raise a blade against thee!”
Ceana’s hand shook on her sword, and she hesitated. Her blue eyes, so like Liadan’s, were relenting.
Mother Tiede’s nostrils flared. “Do your duty, knight!” she barked at Ceana. “Or your life will be forfeit as well!”
Having made her decision, Ceana reluctantly brought her blade down on Liadan in a quick arc, slashing her own sister in a toss of blood.
“No!” Ava screamed in horror, but Ceana only grazed Liadan’s greave as her flaming sword came around, and instead of running Liadan through, she shoved her sister out of the way. Liadan grunted in pain as she fell to the snow, and Ava, tears in her eyes, fell to her knees and hugged Liadan around the shoulders. When she looked up, it was to see Ceana lunging down the stair at Ethne, as behind her, Mother Tiede folded her hands and watched with calm satisfaction.
“No!” Lysa screamed angrily. “Leave her alone!”
Ethne hugged Fionn tight, and as Fionn sobbed wildly, the knight tried to pull them back from the swing of Ceana's flaming blade, but she didn’t need to: an arrow zipped past Ethne and embedded with a twang in Ceana’s shoulder. Blood spattered as Ceana gasped, eyes blank with pain, and tumbled down the step, falling at the bottom in a heap.
Tears in her eyes as she clutched Liadan, Ava looked around and realized Saoirse had fired her bow. The tall blonde knight slowly lowered her weapon and stood grim and powerful, glaring up the step at Mother Tiede and silently daring her to call more knights. Mother Tiede, thinking better of it, bitterly glared at Saoirse and lifted her chin.
“Sister!” Liadan sobbed, staring aghast at her sister’s crumpled body.
“It’s a flesh wound, she’s alive,” said Rowan, who came quickly to Liadan and – shocking Ava – lifted the big knight over her shoulder like a doll. Liadan was injured and bleeding from her leg where Ceana had struck her, and as she hung helplessly over Rowan’s shoulder, tears filled her eyes. She was still staring at her sister’s body.
“Move!” Rowan snarled, pulling a dazed Ava to her feet by the arm. She looked at Ethne and Fionn, who were both standing in shock (Fionn was still sobbing) and snarled, “I said move! Stand not amazed! Saoirse has bought us time before that old hag sics the whole town on us!”
Mother Tiede’s breasts heaved at the insult. “Yes, run!” she mocked, her vicious eyes narrowed. “Run for your lives! And if you ever set foot in Hastow again, I’ll have the lot of you slain!”
And so, they ran. Saoirse and Rowan were the only ones with horses, and so they headed fast into town and purchased new horses for the rest of the party. By the time they were all mounted up and riding toward the road, they could hear the knights of the temple galloping after them, while the townspeople stood gawping in the streets.
With the gold from Queen Saraid’s tomb, Ava had bought Liadan and herself a fine chestnut stallion, but they could not ride it together. Liadan was too injured to mount and sit a horse without aid, and as a result, had wound up sharing a saddle with Rowan, the only one in the group strong enough to hold her up with ease. Rowan was, after all, more than six feet tall and likely half-giant to boot.
Lysa had purchased herself a small, quick mare, its black coat glossy in the pale winter sunlight, and Ethne had purchased a brown stallion for herself and Fionn to share.
And so, they rode hard down the road, Saoirse in the lead on her great golden stallion, and a horde of angry temple knights riding hot after them.
Ava knew how to ride a horse and it was, in fact, the only thing she had bothered to learn aside from reading. She secretly prided herself that she was actually quite good at it, and it was with ease that she kept her horse just behind Saoirse and also beside Rowan, who was holding an injured Liadan upright in the saddle.
Liadan didn’t look well, and fear gripped Ava’s heart. The Knight of the Wild was pale from having lost much blood (Liadan had attempted to walk while they were purchasing horses, causing more blood flow), and she was in a daze, her head rolling on her neck. Rowan seemed determined to keep her from passing out and shook Liadan often while cursing under her breath.
Ava’s heart was thudding in her ears. She was terrified. It seemed that in only a matter of seconds, things had gone to hell. One moment they were saying their pleasant farewells to Ceana and the next moment Saoirse was shooting her in Ethne’s defense. Where was Saoirse leading them, and would they make it there alive? The temple knights were not slowing down or letting up.
After several minutes of anxious riding, Saoirse surprised Ava when she slowed her horse, falling back to ride between Ava and Rowan. Saoirse was more hard-faced and grim than ever, and whatever she was about to say, Ava knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.
“There’s an old cabin to the east just up ahead!” Saoirse called over the roar of galloping hooves. “I want you to lead them there and wait for me—”
“I shall not leave you alone to face an entire horde!” Rowan growled at once.
Saoirse blinked impatiently. “Dammit, Rowan! Do as I say!”
Rowan didn’t answer, instead grabbing Saoirse’s arm, pulling her near, and kissing her hard on the mouth, even as their horses kept desperately galloping. When the lovers had parted, Saoirse gave Ava a grim nod, then turned her great stallion about, drawing her bow as she galloped off.
Ava thought she saw tears behind Rowan’s eyes, but the big knight charged her horse ahead before Ava could really tell.
As Saoirse had commanded, Rowan led them east into the trees, and as they turned off the road, Ava could hear the sounds of battle. Women were screaming and falling (for all the temple knights were women), and horses were braying, boots were crunching over the snow. Ava thought she heard Saoirse cry out in pain and her heart quickened. She told herself not Saoirse, not Saoirse, not the greatest instructor to mentor at the academy, not the woman who had once slain a hundred orcs single-handedly, or so the stories said. Saoirse had faced greater odds.
There was a cabin back in the trees as Saoirse had claimed. It was small and lopsided, as if the roof were weakening. Spidery trees and bushes pressed around it, smothering it on all sides, and an old well stood layered in snow in the front yard.
They dismounted quickly, and Rowan rushed Liadan inside the cabin, carrying the big delirious knight in both arms.
Inside, the single-room cabin was dark and cold. There was a hearth, a few cracked cauldrons, wooden chairs, and a straw pallet lay against one wall. An old wooden table also sat in the corner, under a window with a cracked and frosty pane.
Rowan went at once to the straw pallet and gently laid Liadan on it. Ava practically threw herself on her knees beside Liadan, gazing into her face. The Knight of the Wild was barely conscious and was feverish too boot. Little beads of sweat were gathering on her brow, and her red hair was damp and stringy. She was muttering words that made no sense, and whenever she opened her eyes and looked at Ava, it was as if she couldn’t really see her.
“What’s the matter with her?” Ava moaned.
“She was cut by no ordinary blade, my lady,” said Rowan heavily. “Ceana is a magi like her sister. A cut from her is like poison.”
“Gods be good,” Ava breathed, tears rising to blind her. “We must do something!”
“I can help,” said a small voice behind Ava. “Let me help.”
Ava looked up. Fionn was hovering nearby. Her face was wet with tears, and she was wringing her small hands, but her pale blue eyes seemed determined.
“You’ve caused us enough trouble,” snarled Rowan, who was standing over Liadan like a grim guardian. She stepped protectively forward, blocking Fionn’s path.
“Let her help, for the sake of the gods, Rowan!” Ethne snapped.
Ethne was distraught and disheveled. She had been staring miserably at Liadan, but hearing Rowan, she turned her eyes to the Black Lioness and glared.
Without warning, Rowan leapt on Ethne and slammed her into the wall. Everyone watched, paralyzed with shock, as Rowan slammed her forearm against Ethne’s neck and pulled a dagger, placing the tip of the blade just under Ethne’s chin.
“Stop this madness!” Lysa shrieked, looking as if she would lunge on Rowan and pry her off. Her entire body was tense.
Rowan ignored Lysa. “Saoirse will perish because of you, after one night – one night! – of having been my wife!” she hissed at Ethne in a low, deadly voice. “I should drive this blade through your wretched face and be done with it!”
“Then do it,” Ethne whispered. She stood against the wall, unmoving, tears in her eyes. She was weeping for Liadan, and Ava knew in that moment that she felt guilty for what had happened to her friend. She was welcoming death. Ava felt badly for her. She wanted to be angry with Ethne as the others were, but it was difficult when she knew just how heartbroken Ethne was over Lysa and the reason she had likely bedded Fionn.
For one horrible second, it seemed as if Rowan would indeed slay Ethne right then and there.
Lysa stepped forward. “Enough of this, Rowan! Unhand her!”
To Ava’s surprise, Rowan listened to Lysa this time. She blinked angrily, then shoved herself away from Ethne, and roughly sheathing her dagger on her belt again, she stomped to the door and outside. The door slammed behind her so hard, Ava flinched.
Ethne remained against the wall. She did not meet Lysa’s furious gaze.
Ava thought Lysa looked as if she wanted to stab Ethne as much as Rowan did. Instead, the former handmaiden turned to Fionn and said roughly, “Well? Are you going to heal Liadan? Or are you only good for one thing?”
Fionn’s cheeks blushed brightly, and her face was tight with anger, but she ignored Lysa and turned to Liadan, kneeling beside her where she lay, moaning and shaking, on the straw pallet.
“Please, help her!” Ava whispered. She was still kneeling near Liadan’s head, and her small hand was stroking the dazed knight’s tangled red hair.
“I shall do what I can, my lady,” answered Fionn kindly.
As Ava watched, Fionn bowed her head, closed her eyes, and folded her hands in prayer. She began speaking words Ava did not understand, but she had heard them before. There had been a priestess back at Caradin, old Mother Roisin, who had prayed often over sick servants and injured knights. She had spoken the same words Fionn was speaking now. It was an ancient tongue, known only to the order of priestesses.
As Fionn prayed, Ava could see the color returning to Liadan’s cheeks and lips. Her fever was also abating. Before long, Liadan was sleeping deeply and breathing easier, no longer was she shaking, and the cut on her leg had stopped bleeding. The blood ran dry and then . . . disappeared!
Ava looked across at Fionn in wonder. The little priestess had finished praying, and when she lifted her face and opened her eyes, her cheeks were glowing with heat, her eyes were bright and shimmering. She looked beautiful in an ethereal sense. Utterly beautiful. Ava stared at her. So did Ethne and Lysa, who hovered near.
Ethne was silently doting on Fionn, and seeing this, Ava thought Lysa looked a little envious and hateful. The former handmaiden folded her arms and muttered, “So you’re good for more than tongue-fucking after all . . .” as she walked away to the window and peered out.
Hearing Lysa’s words, Fionn blushed angrily but did not respond. Instead, she looked at Ava and said, “It is done, my lady. We should allow her to sleep for a few hours here. She will need to rest for the wound to heal completely.”
“A few hours?” repeated Ethne weakly. “Those mad temple knights might come here before long.”
Ava sighed. She didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t move Liadan, and they couldn’t hope to fight off dozens of angry knights alone.
“She’s back!” cried Lysa in great relief. She was still looking out the window and her eyes were bright with happiness.
Ethne looked around at Lysa, then ran to the door and yanked it open. Standing outside in the snow, kissing on the step, where Rowan and Saoirse. Saoirse was bloody, disheveled, and exhausted, but she laughed as Rowan playfully kissed her all over her face.
Ava saw Ethne tighten angrily when Lysa ran past her out into the snow, ran down the step, and leapt on Saoirse and Rowan, who laughed and embraced her. The three stood on the step exchanging playful kisses, and Ethne watched them, her hands shaking. Eventually, Ethne snapped the door shut and turned, stomped into the room, and sat in an old wooden chair. She folded her arms and said nothing.
Ava knew that the person Ethne needed most in the moment was Liadan, but Liadan was sleeping and too ill to support her. And so, knowing that she was the next best thing, Ava left Fionn to watch over Liadan and crossed the room to Ethne, who did not look up from her brooding.
“I know it is hard, seeing Lysa behave so . . . loosely,” Ava said soothingly. She didn’t know how else to put it, but Lysa was indeed sleeping around a shocking amount. Back at the temple of Eyslath, Ethne wasn’t the only one who had bedded a priestess, she was just the only one who was caught. Ava had accidentally walked in on Lysa sleeping with two young sisters in her bed. All three had been naked.
“How else should I feel?” Ethne said tonelessly and stared darkly into space. She was sitting with her arms folded, her knees spread. She looked as if she was pouting, and it might have been comical – a big, strong knight poo-pooing like a child—if not for the circumstances.
“Lysa loves you, Ethne,” Ava said gently, “she’s just not . . . in love with you. You must move on. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t stand to see you like this.”
Ethne laughed tonelessly. “My thanks, my lady . . . I suppose.”
Ava laughed guiltily. “What I mean is, I didn’t like you much in the beginning. I was convinced you would hurt Lysa, that you would use her and cast her aside. Seems like things have happened in a backward way I can’t fully grasp.”
“Me neither, princess, rest assured,” said Ethne with another humorless laugh. “But perhaps I deserve it. I have broken many hearts, lain with many women who thought I would make a match of them, only to abandon them. Mairin was mad, but she was right to be hurt by my doings. I whispered such sweet nothings in her ear, then I robbed her of her coin purse, and when she sent me letters asking me to run away with her, I ignored them. I abandoned her after promising, promising to never leave.” Her eyes went to Fionn, who had been listening in shock, and she said miserably, “I deserve for dear Lysa to use me and cast me aside. And I don’t deserve sweet Fionn’s love.”
“That is not true!” said Fionn, bouncing up from Liadan’s side. She came across the room, hair streaming, and sat on Ethne’s knee. “That is not true at all!”
Ethne smiled sadly at Fionn, placing a careful gauntlet on her narrow waist.
“Everyone has a past,” Fionn insisted, “and no one is without sin! You are a good woman at heart, I know it! You just need a good woman to steady you! Lysa is not faithful and true. I hath studied her long, and she is not the right woman for you!”
“Are you the right woman for me?” asked Ethne, quite pleased by Fionn’s passionate little speech. She stared at Fionn intently, and the little priestess became flustered under her steady gaze. Ava didn’t blame her: Ethne’s gaze could be quite intense.
“I . . . that is . . .” said Fionn, blushing prettily and looking down.
“And are you a sinner?” continued Ethne, highly amused. “How many men have you slain? How many children have you dashed against walls? Have you stolen? Have you raped? I doubt one so pure as you could ever conceive of sinning.”
“But I have sinned,” Fionn sadly insisted and hugged herself in shame. “I lay with you – in the temple of my goddess, no less! At the very shrine! Ceana was right to attempt my execution—!”
“What horse shite is that!” cried Ethne, amazed. “Why should it be a sin that you should lay with me? I honestly doubt Eyslath gave a shite. She probably watched and pleasured herself.”
Fionn gasped and blushed right to her hairline.
Ava giggled behind her hand. “Ethne! You’ll give the poor thing a heart attack!”
Fionn’s lashes coyly angled down and she giggled. “I confess, I do like it when you talk dirty,” she said, making Ethne smile.
“Ava likes it as well, don’t you, Ava?” said Ethne. She reached up, grabbed Ava gently at the waist, and pulled her down on her other knee, so that Ava and Fionn were facing each other. As Fionn watched with large eyes, Ethne groped hard at Ava’s heavy breast, caressing through her gown, and Ava gasped and giggled, playfully smacking Ethne’s hand away. Ethne kissed Ava’s neck and cheek, making her blush.
“Stop that!” Ava scolded, and Ethne smiled and stopped her kisses. Instead, Ethne kissed Fionn’s neck and cheek, and Fionn giggled happily, blushing when one of her heavy breasts was groped this time. Ethne became a little carried away, Ava thought, almost as if she had forgotten Ava was there, and the Knight of the Sparrow kissed Fionn passionately yet gently on the lips. Fionn looked as if she would melt in her ecstasy.
“Are you my woman, then?” Ethne asked, looking intently at Fionn again. Her voice was soft and intimate. She kissed Fionn’s neck and cheek over and over. “Shall you be mine? Truly mine?” she whispered between kisses.
“Y-Yes,” said Fionn, shivering under the fervent kisses, then gazing at Ethne with breathless longing. She blushed again as she spoke, and her pale lashes fluttered. Ava gazed at her, thinking she was so small and delicate and pretty – no wonder Lysa hated her. She wondered what was under Fionn’s shapeless red robe. Fionn must’ve had a beautiful body for Ethne to be so quickly smitten.
Pleased by Fionn’s answer, Ethne leaned close and kissed her slowly on the lips. Fionn was shivering from the kiss when Ethne pulled away, and she looked so happy, Ava thought she would faint.
“Shall we make love again?” Fionn whispered excitedly. “Shall Ava join us?” She looked at Ava with hungry blue eyes.
Ava gasped, scandalized.
Ethne chuckled. “I knew you were a naughty little thing.” She gazed past Fionn at Liadan, who lay sleeping on the pallet, sunlight streaming over her through the window, and her expression grew somber. “Perhaps when Liadan has awoken, we shall make a foursome of it. Li and I always share our women.”
Ava’s heart fluttered. She was excited at the prospect of sleeping with sweet, pretty Fionn, but she also knew doing so would infuriate Lysa, who was – she and Ethne both knew – in love with Ava. Ava looked at Ethne and suspected the Sparrow Knight wanted the foursome out of bitter revenge. She did not look forward to the drama later.
Before Ava could voice her suspicions, however, Lysa, Rowan, and Saoirse returned from the front step, looking flushed and happy from their reunion. There was still much bitterness and anger between everyone, for Ethne glared at Rowan, Rowan glared at Ethne, and Lysa glared daggers when she saw little Fionn sitting on Ethne’s knee, to which Fionn blushed and shrank. The only one devoid of anger and jealousy was Saoirse, who pulled up a chair beside Ethne and started discussing their next move with a very businesslike air. Lysa perched on Saoirse’s knee, but she was hardly paying attention to the conversation at hand, instead glaring angrily and steadily at Fionn, who avoided her eye.
“If we are really venturing all the way to Elloris,” Saoirse said to the room at large, “we shall need to take a ship across the Silia. We could return to Hargendon and acquire a ship at the port there, but that would mean going past Hastow again. The risk is too great.”
“Adwean is nearer anyway,” said Rowan, who loomed beside Saoirse’s chair, arms crossed, great hammer and shield on her back.
“What? No!” said Ethne at once, sitting straight up, as if someone had poked her. Everyone looked at her, and she added, “Adwean is my hometown. We can’t go there! I was exiled!”
“So we’ll put a bag over your head,” mocked Lysa, arms folded. She was looking at Ethne as if she wanted to stab her. Her glaring eyes went back to Fionn, then to Ethne’s face, and her lip trembled with hurt.
Ava thought Lysa was being a massive hypocrite after all the sleeping around she’d done at the temple only the night before.
“You don’t understand,” snarled Ethne at Lysa. “I was ordered never to return on pain of death! People were very angry about what I’d done. There’s an entire house in Adwean that would like to see my head mounted over their hearth.”
“As I’m sure there are everywhere,” returned Lysa dismissively.
Rowan stared a long time at Ethne in disbelief, and her eyes narrowed. “Are you jesting?” she demanded. “You’re wanted in all seven realms now! It doesn’t matter where you go at this point – someone will be after you!”
Ethne glared at Rowan. “You know damn-well it would be h-hard for me to go back there—!”
“What other choice do we have, Ethne?” Saoirse asked quietly. “We must away to Elloris.”
“Before you make more mischief for us,” added Rowan darkly.
Ethne glared at Rowan and snapped, “Fine!”
Ava had the feeling Ethne wanted to get up and storm out, but Ava and Fionn were sitting on her knees, and not wanting to shove them off, she tensed instead, her hands nicely tightening on their waists.
When it looked as if Ethne wasn’t going to continue her protests, Saoirse looked toward Liadan with concern and said heavily, “Then it’s settled. We shall rest here and let Liadan recover. Then we head to Adwean. And from there, it is away to Elloris.”