Page 34 of Enchanted Heir
He cocked his head. “Well, the first time you mentioned it, I tried to do a little digging. Five years ago, we would’ve only been a year or so outside of training. I’m not sure they would’ve let us go to the Nerede wall for anything. That’s not to say the royal family didn’t put out some ridiculous order that would’ve resulted in . ..”
“In my father being murdered by another Enchanted?” I provided.
He gave me a nod. “So I do not honestly know the answer to that. Krew and I both have some blood on our hands, but mostly Savaryn blood.”
I let out a sigh. “Okay. I just—well, the more I know you and Krew, the more you become like family to me. I want to trust you both. I guess I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t sleeping with my father’s murderer.”
Owen shook his head. “I completely understand, Jorah. Say no more. Do you know the date he was killed?”
I rattled it off without hesitation.
“I’ll check into it,” Owen offered. “See if I can figure out what Krew and I were doing that day. See if we can figure out who did it and why.”
“Thank you,” I smiled.
The door to Krew’s room opened and there stood Emric.
“What’s with the magic?” he hollered. “If you two are keeping secrets out here, I want in.”
“Is he always this .. .”
“Annoying?” Owen finished as he lifted his hand and the barrier fell.
“I was going with animated. Seemed less rude.”
Owen smirked at me. “Both apply.”
We headed in, Owen heading for his meeting with the princes, while I grabbed a book and headed out to the veranda. It was a bit brisk this morning, but the sun felt good on my face, so I was going with it.
I had just settled in, a blanket over my lap on the bench of Krew’s balcony, when I heard his voice.
“Are you sure you don’t wish to join us?”
I looked over my shoulder to see him leaning against the doorway.
“No,” I shook my head and cast my eyes back down to my book. “I’m all right out here.”
“Well, you do not need to freeze out here. If you should happen to overhear something, I don’t mind. So you can read in the bed, if you’d prefer.”
The bed we had stayed up chatting in as if we were old friends? I thought not. “I’m fine, Krew, thank you though.”
I suppose I had asked for this. I had been sick of him shutting me out, and now he was doing the opposite. I did not know quite what to do with that. It was nice, but I wondered how long it’d last.
* * *
I wokethe next morning feeling refreshed. Maybe it was the fact that I knew the following day I would be able to return to Nerede and have a taste of home.
“Do you have a meeting this morning?” I whispered to Owen. Done feeding Rafe and checking the lake, I was trying to decide if I was going to help with the bread or head back upstairs. But I didn’t know how often they had those meetings.
He shook his head. “No.”
But then a few more steps later he asked, “Do you smell that?”
I inhaled deeply. I loved the damp and fresh woodsy forest smell. But he was right. I smelled it too. Smoke.
Owen and I seemed to communicate without words and picked up speed toward the castle.
I immediately thought of a list of people who I hoped were safe. Krew. Keir. Renna. Molly. Gwen. Nara. Maurice. Tilly. Rinaldi. The Six.
