“I’m not asking to be an ass,” Delano said, drawing me from my thoughts, “but what happened to her?”
One thing I could count on was Delano never being an ass. “She was attacked by Craven as a child.”
“Holy shit,” Elijah breathed. “She survived a Craven attack as a child? Damn me.” He chuckled, taking a drink. “Maybe she is Chosen.”
I thought of what she’d done for Airrick.
“Gods,” Delano murmured, leaning against the desk. “She’s lucky.”
“Or unlucky,” Naill commented, sitting near the fire. “All things considered.” He looked over at me. “You run into any problems on the way here?”
I filled them in on the Blood Forest, leaving out the part about Poppy. “Other than that, it’s been pretty smooth.”
Elijah eyed me over the rim of his glass. Most of his whiskey was already gone. The man could drink any of us under the table. “So, you’re down a few guards already. What about the rest?”
“I will handle them,” I told him.
Delano lowered his glass. “None of them can be swayed to join our side?”
I smiled faintly at his optimism. “I don’t believe so.”
“See? Marshmallow.” Elijah leaned back, kicking his feet up onto the desk. “First thing he asks? How did the Maiden get scarred? The second thing?” He finished off his whiskey as Naill hid his smile behind his hand. “Can any of the guards be saved? Soon, he’s gonna ask—” He cursed as Delano turned, knocking his legs off the desk with a swipe of his arm, nearly toppling Elijah out of his chair. He righted himself with one hand. “My apologies.”
“Uh-huh.” Delano turned. “Want a refill?”
“Does today end in a Y?” Elijah countered, chuckling as Delano took his glass. “I’m guessing we gotta handle the others with quickness.”
“The sooner, the better,” I told him.
“I know you said you’d take care of them yourself, but we got it.” Naill tipped his head back to look at me. “Even the resident marshmallow.”
Delano sighed, handing the glass to Elijah.
“I don’t want that blood on your hands,” I said. I’d brought the guards here. They were my responsibility.
“You shouldn’t be the only one getting your hands dirty,” Delano argued. “We got this, and we’re not going to take no for an answer.” He paused, a sheepish grin appearing. “My Prince.”
I snorted.
“Seriously. We have this.” Naill’s eyes met mine. “We will take care of it.”
My jaw worked as I took in their resolute faces—well, Delano’s and Naill’s, anyway. Elijah just looked eager, which made me want to laugh.
“They’re not your responsibility,” Naill said, knowing where my mind was with this. Not surprising. Besides Kieran and his family, Naill had known me the longest. “You’ve done enough.”
But I hadn’t even begun. Still, I nodded. I didn’t thank them. This wasn’t something you expressed gratitude for.
“Speaking of bloodied hands,” Elijah began, his feet back on the desk, “I see Jericho is missing one.”
My gaze flicked to the half-Atlantian. “He earned that.”
“No one in this room is surprised to hear that,” Delano remarked.
“He hasn’t said what made you take it. Neither has Ivan or Rolf,” Elijah said, referencing the two who had been with Jericho in Masadonia. “You going to key us in on what caused that? Dying to know.”
“He was told not to harm the Maiden. He did. So, I took his hand,” I explained. “And the same goes for all of you and all who reside at New Haven. No one is to harm her.”
“Understood,” Delano said when my stare met his. Naill nodded.
“Your wish is my command, as always,” Elijah said with a cheeky grin. “But I got questions.”
“I’m sure you do.”
He lifted one large shoulder in a shrug. “I’m nosy, what can I say? I’m assuming the Maiden is unaware of who you are—who we are.”
The knot returned to my chest. I nodded. “At this time, yes.”
Elijah’s bushy brows lifted. “At this time?”
“She expects that we will only be here for the night,” I explained. “When we don’t leave in the morning, she’ll start asking questions.”
“And?” Delano asked.
“I will tell her what I can of the truth. Who I am. Who the Ascended really are,” I said, knowing that conversation was coming, likely by the time the sun set tomorrow.
Elijah met my stare. “I’m also assuming she isn’t going to handle it well.”
No, she likely wouldn’t.
“Then what?” Naill asked.
“I will handle her,” I told them, chest icing over. “No one else will.”
UNWORTHY AND UNDESERVING
Magda had proven once more how she always thought ahead, giving Poppy a chamber on the second floor of the keep, accessible only by the covered outdoor hall. Escape options were limited in these chambers, with only one door and a small window.
I had a feeling I’d be thanking Magda for that later because I didn’t believe Poppy would take the truth well. I wouldn’t expect her to.
Before I checked on her, I used a room near hers to grab a quick bite to eat, bathe, and change into fresh clothing. When I stepped back out into the outdoor hall, more snow had fallen, and it was still coming down, blanketing the courtyard and the nearby pines in about an inch or so. I went to Poppy’s door and stopped.
The meeting with the others had taken longer than expected, and considering how hard we’d been traveling, Poppy was likely asleep. She could use the rest, but I also needed to talk to her. I had to find out what I could about her abilities before I told her everything else. I doubted she would be exactly forthcoming with information from that point forward. Or maybe she would once she learned the truth. Poppy was smart and kind. Forgiving—I stopped those thoughts. None of that mattered. Poppy could be understanding or not. She could take my offer of eventual freedom or not. Either way, she would not forgive me. I didn’t deserve it. That much I knew.
Dragging my hand through my damp hair, I knocked on the door before opening it.
Poppy wasn’t sleeping.
In fact, she was standing by the bed with her dagger in hand.
“Hawke,” she breathed.
My brows rose. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
She lowered the dagger. “Is that why you barged in?”
“Since I knocked, I don’t consider that barging in.” Shutting the door, I took a closer look at her. She wore a velvet robe of some dark color somewhere between green and blue. All that damp hair was down and curling at her throat and flushed cheeks. She looked beautiful, even more so with the dagger in her hand. “But I’m glad to see that you were prepared just in case it wasn’t someone you wanted to see.”
“What if you’re someone I don’t want to see?” she asked.
“You and I both know that’s not the case. At all,” I said, speaking the truth for the time being. Later? I had a feeling I would have to take that dagger and all sharp, heavy, and blunt objects from her.