Page 56 of A War of Three Kings

A huge, prideful smile grows on my father’s face. “That’s my girl.” He puts an arm around my shoulder and leads me away, but glances back at Aldrin. “Heal your man Silvan, before he bleeds out everywhere.”

We look over at Silvan, who still sits on the grass, glaring and snapping at the priestesses who try to attend him.

“I’m fine. It’s just a fucking scratch.” A slow trickle of blood still seeps down his chest.

“That’s more than a scratch, Silvan, and you know it.” Aldrin descends on him. “The faster you stop bleeding, the sooner you can help me heal the humans.”

My father pulls us away. “I am sorry I cut those men down in front of you. I haven’t been able to control my rage these days. You can return to the pavilion while we clean this up and question the prisoners if you don’t have the stomach for gore. There is no shame in that.”

My back straightens of its own accord. “I can clean wounds. I’m not a vulnerable little girl that you need to lock away.”

“Not a vulnerable little girl? Is that right?” My father stands to his full height. “Explain to me, Keira, what you were doing up and wandering the camp in the middle of the night, dressed like that?”

I glance down to my thin shirt and then back up at my father, throwing his hand off my shoulder. “Really? After everything that just happened, that’s what you’re worried about? I will remind you I am a priestess and an independent woman, notyour child daughter anymore. I don’t answer to anyone except the High Priestess.”

“Fine! I’ll get your grandmother to force some sense into you instead.” He stalks off and I am left standing there, staring daggers into his back. “Caitlin! Where is the commander of my army? Caitlin!” he roars, and soldiers scurry to find her.

I turn back to Aldrin. He stands with a hand on Silvan’s shoulder, feeding white light into his body while the gash on his chest closes. Aldrin grimaces and sways a little on his feet as he favors one leg. My eyes fly down to the arrow bolt still jutting out of his thigh. He fought the whole damned battle with it still lodged in him.

Horror washes through me as I rush toward him. His hands wrap around the arrow and he snaps the shaft, his features pinching with pain from the impact.

“Aldrin, you can’t just pull it out! What if it has nicked an artery?”

He breathes hard a few times, then rips it out anyway. “I’ll live. I’m fae, remember? They were too ignorant to use iron or ash.”

I fall to my knees to inspect the wound through the tear his pants, but only a small amount of blood dribbles out. “We need to get these pants off you and clean the wound.”

Aldrin says nothing for a long moment. When I glance up, his lips are quirked up and hiseyes are heated. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

I stand immediately. “Well, you can’t be that injured, then.”

Silvan stares death at both of us. “I’ll bloody heal your nick, Aldrin, if it means I don’t need to hear any more of this.” He wraps his hand over the wound and Aldrin winces as magic is poured into it. A moment later, neither man looks like they took even a scrape during the fighting.

We spend an age tending the wounded. I feel useless, tying bandages over minor injuries while Aldrin and Silvan exhaust themselves, healing any who will allow it.

“Caitlin!” my father bellows as he circles back in our direction. “There you are. I want a full status report. And I want to know what happened to my gods-damned sentries!”

Caitlin is dressed in tight leather pants, with a long tunic reaching her knees and a boiled leather bodice sewn with metal discs. She is the only one who stopped to pull on armor when the battle broke out, but a person could forgive her for taking a few minutes to protect her unborn baby.

“James and Sean are gone.” She marches on my father at an agitated pace to her step, her messy braid swishing behind her. “The bastards clearly betrayed us. We weren’t attacked by a trained army, but a mob of villagers who picked up their hunting bows and butcher’s knives to attack the fae.”

I rush over to them. “Were there any members of Lord Tomas’ personal guard?”

She spits to the side, like a common soldier and not a lady. “Oh, there were some of his men leading the pack, but not enough for you to pin it on him. No wonder they broke so easily.”

My father curses. “I could murder the man for putting both my daughters and unborn grandchild at risk with his foolish antics.”

Caitlin puts her hands on her hips. “Are you still uncomfortable with me fighting while pregnant?”

My father’s nostrils flare and he runs a hand through his hair. “I’m never going to like it.”

“But you will not stop me!” she snaps. “Because I have just as much right to fight for my sister as you do.”

“Because I am a fool and an overindulgent father, and I believe women should have the same rights as men. But youdon’t need to be in the thick of the fighting. You can do well enough at a distance with a bow and arrow.”

Caitlin scowls at him and looks ready to protest, but he grabs her by the elbow and pulls her away.

“Come. We have survivors to question.”

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