Shield of Fire (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (19 page)

Nattie’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you do it, old man.”

The pitcher hovered above the offending cup. Jaspar glared at the woman and poured.

Nattie leveled the carving knife at his heart. “I’m warning you.”

Jaspar set the pitcher back on the table and, with aching slowness, brought the cup to his lips. Nattie sputtered and hissed, spitting obscenities as he drained the goblet. In a show of supremacy, he slammed the vessel on the table and wiped his arm across his mouth, his stare never leaving hers. He refilled the tankard, clutched the cup between both hands, and shuffled from the room.

“Cur!” Nattie shouted to his back.

“Hag!”

Ravyn looked from Rhys to Luc, and then over to Nattie.

The older woman shrugged. “Keeps him on his toes when I hide his stuff. Don’t want his mind getting muddled.”

“You provoke fights?” Ravyn asked.

“Every chance I get.” Nattie turned back to her meat.

Never had Ravyn been around people who were so…loud. Life in the abbey had been quiet and full of contemplation. She picked up the wine pitcher and filled her goblet. “Well, there’s no doubt life here will be interesting.”

Rhys held his cup up in tribute. “To hearth and home.”

Luc raised his goblet. “To hearth and home.”

Dinner was beyond any meal Ravyn had ever eaten. She devoured everything set in front of her. Venison in blackberry sauce, creamed vegetables, and puffy bread dripping with butter and honey vied for space inside her belly. She inhaled and eyed a ripe fig. The fruit’s sticky syrup coated her fingers.

“One more bite,” she moaned.

She leaned against her propped elbows and bit. The rough skin rubbed her lips as her teeth sank into the fibrous meat of the fig. Juice trickled out the corner of her mouth but she sucked it back in, unwilling to miss a single taste. She closed her eyes and chewed. Pure bliss. Never had she eaten such rich and decadent food. Portions at the abbey had been sparse. Her eyes opened and she swallowed.

The entire table stared at her.

She lowered the fruit. “What? Haven’t you seen anybody eat a fig before?”

“Is that what you call it?” Luc asked. “I’m rather envious of that fig.” He shifted in his seat. “And a bit randy now.”

Her mouth fell open.

“Luc,” Nattie barked. “Find your manners.”

“Truly, Luc, she’s a lady, not one of your doxies. Treat her accordingly,” Rhys warned.

Instead of feeling championed, Rhys’s words made her feel treasured. Like a fragile doll. Set on a shelf. Never played with. Her mood soured. So what did she want? Certainly not to be treated like a trollop, but maybe not like a delicate flower, either?

“What?” Luc continued. “I’m simply saying that if she keeps eating like that, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

Ravyn glared at him. “Well then, neither can I.”

“He sleeps with his mouth open,” Nattie supplied.

Maybe it was the wine, but she suddenly felt mischievous. “Thank you, Nattie. That bit of information could be very useful one day.”

Luc’s gaze narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Rhys chuckled, the sound like a caress against her ears.

Luc stood. “I see where your loyalties lie, Nattie.”

The healer hooted with laughter. “Finally, a woman who isn’t blinded by your beauty.” She leaned back in her chair. “It’s my greatest wish to see him married off to a woman who can keep him in line.”

Ravyn shook her head. “I’d pay a great fortune to watch Luc court a woman who didn’t want to be wooed.”

“Do you hear this, Rhys?” Luc said. “And they say men are ruthless.”

Nattie leaned back in her chair. “Sainted Ones, women are far more merciless.”

Luc shuddered. “You’re scaring me.”

Nattie laughed. “I scare you? With the way you go through women, I can’t believe you’re not already dead.”

He held up his hands. “Let’s change the subject.”

He stood and walked to the other side of the table to sit across from her and Rhys. “So Ravyn, what are these extraordinary powers Rhys talked about?”

She glanced at Rhys, not knowing how much she should divulge. He gave her a single nod.

“Fire, mainly. And I know things sometimes without being told.”

Luc’s eyes lifted. “Like a Tell.”

She nodded. “And I see ghosts.”

“Ghosts?” Rhys asked.

She squared her shoulders. “Yes.”

“How fascinating,” Nattie said.

Luc sat forward and folded his hands in front of him. “Are there any ghosts in Alba Haven?

“Mostly monks. I noticed a few women drifting around the courtyard.”

“Women?” His expression turned serious. “Are any of them young and beautiful?” He held her gaze. At first she thought he was teasing, but the way he stared at her told her he wasn’t putting her on, almost as if he
needed
to know. “One with golden brown hair and piercing green eyes?”

“No.” His body visibly relaxed. She smiled and tried to lighten the heavy mood. “They are mostly matronly and fat. I could introduce you if you’d like.”

“You have enough problems with the living, Luc. Best you stay away from the dead,” Nattie said.

He smiled but Ravyn noticed the haunted look that passed across his face. “So,” he said. “Fire, telling, and ghosts; are you a full-blood?”

“We don’t know,” Rhys said. “She knows nothing of her parentage.”

“Too bad, more Bringers like her would help our cause,” Luc said.

Rhys stared at him. “You may get your wish.”

Luc raised his eyebrows but didn’t reply.

“I’ve received new information alluding to the possibility of more full-bloods in Inness.” Rhys held up his hand to stop Nattie and Luc’s questions. “All I know is that they
may
be here. Nothing else.”

“Who told you this?” Luc said.

“If you’re asking if it’s reliable, then yes, as reliable as information like this can be,” Rhys said.

Ravyn wondered why Rhys didn’t tell them about their con-versation with Willa, or about the books. Perhaps he still struggled with the idea of reading his father’s words.

“What do you plan to do?” Luc asked.

“Train her mentally and physically. She must learn to defend herself and gain control over her powers,” Rhys said.

Luc picked at the fig’s skin. “And then what?”

Ravyn’s gaze cast between the two men. Though Luc smiled, the mood between him and Rhys had shifted and now crackled with tension.

“We keep her alive,” Rhys said. The two men stared at each other. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Luc poked at the fruit with his knife. “You’re not going to like it.”

Rhys leaned forward and rested against his folded arms. “That’s never stopped you.”

“You need to take her to the Council.”

“What?”

Not backing down, Luc said, “I think it’s in our best interest.”

Rhys gripped the edge of the table and stood. “How could exposing Ravyn to that group of squabbling bureaucratic buffoons be in our best interest?”

Luc reclined against his chair. “Two reasons.” His eyes followed Rhys as he paced the stretch of floor behind the chairs. “First, you know how it is for us here. We’re the outcasts, acknowledged but not accepted, included but not wanted. The Council is barely civil and rarely forthcoming with information. If you don’t register Ravyn with them, you will appear not only uncooperative, but openly hostile. We can’t afford to alienate them.”

The fact that Luc’s words rang true angered Rhys. “So I should parade Ravyn into Illuma Grand and present her as what? A sign of peace?”

“In a manner.”

Rhys stopped beside Ravyn. “What manner?”

“Point number two.” Luc glanced at Nattie, who gave him an encouraging nod. “New reports from Illuma Grand say several Bringers are missing.”

Rhys slid into his chair and leaned forward. “The Bane?”

“That’s what our informant suspects, but there were no signs of struggle.” Luc mirrored Rhys’s posture.

“Then you go and investigate. I won’t risk Ravyn,” Rhys said.

The fig lay forgotten. “We need her,” Luc said. “If what you say about her powers is true she can help us instead of being a burden.”

She scowled. “I’m flattered.”

“You should be,” he said with a wink.

Indecision gripped Rhys. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t risk losing Ravyn to the Bane. The muscles at the back of his neck tightened. Wasn’t this why he never got involved or grew close to anybody? “She’d be open to attack from the Bane.”

“Only until we were on the grounds of Illuma Grand,” Luc countered. “Then she’d be safe. I’ll go with you and act as her bodyguard as well.”

Rhys scoffed. “Safe? With the Council’s politics and a crazed monk after her? You’ve got to be joking.” If this was about him or any other rebel, he wouldn’t hesitate. He slammed his hand down on the table. “No, I won’t put Ravyn at risk.”

“Excuse me,” she said, holding up her hand. “May I ask a question?”

Nattie’s expression melted to a warm smile. “Of course, dear.”

“Who are the Council?”

Rhys crossed his arms. “They’re a group of mixed-blooded fools who believe the Bane don’t exist.”

“Don’t believe the Bane are a threat, more like it,” Nattie added.

“They’re Bringers?” Ravyn asked.

“If you can call them that.” Rhys fought down years of frustration from trying to deal with the useless group. “They do nothing but argue amongst themselves, never once lifting a finger in the fight against the Bane.”

Ravyn shook her head. “Surely they can’t deny that the demons are dangerous.” She pressed her hand to the front of her shoulder. “I’ve felt the sting of their talons.”

“You’d be amazed what their leader, Fromme Bagita, can deny when power is involved,” Rhys said.

“Hates the fact that Rhys doesn’t pander to him,” Luc said with a smile. “I’ve seen Bagita so angry at Rhys he nearly swallowed his own tongue in a fit of rage.”

“Which is why I won’t expose Ravyn to him.” The thought of Bagita anywhere near her made his stomach knot. “What purpose would it serve?”

Ravyn’s hand covered his. “Shouldn’t I have a say in this?”

No
was his first reaction. She didn’t understand what she’d be subjected to. He looked at her and the
no
died on his tongue. Censure sparkled in her eyes, stopping his argument. She was right. She’d made the decision at the inn to join him and deserved the right to be heard. Heard, not necessarily make the final choice. She was still too naïve for that.

“Yes, you should have a say,” he said.

Her hand slipped from his and he immediately missed her touch.

She looked at Luc. “What did you mean I could help?”

“We could use your Tell powers.” Luc glanced toward the door as if checking to see who listened. “Jaspar is too old and Siban refuses to leave Alba Haven.”

Rhys gritted his teeth against his protest. Ravyn’s hand covered his again, but she didn’t look at him.

“What else?” she said.

“Maybe you could ferret out clues, something we can’t see. Feel if the missing Bringers struggled.” A sheepish grin crossed his face. “Can you talk to ghosts?”

“Oh for Saint’s sake,” Rhys barked. “You expect her to run around Illuma Grand, searching for ghosts? The Council will think she’s daft.”

“Good,” Nattie said. “Better that than trying to use her as a pawn.”

“It’s all right, Rhys. I’ve spent two decades hiding my powers.” She turned to Luc. “And yes, I can hear the spirits.”

“This is madness,” Rhys grumbled.

“Didn’t you warn me about that at the inn?” She gave him a warm smile. “Please, Rhys, I want to help. I’ve spent so much of my life not being a part of the fight.”

“That wasn’t your fault.” He stood and paced again. “And I’m beginning to believe you were put there for a reason. To keep you safe.” He stopped and peered at her, wanting her to understand. “This isn’t some grand adventure, Ravyn. It’s dangerous.”

She glared up at him. “And I’m not some delicate flower that will wilt in a fight.”

Her look of determination told him she meant to go.

“You don’t understand.” He softened his tone. She didn’t understand the intrigue and scheming that went on at Illuma Grand. “This isn’t a game.”

“The Council doesn’t scare me.” She leaned back in her chair. “I lived for over two decades with some of the most unpleasant women you will ever meet. I think I can handle a few arrogant Bringers.”

“That very attitude is why I worry. These aren’t Sisters of the Order. The Council is ruthless and unforgiving, blinded by greed. If they can use you, they will.”

“Then we use them first,” Luc chimed in. “They’ll never suspect we have ulterior motives. The world revolves around the Council. Use that to gain access to Illuma Grand.”