Page 12 of Legacy of Thorns (Kingdoms of Legacy #3)

“I don’t like running,” she repeated. “This seemed much more efficient.”

“We could all have been caught if it didn’t work,” he growled.

“We would have been caught eventually anyway,” she said, apparently unconcerned. “You might be able to run forever, but the rest of us can’t. Only think of your brother. What state must his muscles be in after sleeping for weeks?”

Finley glanced at Archie and was dismayed to see him massaging his calves. Usually Archie could run longer than Finley.

“Don’t worry about me,” his brother said with his usual cheer. “The cramps will die down soon.”

Finley looked slowly back at Daphne, abashed. She was yawning.

“The Legacy power must have been building in this area ever since Archer was put to sleep,” she said.

“Probably even before that since it prompted the local lord to confiscate all those looms. So it seemed logical that if I just woke an enchanted sleeper, I should be able to part brambles as well. At least until the Legacy power in the region dies down or decides I’m no longer a focus of its attention. ”

“That’s brilliant,” Archie murmured, smiling admiringly at her. “You’re as intelligent as you are beautiful.”

“You do know it’s only the Legacy making you think that, right?” She gave him a stern look. “You should be busy admiring girls your own age.”

Archie puffed up his chest. “There’s barely an age difference between us! And there’s no way the Legacy is the only reason I think you’re beautiful. I have eyes in my head.” He turned to look at Finley. “Back me up, Fin. Tell Daphne how stunningly beautiful she is.”

Caught off guard, Finley coughed.

“Tell her, Fin!” Archie demanded.

Finley’s eyes jumped everywhere but Daphne as he managed to croak out, “I’m sure anyone would agree that Daphne has a beautiful face.”

His swiftly moving gaze finally fell on her, and his embarrassment immediately melted away. At some point during Archie’s speech, she had lain her head on her raised knees and fallen asleep.

“Is it the Legacy?” Archie cried, his voice rising in his panic. “Is she in an enchanted sleep?”

“Hush!” Nisha said sharply.

“That’s just Daphne,” Morrow reassured him. “She sleeps a lot.”

“What? Why?” Archie still watched her with concern. “Are you sure it’s not my fault? Because of the Legacy?”

“It is the Legacy, but it’s not your fault,” Finley said softly. “She’s lived most of her life in Glandore, and the effect seems to have lingered.”

“But why?” Archie asked, obviously still worried, even if it wasn’t his fault.

Finley shrugged. “Maybe because she was so young when she left, or because she was away so long.”

“She’s only been back a couple of days,” Morrow added.

“A couple of days?” Archie’s face turned horrified. “How close we came to never meeting her at all! To think I might have gone my whole life without knowing her. What good fortune that she decided to return and that you encountered her immediately when she did.”

Finley pressed his lips together, barely refraining from rolling his eyes at the overwrought speech. But he couldn’t dispute their good fortune in finding Daphne. He didn’t know anyone else with a royal cousin.

Daphne had given him his brother back, and he had repaid her by bringing her into their troubles. And the worst of it was that he had no idea how to get her back out of trouble again. The best he could do was keep her with them and protect her himself.

It was a solution he found all too appealing—a point that would likely count against him with Daphne. She was going to be even more suspicious of him than she currently was. He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

Everything was his fault. He shouldn’t have gone off alone in the first place. He should have known Morrow and Nisha wouldn’t be able to stop Archie dragging them into some foolish scheme or other. The boy was too softhearted for his own good.

Finley had left, and their enemies had found Archie.

If Archie hadn’t happened to prick himself on that spindle…

Finley tried to shake away the thought. It was too terrible to bear thinking of.

The last two times they’d been captured, Finley had been there, at least, and he’d been able to help Archie escape.

If Archie had been captured without him…

He had failed his brother, and now he had failed Daphne.

He ground his teeth together. He needed to find out who was pursuing them and why so he could end the matter for good.

But attempting to discover that information was what had led him away in the first place, and look where that had gotten them.

His eyes traced Daphne’s face where it rested on her arms. He couldn’t deny Archie’s claims. She was achingly beautiful. But she also thought Finley was a villain—and she was justified in thinking so.

He shifted, turning slightly away from her and forcing himself to look at a solid wall of brambles instead of her face. There was little he could do for her, but at least he could refrain from watching her sleep.

He didn’t know if she was truly asleep or faking it, but he was grateful either way. The moment was already awkward enough, and they would have to wait hours more before it was safe to leave the tight confines of the brambles.