Jenna Black - Shadowspell

None of us said a word as we made our way back to my safe house. It would have topped off a great evening if we’d run into the Wild Hunt, but despite my dad’s fear that the Erlking was out to get me, there was no sign of him.

Finn continued hauling Keane and me by our arms while we were in the more populated section of the tunnel system. I tried to ignore the curious looks of passersby. When we were away from other people, Finn gave Keane a shove forward, putting him in the lead. He then sandwiched me between them for the rest of the march. He still didn’t say anything, every moment of silence stretching my nerves more and more taut.

I expected the explosion to come as soon as we were safely shut in the guardroom, but Finn wasn’t meeting my expectations that night.

“You,” he said, pinning me with his cold green gaze, “sit down.” He pointed to a chair against the wall. He didn’t raise his voice, but his words had such sharp edges on them he might as well have.

Shoulders hunched, I slunk over to the chair and sat down on the very edge. I had no idea what would happen next, but I knew it wasn’t going to be fun.

Finn turned his gaze to Keane. “You think you’re sufficient defense for a girl the Queens of Faerie have marked for death?” Still he didn’t raise his voice, though the words held a hint of a snarl.

Something kindled in Keane’s eyes. His shoulders straightened, his lip curled, and he met his father’s gaze boldly. Here was the Keane I knew and mostly disliked.

“I may not be a Knight,” he said, “but I’m perfectly capable of defending Dana if I have to.”

My skin prickled with the distinctive sensation of magic being gathered.

“Titania has sent Knights after her before,” Finn told his son. “Put up your shields. Show me how well you can defend against a Knight of Faerie.”

Keane’s confidence visibly wavered.

Finn made a fist and flashed Keane a savage grin. “Put up your shields, or this is going to hurt like hell.”

Keane rolled his eyes like he thought this was all ridiculous, but I remembered how he’d looked when Finn first spoke. Arrogant as he was, he wasn’t at all sure he could take his father. I suspect that idea made him squirm as much as it did me. I’d told myself I was pretty safe with Keane, but I didn’t feel quite as sure of that now.

Keane moved over to the mats that still lay on the floor from our earlier sparring session, and Finn followed. From Finn’s words and Keane’s attitude, I knew Keane was likely to come out the loser of this fight, but I expected him to at least be able to hold his own for a while. I was wrong.

I thought Keane wiped the floor with me when we sparred, but I didn’t know what wiping the floor with someone really was until Finn showed me. Keane hit the mats so many times you’d have thought he was a rug Finn was trying to beat the dust out of. Each time he got up, he was a little slower than the time before. Magic prickled across my skin as the two of them flung spells at each other, but it was obvious Keane ran out of juice long before Finn did.

The longer the fight went on, the redder Keane’s face got, and I didn’t think it was just from exertion. Every once in a while, he’d glance over at me, and I realized how humiliating this little demonstration in front of me must be. Hell, we usually practiced in the living room because I didn’t want anyone watching while Keane repeatedly handed my butt to me, and I’m not a quarter as arrogant as he is. A couple of times, I opened my mouth to beg Finn to stop, but each time I quickly shut it again, knowing that I’d only make it worse.

Eventually, Keane went down hard and didn’t get up again. He just lay there on his back, panting heavily, sweat pouring off his face, eyes squinched shut in what had to be pain. His shield spells might stop him from getting injured while sparring, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Not to mention that I think even his shield ran out of juice toward the end, because Finn visibly pulled his punches.

Finn came to stand over Keane, folding his arms over his chest and looking like he could go another thirty minutes without being winded. “This is how you fared against your father, who isn’t about to hurt you. Imagine if I’d been a hostile Knight out to kill you. And that’s not even considering the possibility of going up against the Erlking and the Wild Hunt. Then tell me again that you think you’re capable of protecting Dana as well as a professional.”

He looked back and forth between the two of us, just to make sure both of us got the message. We did.

Finn turned to me while Keane continued to lie on the mats sucking in air. “I’m not going to tell your father about tonight’s escapade, because I believe you have a good head on your shoulders and won’t pull a stupid stunt like that again. Am I right?”

I nodded meekly. Finn was doing me a ginormous favor by not telling on me. If my father found out what I’d done, I might not be allowed to leave my safe house for the rest of my life.

“Thank you,” I said tentatively. “And I’m sorry.”

Finn didn’t acknowledge the apology. Guess he was still mad. “You’re going to bed now,” was all he said.

Keane groaned and propped himself up on his elbows. I had a feeling Finn wasn’t through making him pay for my mistake. If I’d thought anything I said would help, I’d have stuck around and tried my best. Instead, feeling totally wretched, I left Keane alone with his father and fled to my room.

I woke up on Saturday morning feeling just as bad as I had when I’d climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my head the night before. Keane had basically taken the whole rap for me last night, and that sucked. It wasn’t that I thought Finn had hurt him all that much, and considering Keane’s choice of profession, he had to have a pretty high tolerance for pain anyway. But I knew his pride had taken a beating, and I knew him well enough to realize how much that must have hurt him.

I can’t say I regretted going to the party, though, despite my guilty conscience. If I tried to convince myself to regret it, my mind conjured an image of Kimber’s face as she opened the present I’d given her, and I knew it had been worth it. (For me, at least. Keane might disagree.)

Usually, when I got up in the morning, I’d make some coffee for myself and some tea for Finn, who seemed to function just fine on what had to be about three or four hours of sleep a night and was always awake before me. He had his own kitchenette—even smaller than mine—in the guardroom, but he’d always seemed to appreciate the gesture.

A part of me really wanted to forego the ritual this morning. I didn’t much want to face Finn after last night. Would he still be mad at me? Would I feel guilty every time I looked at him?

In the end, I decided I’d probably feel worse if I sat around in my suite brooding about it, so I fixed the tea and coffee, then took a deep breath and ventured out into the guardroom.

To my intense relief, Finn acted as if nothing had happened. There was no hint of anger or reproach in his gaze as he looked at me, and he didn’t give me any paternal-sounding lectures. Not that he was ever what I would call talkative.

“I need some groceries,” I told him when he’d finished his tea and I was preparing to take the dishes back to my kitchen.

Finn nodded. “Give me a list of what you need, and I’ll ask your father to stop by the store on his way over for dinner tonight.”

I’d totally forgotten Dad was coming tonight, but I wasn’t about to let him be my grocery boy. I’d been responsible for buying groceries since I was about ten. Besides, a trip to the grocery store would get me out of the cave for a while. I could see the sun, and breathe some fresh air.