Page 11 of Kingdom of Chains

Lady Gwenore was like an older version of her daughter, bright-eyed with a youthful face. She nodded in their direction. ‘Defenders.’

Everard was grinning ear to ear as he stared at the men standing opposite him. ‘Is it true that defenders are thrown over a cliff during their training to see who survives the turbulent seas below?’

Blackmane was always amused by some of the myths that circulated outside Chadora’s walls.

‘First they cut you,’ Alveye said, ‘to attract sharks.’

Isabel suppressed a smile and looked down at her feet.

‘And I heard a training session ends when a defender empties his stomach and not a minute before,’ the boy went on.

‘Everard,’ Gwenore said, tapping her son’s arm. ‘That is not appropriate dinner conversation.’

Hadewaye leaned forwards and said with a wink, ‘That one’s mostly true.’

Hodge gestured for everyone to take their seats. Tatum sat closest to the earl, then Blackmane, Alveye, and Hadewaye.

The food arrived on silver trays. Meat and poultry, roasted vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and crusty bread. Everyone filled their plates while polite conversation carried back and forth across the table.

As Isabel was serving herself, Blackmane noticed that her left hand was heavily scarred. Burned, perhaps. She happened to glance in his direction at the same time he was looking. She held his gaze a moment before averting her eyes.

‘Dig in,’ Hodge said.

Everyone began to eat, though Blackmane noticed Isabel spent more time pushing food back and forth than actually eating it. Hodge noticed too.

‘Eat up, my beloved,’ the earl said, pushing her plate towards her like one did a child. ‘The cook informed me that you skipped lunch earlier.’

Gwenore looked up at that. ‘Where were you this afternoon? The servants tore the castle up looking for you.’

Blackmane waited to see what response she would come up with.

‘I was reading in the garden,’ she said, eyes on her plate.

Everard swallowed his food. ‘Impossible. I checked the garden several times.’

‘I moved indoors due to the wind.’

‘You should have been indoors to begin with,’ Hodge said.

Isabel placed her fork down and looked up.

‘What sort of books do you read, my lady?’ Hadewaye asked. He was an expert at dissipating tension.

Hodge sawed through a piece of chicken. ‘I recently gave her the Psalms.’

‘Which I plan on reading very soon,’ Isabel said.

Gwenore tutted. ‘I have heard that before.’

Isabel ignored her. ‘Have you readSecreta Secretorum, defender?’

Hadewaye shook his head. ‘Afraid not. Blackmane likely has. He’s the reader of the group.’

So far Blackmane had managed to stay out of the conversation entirely—which was his preference.

‘You like to read, defender?’ she asked him directly.

He reluctantly met her gaze, noticing the blue flecks in her eyes amid swirls of grey. ‘I may have flicked through the French translation a long time ago.’