A Thief of Nightshade(43)

Jullian shook his head.

“He wants to take you hunting for your birthday next week.”

“I hate birthdays, can’t we skip it?”

“You skipped last year’s birthday,”

Aubrey laughed. “Besides, you only turn thirty-five once. You’ll have a great time.

You always do.”





Chapter Fifteen


Avalar


WHEN AISLINN WOKE, GIVEN WAS NO

LONGER beside him. He bolted upright to find her feeling her way across the wall with her eyes closed. She was still shivering, but the blood had been wiped from her forehead, most likely onto his fur, and she seemed to be doing a little better; that is, until she grew frustrated and hit the wall, her bare fists repeatedly smacking the wet stone.

“You’re going to break your hands if you don’t quit,” he grumbled. On two legs, he made his way to where she stood.

She pushed his chest when he approached her; she may as well have been a willow pressing against him. But sensing she needed her space, he went back to the corner and watched her continue her bizarre task. After nearly an hour and still nothing spectacular, he finally felt inclined to comment.

“I hate to tell you this, but if you’re looking for a way out of here, you aren’t going to find it. They would have noticed a gaping hole in their prison, wouldn’t you think?” Aislinn shook his head, sniffing to see if the prior tenants had by chance left behind something edible. “We’re going to have to wait until someone comes for us.

Don’t ask me what we’ll do then, but we can’t do a damn thing from in here.”

She eyed him for a second but found that she still could not talk and was now even more annoyed. She went back to the wall. This time, he noticed her lips were moving; she was mouthing something.

Still, it looked futile and he was hungry.

He was just about to reach for the moldy piece of bread he spied just a few feet from him when he saw something he wasn’t entirely sure he could have seen.

He looked back up and plain enough, Given stood against the wall with her whole right arm having disappeared through it. Her lips were twisted into a proud smirk. She withdrew as he neared her; he expected to find himself capable of the same trick, but felt nothing but cold wet stone.

“Am I missing something?”

Given pointed to the wall then to herself, nodding, then to him and the wall and shook her head.

“You’ve found a way out, but ... only you can go through it?”

She nodded.

It was just as well; at least this way he wouldn’t have to worry about fooling with her once the goblins came for them. It would certainly make his burden a little lighter. “Go, then. You’ll need a head start once they discover you’re gone.”

She shook her head and tried to tell him something but he couldn’t tell what it was. Finally, she walked up to him, took his face in her hands and kissed him on the top of his snout.

He remained totally still as she disappeared into the wall and for a very long time afterward. He really didn’t blame her for leaving him; it was in her best interest. Not only that, but she had warned them more than once that they were going the wrong way. He lowered his head and, for the first time in nearly a decade, he thought about how he’d felt when Jullian had gone. He’d stayed, much like he did now, in the same spot, looking out across the water. He kept feeling like he would see Jullian again, not just then, but for years afterwards. He would think to tell him something and then painfully remember that he would never see his brother again.

Jullian had always been smarter than Aislinn, and Aislinn had never begrudged him for it. They had been inseparable growing up; Jullian had taught Aislinn how to hunt and had helped him through his lessons when they were children, rescued him from pub brawls when they grew old enough for that sort of trouble and had stayed with him through the night after Merrial had miscarried their first child. It was more than a little amusing for him to find out that Jullian had fallen for one of his students, not because he thought Jullian would find the idea improper, but because Jullian’s first love had always been his writing. Aislinn smiled at the thought. Jullian had courted off and on after coming of age, but no woman captured his affections, not even a little, and judging by the way Aubrey described him, how she spoke of him even in her sleep, she had captured more than his affections, she had captured his whole heart. Aubrey told Aislinn they hadn’t known each other very long before he had asked her to marry him, which didn’t surprise Aislinn in the least. Jullian had always known what he was looking for.

He would tell Aislinn that his heart would know it when he found her. In fact, he’d chided Aislinn for his engagement to Merrial. How Jullian had known who Merrial really was below the perfectly painted image she wore so spectacularly, Aislinn would never know. It was just Jullian’s way to know things like that.

And it was Aislinn’s way to taint everything of value that came near him; Aubrey, the precious girl who had stolen his brother’s heart, had sustained a mortal wound, all because Aislinn was too busy feeling sorry for himself. Who knew how wounded Given was now, considering what she’d taken on for Aubrey’s sake.

He’d looked down on her. He had said cruel and hurtful things that would do nothing but convince her of the truth of what she had probably been told all of her life. He was ashamed. Aubrey was right— Jullian would be horrified. Worse yet, Jullian was out there, living his worst nightmare and Aislinn had been willing to give up before the journey had even started.