Page 10 of Legacy of Thorns (Kingdoms of Legacy #3)

She held out a hand to Archer, who had managed to disentangle himself from Morrow. Archer seized Nisha’s forearm with a grin, and she grasped his back, their grips firm as they nodded at each other.

“Nisha isn’t really a hugger,” Finley murmured beside Daphne.

She wheeled around to glare at him, her eyes narrowed almost to slits. “You knew this was going to happen.”

Finley ran a hand down the back of his head. “I knew it was a possibility. Archer is a romantic at heart, and you are very beautiful.” His words sounded too apologetic to be a compliment.

“I’m also nineteen!” she hissed. “I don’t want a sixteen-year-old boy following me around and confessing his enchanted love. Rejecting him is like kicking a puppy!”

“I see you understand how he manages to make my life so difficult,” Finley murmured. “And how he has Morrow, and even Nisha, twisted around his little finger.”

Daphne groaned. “I’m leaving. Immediately. Maybe I can slip away without him noticing.”

From his expression, Finley wanted to protest. But she held his gaze, her own full of accusation, and he looked away.

“I can distract him while you sneak past, if you like,” he offered.

Daphne rolled her eyes but didn’t reject the offer outright. It would be easier for everyone if she succeeded in getting away unnoticed.

But she’d hesitated too long. Archer turned back to her, his eyes shining.

“Have you already met Morrow and Nisha, Daphne? Did you travel here with them? Thank you for coming to rescue me. Not that I’m surprised,” he hastened to add. “I can already see that you’re full of compassion and goodness.”

Daphne managed a weak smile. “I’m glad you’re awake, but I really do have to be going. Right now.”

“But how will you get back to Ethelson, Daphne?” Morrow asked, his brow creased with concern. “Surely you won’t walk back on your own? Do you have enough coin to book a seat on the coach?”

“Did you come from Ethelson?” Archer asked. “Of course you can’t go back all that way on your own! Anything might happen to you!”

“Anything already did,” Daphne said caustically, throwing a sidelong glance at Finley. “But it’s still a good point.” She turned to face Finley fully. “I think you at least owe me coach fare back to Ethelson. Don’t you?”

He had the grace to look shamefaced before her single raised eyebrow.

“I’m sure I owe you far more than that,” he said softly. “Won’t you allow me to escort you back? I’d feel better if I knew you made it back to Lorne’s house safely.”

“Unfortunately for you, I’m not in the least interested in making you feel better,” Daphne said coolly. “I’ll take the coach fare and be on my way.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Archer’s voice caught her attention, his words sounding more like a reluctant confession than a lovesick plea.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Did you all walk here together from Ethelson?” Archer asked, looking from Daphne to the others. “You brought her from there to rescue me?”

Morrow nodded. “Her cousin is a princess.”

Archer’s eyes lit up at the supposed confirmation of Daphne’s high status. She sighed, but she also didn’t turn and leave. Something in Archer’s manner had her on edge, and after ignoring her instincts before, she wasn’t going to do so again in a fit of pique.

“If you came together, people must have seen you.” Archer met Finley’s eyes. “They’ll think she’s one of us.”

Finley’s brows snapped together. “Do you mean they’re here? In this area? I think you’d better tell us how you came to prick your finger, Archie. Right now.”

Archer bit his lip. “Maybe Nisha should come inside first. And lock the door behind her.”

Finley’s face hardened even further, but he didn’t protest. Daphne watched nervously as Nisha promptly obeyed, removing the lock from the outside of the stable door and using it to secure them inside instead.

“Why is that necessary?” Daphne asked.

Archer hurried over and took one of her hands in both of his. “I’m so sorry we’ve dragged you into our troubles, Daphne. But I won’t let anyone harm you. I swear it.”

Daphne pulled her hand free and stepped back, looking from him to Finley. “Why don’t you start by telling me who would want to harm me?”

“Are they really here, Archie?” Finley asked sharply.

Archer nodded. “I didn’t notice them at first, unfortunately.

I was too busy ferrying all the looms out to Morrow and Nisha to pay full attention to my surroundings.

” He looked at Daphne. “I always insist they stay outside in case I get caught. I’m much better at charming my way out of trouble than either of them. ”

The charming grin he flashed at her was an exact match for Finley’s, except his jaw hadn’t quite reached the full definition of his older brother’s.

The effect was still devastating in an entirely different way, however—making her heart melt rather than flutter.

She could well imagine an adult letting the charming lad go with a stern warning.

“So I was taking the looms out to them,” he resumed, but Finley cut him off.

“Did you really have to get involved, Archie? You know what Lord Castlerey is like. He would have returned the looms eventually—once the latest grandchild turns sixteen without incident.”

“But I met the sweetest grandmother, Fin,” Archer said.

“Did you know they took the knitting needles as well as the looms this time? Think of all the grandmothers left with idle hands! And some of the villagers relied on those tools for their income, too. I couldn’t just abandon them to wait for months! ”

Finley sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Of course you couldn’t.”

Daphne was starting to understand why Finley had said his brother was simultaneously a thief and a pure-hearted child.

She could only imagine how devastating the local girls must find such a lovable rogue.

Which only made it all the more farcical that the Legacy was encouraging him to think himself in love with her.

“None of that explains why I’m in danger,” she said, eager to get to the main point.

“Right.” Archer turned sorrowful eyes on her. “I got all the looms out safely—” he paused to look at Morrow and Nisha. “You distributed them?”

“Aye, lad,” Morrow said. “We knew you’d want us to. They got back to their homes safe enough.”

“Good.” Archer smiled before resuming his tale. “I came back in for the last of the needles, and that’s when they came in the other end of the barn.” He threw a look toward the darkness in the depths of the barn, beyond the abandoned carriage.

“What?” cried Finley. “They were here? They got that close?” He looked furious and dangerous, and Daphne’s heart skipped a beat.

Just how bad were these unknown villains?

Archer nodded. “I wasn’t sure if they’d seen me, so I snuck into the back of the stall and tried to hide.

But it turned out there were a few odd spindles still back there from a previous confiscation.

” His expression turned rueful. “It shouldn’t have mattered except I’d completely forgotten what day it was. ”

“What day?” Finley stared at him for a second before he groaned.

“Don’t tell me this all happened on your birthday?

You really are a fool! What did you expect to happen when it was your sixteenth birthday?

I’m surprised the spindle didn’t fly out and prick you itself!

No wonder the Legacy responded with so much power. ”

Archer winced. “It was a little forgetful of me, yes.” He shrugged and brightened. “But it worked in my favor in the end. Once I’d fallen asleep, I was safe from them. The Legacy doesn’t allow those in an enchanted sleep to be moved far.”

“That’s true enough,” Nisha said. “Otherwise we never would have left you behind when we went in search of Fin. Morrow could have slung you over his shoulder easily enough.”

Daphne had no trouble believing that, but Archer looked a little abashed at Nisha’s assessment.

“My sleep brought Daphne to me, as well,” Archer added, looking at her with an expression of adoration that made her cringe.

“As lovely as it was to meet you,” she said, “it’s time for me to go. Whoever the people are who came after you, they’re not here now, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She turned to Finley. “Open that lock, if you please.”

“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his face implacable.

Daphne’s scalp prickled. “No?” she asked, her voice deceptively light. “I believe we had a deal. Your brother is now awake, and you need to let me leave.”

It wasn’t too late to dump him on his rear if he kept refusing.

His face softened. “I’m sorry, Daphne, but I can’t let you go. For your own safety.”

Her brows rose. “Oh, is that the new excuse? And what will the next one be?”

“Daphne.” His voice dropped lower, more intimate, pleading. “It isn’t an excuse. I swear. If I could give you the coach fare and let you walk away, I would. But I can’t let you walk straight into danger. Not when I’m the one who put you at risk.”

“It’s true, Daphne,” Nisha said, her matter-of-fact manner more convincing than Finley’s pleas. “Now that they’ve seen you with Finley, you’ll be a target. They’ll think if they get their hands on you, he’ll fall in line.”

“And they’d be right,” Finley muttered, the words barely reaching her ears. But they did nothing to soften her anger.

“And you knew that?” She turned from Nisha to Morrow and finally to Finley himself. “You lied to me and dragged me here under false pretenses, knowing the whole time that it would make me a target?”

“What?” Archer glared at his brother. “You lied to her? Finley, how could you?”

“No, I didn’t know,” Finley said quickly, his eyes on Daphne. “I had no idea they were even in the area.”

“We didn’t know either,” Morrow said regretfully. “Nisha and I came in looking for Archer eventually, but they’d gone by then. We had no idea how he’d come to prick himself.” He gave Archer a chiding look. “We didn’t even realize it was his birthday.”

Archer grinned. “I’d lost track of the days myself, so I’m not going to blame you for that.

” His expression turned more serious. “I also had no idea they were in the area until they appeared, or I would have been more careful.” He looked at Daphne.

“We don’t know who they are, but they’ve been coming after Finley and me for years.

It’s a miracle we haven’t been captured. ”

“Actually, you have been,” Morrow pointed out. “Twice.”

“Yes, but we escaped.” Archer grinned. “So those don’t count. And they tried to take Nisha once, but?—”

“I don’t like strange men who try to abduct me,” Nisha said calmly, one hand straying to the hilt of the sword at her waist and the other to one of the daggers she kept thrust into the right side of her sword belt.

“She wasn’t the soft target they thought she was,” Archer chuckled.

“They’ll find I’m no soft target either.” Daphne tried to sound braver than she felt.

“Even with all her expertise,” Finley said, “Nisha might have been taken if Morrow hadn’t showed up to help. It’s not safe to be alone if you’re on their list, Daphne. And it’s not safe for any of us to be here right now.”

“Are you sure it isn’t the law chasing you?” Daphne asked tartly. “Since you seem to make a habit of stealing.”

“I wish it was.” Finley’s voice was too serious. His gaze turned to Archer. “How long did it take them to show up last time? How long did you have from when you first arrived to when they appeared?”

Archer responded with certainty. “It was twenty-two minutes.” He glanced at Daphne. “I always keep count from the moment I break in anywhere. Just like Finley taught me.”

Why was Daphne not surprised to hear that Archer learned thievery from Finley?

“It’s not like that,” Finley murmured to her, but she turned her back to him. He sighed and spoke in a louder voice.

“We’ve already been here too long in that case,” he said. “We need to leave quickly.” His voice lowered again. “Please, Daphne. You have to come with us.”

“Come on, lass,” Morrow said more gently. “We can sort it all out when we’re somewhere safe.”

Someone rattled the door, cursing when they found it locked from the inside. Daphne’s heart jumped, speeding fast enough to make her decision for her. Whether or not she trusted Finley and his crew, she wasn’t staying behind to face whoever was on the other side of those doors alone.