Page 55 of Unbound By Shadows
Eldridge’s face clouded. “What happened?”
Sam set down his fork. “Overall, we have had fine weather and good fortune on this journey. After leaving Queen Thema’s, we journeyed through forests and meadows, passing through one of the Padu’s stops and then Iriswood. Selene outwitted a Harpy outside of Iriswood who tried to steal from us.”
Brunie stopped chewing, “Pydiana?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “Selene sang her a song and she flew away to let us pass.”
Brunie looked at Selene. “You freed Pydiana?”
Fear gripped Selene. “Is that bad?”
“Not at all,” Brunie clucked. “The poor creature was being punished by Queen Aello, for trying to sneak into your world and cause a ruckus. If she let you pass and flew away, then she’s free!”
"Well done, Selene,” Eldridge cried. “You’ll be favored among the Harpies, that’s for sure.”
Selene shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Oh, this is so exciting. Tell us more about your journey,” Brunie urged.
Sam cleared his throat. “It wasn’t all favorable. Several nights ago, I made a mistake and attacked a Lycah who was harassing Selene in a tavern.”
Selene nearly choked on her bite of bread. She hadn’t dreamed of bringing that up in front of Brunie and Eldridge, and was floored that he would do so.
“Oh, Samael, you didn’t,” Brunie said.
“What happened?” Eldridge asked.
“A Lycah grabbed at Selene. So I strangled him, then broke both his arms and legs. I may have injured his head as well,” Sam said.
“Samael! You must have scared Selene terribly,” Brunie said.
Eldridge made a grunt of disappointment. Selene was surprised that they both seemed very familiar with Sam’s temper.
“Have you been practicing your breathing, lad?” Eldridge asked.
“Yes, but on this occasion, it wasn’t enough.”
“Selene, were you hurt by the Lycah?” Brunie asked.
“No, just… startled,” she mumbled.
Sam’s voice was tight as he said, “The Lycahstruckher, then pulled her into his lap. I couldn’t have stood by and done nothing.”
“That may be, but was violence truly called for?” Eldridge asked. “How else do you think you could have responded?”
A crease appeared between Sam’s brows.
Counting off on his long fingers, Eldridge said, “One—you could have pulled Selene to safety, then asked the Lycah to leave the tavern. Two—you could have just frightened him. Never touched him at all, but used your size and demonic presence to stop his behavior. Three—you could have called upon the tavern owners to deal with the situation. Surely they have a process in place for when guests become rowdy—”
“Or if none of those worked, you could have broken only one bone,” Brunie interrupted. “Four is excessive.”
Sam looked thoughtful. It was almost as though Selene could see the gears turning in his mind.
“What stopped you from killing the brute?” Brunie asked.
“Selene did,” Sam said. “She approached and was able to calm me. Just as she did when I felt unsteady in Padu. She has many gifts, but her ability to soothe others is the one that I… I admire deeply.”
Selene blinked.Wait—was that what was going on with him in Padu?She had suspected something intense was happening, but knowing the extent of how it could have escalated was a surprise.
