Page 17 of Kingdom of Chains

He came to a stop several feet from her. ‘While the castle was under attack? No.’

She chose to ignore the sarcasm. ‘Was anyone injured?’

He shook his head. ‘It was a lot of running around putting fires out and shooting blindly in the dark.’

‘I do recall a little of that.’ She adjusted the blanket around her, and the sleeve of her dress slid up her wrist. Blackmane’s eyes narrowed on it, prompting her to tuck it beneath the blanket. But he continued to stare at the spot as though he could see through the wool.

‘What happened to your arm?’ he asked.

There was a short silence as she tried to come up with an answer that would not fill her with shame. ‘Margery.’

He lifted his gaze to hers. ‘Yourpet birdleft those marks?’

She nodded and looked away.

‘The aversion of your gaze, lack of words, and noncongruent gestures suggest you’re lying.’

She felt hot suddenly—seen. ‘Is that another defender trick?’ When he did not answer her, she said, ‘His Lordship can get a little… enthusiastic when communicating his point.’

‘Perhaps you mean aggressive.’

She bit down on her lip and went for a change of subject before things got even more uncomfortable. ‘When do you leave for your tour?’

He let out a short breath, eyes never leaving her. ‘Tomorrow.’

She was grateful that he let the subject go. ‘What was it like? Riding through the region, I mean?’

‘Empty.’

She had been expecting that answer, but it still made her chest ache. ‘It was such a vibrant place once upon a time. I adored growing up there.’

‘Where did you live?’

‘Llanelieu.’

He nodded. ‘Not much there now.’

She studied him. ‘These camps. Will they help?’

‘Apparently.’ His tone suggested otherwise.

‘I had hoped to come along, maybe visit my old home—or what is left of it. But His Lordship was not keen on that idea.’

‘As much as it pains me to agree with that man, he’s right.’

She studied him a moment. ‘I gather you are not a fan of my future husband, defender?’

Nothing changed on his face. ‘I think he’s fan enough for all of us.’

Isabel did not smile, but she wanted to.

A bullfinch landed on an embrasure a few feet away, drawing their attention.

‘Is this Margery?’ Blackmane asked.

Isabel suppressed a smile as she looked back at him. ‘No. Margery is a tad bigger.’ She pinched her fingers together.

Commander Tatum stepped out of the turret behind Blackmane, looking between them before saying, ‘Lord Hodge wants to see us.’

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