Threatened [W&W Book 2]

Chapter 37

Anya felt marginally better after talking to Jim. It made the journey more comfortable, but it was still excruciating. When the day grew dark they stopped to set up a camp. Marvin and Samson set up a tent for Anya, and she climbed into it and lay down. She was surprisingly tired for a day spent sitting.

"I just want to speak with her for a moment." It took Anya a moment to place the voice.

Lady Daphne slipped inside the tent. "I just feel like I need to speak with you," the lady explained.

Anya could not imagine why, so she just watched the woman as she sat down beside Anya's bedroll.

"I suppose this is a bit strange. I wouldn't normally seek out a prisoner to talk, but I'm curious about a few things. Were you really thinking about killing Theresa that night with Lord Wildwood's own magic?"

There was no point in denying it. "Yes."

"But you chose not to. Why not? Or did she just knock you out before you had a chance to?"

"I just couldn't. I don't know."

Lady Daphne smiled sympathetically. "It's not easy to kill someone, is it?"

Anya looked straight at Lady Daphne. "I've never actually succeed in killing anyone."

Lady Daphne cocked her head. "That's true. What's it like to plan a murder?"

Anya laughed incredulously. "Terrible, of course. What's it like to actually kill someone?" Anya returned flippantly, surprising herself.

"Terrible, of course," Lady Daphne said, her face grave. "Actually, that's why I came to speak to you. You know that I killed that man who was your brother, right? Or perhaps it was my husband; he's stronger than I am, so there's more force behind his shots."

"Yes." Anya could not imagine what the flighty woman hoped to accomplish in talking to her. Was she attempting to bait Anya or trying to find out more information? It defied any reason that Anya could conceive of.

"It was the night of my wedding, actually. Theresa had wandered off into the garden. She was under a malicious spell cast by our aunt and she was prone to be moody. She's much happier and a lot more amiable now that our aunt is dead and she is with Lord Wildwood. But at that time she was moping in the garden and Gage grabbed her. She was a bit idiotic to have let herself get into such a situation but she can be stubborn," Lady Daphne explained.

Anya nodded her understanding, even though she really did not understand the relevance at all.

Lady Daphne continued talking. "We realized that she had disappeared and that something was wrong. Of course Lord Wildwood arrived there first to save her since he always seems to be a step ahead of everyone else but Gage managed to stab him with a knife in the back. There was blood everywhere. I didn't even think about it. There were bows and quivers just there, I guess for the guards, and I picked one up and shot him. So did Thomas. I thought that he had died then."

Anya felt a sort of hollowness inside. She did not really want to hear, but she felt compelled to listen.

"And I would do it again, but I still have nightmares about it. It's the worst feeling, knowing that someone's blood is on my hands." Lady Daphne held her hands out and examined them. "They look the same as they did, but they feel different. I don't think I had a choice, but it changed me, you know?"

Anya shrugged, but she thought she knew.

"Do you hate me?" Lady Daphne looked directly at Anya.

Anya closed her eyes and considered the question. Did she hate Lady Daphne and Sir Thomas for killing Gage? Thorne had implied that she should. He was her brother and she loved him dearly but he was not the innocent boy that she had grown up with. He had nearly killed Lord Wildwood. Could Anya expect any less of Lady Daphne but to protect the ones that she loved?