Enchant (Rae Wilder #3)

Chapter Four

I didn’t trust him. Gunarr was a fairy Knight and Breandan had been quick to secure the man and demand an explanation of all that had happened.

His story of the Northern City vampire Nest overwhelming Devlin matched what Breandan expected, and since Gunarr was bound to speak the truth, there was no concern over the validity of what he told us. He reported that Wasp had returned to the Wyld for help, and that he had stayed thinking to rescue the High Lord. When Breandan had passed on the news that Devlin was gone, Gunarr had had to take a few moments to himself. When he returned from his grim solitude, he had dropped to one knee, fist to chest, and swore himself to Breandan and I. Again, his oath was sealed with magics, but I had difficulty not flinching each time he moved too fast.

It seemed Breandan and Conall had taken a great deal of consideration for me. Their general movement and speech had been a lot slower than what a fairy would usually do. Breandan and Gunarr communicated as often in looks, hand gestures, and soft noises as they did with words. They moved so fast their limbs blurred.

As we stopped to pass another day for Daphne to sleep, Breandan made a soft hitching sound. I turned to give him a puzzled look before noting everyone had stopped jogging twenty paces ago.

He’d apologized for forgetting I wouldn’t know what it meant, and though I’d shrugged it had been yet another reminder that we were two different people, but that I was the odd one, not him.

I thought back to when Devlin had tried the same, using hand signals to communicate with me when we had rescued Maeve from being held by the Clerics. At the time, I’d seen her bruises and winced, but now I knew what the Sect did to demons it captured, the brutal torture one could suffer, I probably would puke everywhere and run screaming. I idly traced a scar running over my forearm when Breandan took me aside and started to teach me the basics. It was painful going. My attention kept wondering to Gunarr weaving in and out of the trees. Doing whatever it was that he was doing, and all that came to mind was suspicion.

“….And that is how you ask for your back to be guarded,” Breandan finished.

“Hmm. I see,” I said noncommittally.

Gunarr took a running jump and climbed up a tree, out of my sight. What if he left a trail for our enemies to follow? Or what of he was planning some one treachery that was so wicked I couldn’t think of it?

“Uh, huh, of course that is.…” My head snapped around to find Breandan had stopped talking, and was glaring at me. “Say-say?” I asked sheepishly, knowing he had caught my attention wandering yet again.

“Have you learnt anything I’ve taught you this morning?”

I plucked at the browning grass; let the blades flutter down as I avoided his disappointed gaze. “Well, there’s this one.”

I placed my palm up and dropped my third finger until it touched my palm. I smiled uneasily when he scowled.

“That was the first thing I showed you. Anything else?”

Honestly, no, but I sensed this wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. “If I said I had the gist would that please you?”

“No.”

“Ah, well then. Why do you think Gunarr decided to seek us out?”

“Rae…”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You have to admit it’s awfully suspicious. He’s attacked us once before. It seems unlikely he’d switch sides and help us now.”

“He never was on anybody’s side. He is a Knight. The Knights are sworn to and answer to the High Lord. Devlin was High Lord and commanded him to capture the fairy Priestess. He was a solider following orders. Now Devlin is gone, he must return home to serve the new High Lord.”