Page 18 of Legacy of Thorns
“But I met the sweetest grandmother, Fin,” Archer said. “Did you know they took the knitting needles as well as the looms this time? Think of all the grandmothers left with idle hands! And some of the villagers relied on those tools for their income, too. I couldn’t just abandon them to wait for months!”
Finley sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Of course you couldn’t.”
Daphne was starting to understand why Finley had said his brother was simultaneously a thief and a pure-hearted child. She could only imagine how devastating the local girls must find such a lovable rogue. Which only made it all the more farcical that the Legacy was encouraging him to think himself in love with her.
“None of that explains why I’m in danger,” she said, eager to get to the main point.
“Right.” Archer turned sorrowful eyes on her. “I got all the looms out safely—” he paused to look at Morrow and Nisha. “You distributed them?”
“Aye, lad,” Morrow said. “We knew you’d want us to. They got back to their homes safe enough.”
“Good.” Archer smiled before resuming his tale. “I came back in for the last of the needles, and that’s when they came in the other end of the barn.” He threw a look toward the darkness in the depths of the barn, beyond the abandoned carriage.
“What?” cried Finley. “They were here? They got that close?” He looked furious and dangerous, and Daphne’s heart skipped a beat.
Just how bad were these unknown villains?
Archer nodded. “I wasn’t sure if they’d seen me, so I snuck into the back of the stall and tried to hide. But it turned out there were a few odd spindles still back there from a previous confiscation.” His expression turned rueful. “It shouldn’t have mattered except I’d completely forgotten what day it was.”
“What day?” Finley stared at him for a second before he groaned. “Don’t tell me this all happened on your birthday? You really are a fool! What did you expect to happen when it was your sixteenth birthday? I’m surprised the spindle didn’t fly out and prick you itself! No wonder the Legacy responded with so much power.”
Archer winced. “It was a little forgetful of me, yes.” He shrugged and brightened. “But it worked in my favor in the end. Once I’d fallen asleep, I was safe from them. The Legacy doesn’t allow those in an enchanted sleep to be moved far.”
“That’s true enough,” Nisha said. “Otherwise we never would have left you behind when we went in search of Fin. Morrow could have slung you over his shoulder easily enough.”
Daphne had no trouble believing that, but Archer looked a little abashed at Nisha’s assessment.
“My sleep brought Daphne to me, as well,” Archer added, looking at her with an expression of adoration that made her cringe.
“As lovely as it was to meet you,” she said, “it’s time for me to go. Whoever the people are who came after you, they’re not here now, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She turned to Finley. “Open that lock, if you please.”
“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his face implacable.
Daphne’s scalp prickled. “No?” she asked, her voice deceptively light. “I believe we had a deal. Your brother is now awake, and you need to let me leave.”
It wasn’t too late to dump him on his rear if he kept refusing.
His face softened. “I’m sorry, Daphne, but I can’t let you go. For your own safety.”
Her brows rose. “Oh, is that the new excuse? And what will the next one be?”
“Daphne.” His voice dropped lower, more intimate, pleading. “It isn’t an excuse. I swear. If I could give you the coach fare and let you walk away, I would. But I can’t let you walk straight into danger. Not when I’m the one who put you at risk.”
“It’s true, Daphne,” Nisha said, her matter-of-fact manner more convincing than Finley’s pleas. “Now that they’ve seen you with Finley, you’ll be a target. They’ll think if they get their hands on you, he’ll fall in line.”
“And they’d be right,” Finley muttered, the words barely reaching her ears. But they did nothing to soften her anger.
“And you knew that?” She turned from Nisha to Morrow and finally to Finley himself. “You lied to me and dragged me here under false pretenses, knowing the whole time that it would make me a target?”
“What?” Archer glared at his brother. “You lied to her? Finley, how could you?”
“No, I didn’t know,” Finley said quickly, his eyes on Daphne. “I had no idea they were even in the area.”
“We didn’t know either,” Morrow said regretfully. “Nisha and I came in looking for Archer eventually, but they’d gone by then. We had no idea how he’d come to prick himself.” He gave Archer a chiding look. “We didn’t even realize it was his birthday.”
Archer grinned. “I’d lost track of the days myself, so I’m not going to blame you for that.” His expression turned more serious. “I also had no idea they were in the area until they appeared, or I would have been more careful.” He looked at Daphne. “We don’t know who they are, but they’ve been coming after Finley and me for years. It’s a miracle we haven’t been captured.”
“Actually, you have been,” Morrow pointed out. “Twice.”
