Page 60 of Vows of Sacrifice

Dovah stepped into the water to grab me in his arms. I let out a little cry of surprise as he lifted me up, dripping. Instinctively, I clung to his neck.

“I just wanted to get your attention and find out what she looked like.”

Dovah gave him an inky-black look, then drew his sword from its sheath.

“You have my undivided attention now.”

The smile on his face was downright frightening. After depositing me on the shore, he waved his hand at his brother, inviting him to confront him physically. Again, Kynnen raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t come here to fight.”

With a slow movement of his index finger, he then traced the long scar that crossed his face.

“The last time I confronted you in anger, it left me with a very . . . vivid memory.”

If using this wound was a ruse on the part of Dovah’s younger brother, it worked wonders, because Dovah immediately lowered his weapon, looking affected.

“Now that was a low blow,” muttered my husband before heaving a long sigh. “You know I wasn’t myself that day. I blame myself enough.”

Kynnen jumped down from the tree on which he was perched.

“Paivrin tells me you’re going to Gulan tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? I thought, tuning out the rest of the conversation—and perhaps I shouldn’t have, in hindsight.

This news could only mean one thing: we were to be married in the Osacan temple in a few hours. Just a few hours. Suddenly, I felt scared and dizzy. It was one thing to bond with Dovah and his brother as priest in the garden of Muvaria Castle, but quite another to unite with great pomp and ceremony before King Elendur.

“I will accompany you to Tarnton,” announced Kynnen. “I really want to be present at your union.”

“What plan are you cooking up this time?”

Dovah gave him a suspicious look, to which his little brother responded with a facetious smile.

“I’m not cooking anything, I’m not a pot.”

I laughed. It was spontaneous and both men turned to me simultaneously. When their attention became insistent and curious, I cautiously turned my head away, then cleared my throat to regain composure.

“I would really like to change if you don’t mind. My clothes and the water don’t mix well.”

I had just gotten a glimpse of an interesting side of Dovah: his possessiveness towards me. I didn’t know how to take it. Flattered? Worried? Or disgusted that he considered me his? I looked at them for a moment without seeing them, and for their part, they seemed to realize the state I was in. Dovah hastened to offer me a hand.

“Let’s go, Ashana.”

I accepted it, feeling strangely reassured. In the end, I found it pleasant that he decided to rescue me. I had to mean something to him, otherwise, why take this trouble?

* * *

The return journey was rather eventful, as the two brothers argued about everything and anything. Even the colour of the sky seemed to be a bone of contention between them. Still, it was exciting to discover more about Dovah. Depending on the circumstances, he could be cruel and ruthless, or funny and caring, but he could also bicker with a certain affection with his brothers.

We’d barely crossed the threshold into the castle when Nadrisse appeared as if by magic. She sized us up with a look, well, mostly at me and my soaked dress.

“I was worried. Your guards returned alone, saying that Lady Ashana had been captured by your brother.”

Nadrisse smiled. A smile intended to be affectionate but belied by the icy gleam in her eyes.

“I should have known it was Kynnen.”

At the mention of Dovah’s brother’s first name, the Isamane opened her arms as if meeting up with an old acquaintance. Kynnen wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic, and his embrace was as brief as it was distant. This detail brought a smile to my face. It seems that Kynnen is not too sensitive to the young woman’s charm.

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