Page 20 of Legacy of Thorns (Kingdoms of Legacy #3)

Daphne

D aphne finished peeling the last of the potatoes with relief, withdrawing to her room with a mumbled excuse about needing a nap.

She didn’t lie down on the bed, though. If she did, she would immediately sleep.

The nap had been an excuse, but it wasn’t a lie.

Sleep pulled against her, despite her two earlier naps.

But she refused to give in to sleep until she’d had time to think. There was too much to process from her conversation with Finley.

She had guessed that tragedy lurked in the brothers’ past, but even so, Finley’s story plucked at her heart.

When Finley had concluded by asking for her help, she had responded instinctively.

Her subsequent excuse about her own self-interest had been a justification after the fact, although it was true enough that she had no desire to spend years looking over her shoulder.

She hadn’t been able to walk away from Archie’s predicament, and she couldn’t walk away from the four of them now.

She didn’t even want to walk away anymore.

Daphne had come to Oakden to free herself from the Legacy—instead, it had immediately ensnared her even further.

She felt instinctively certain that if she ever wanted to be free of its heavy weight, she had to untangle the complicated web binding the five companions.

With a sigh, she sank back onto her pillow, giving in to the relentless pull of sleep. A few moments of mental peace, free from her churning thoughts, would be welcome.

But when she woke minutes later, her thoughts took back up exactly where they had left off.

There was no denying the Legacy’s effect was stronger. She had hoped her symptoms would lessen with each day she remained in Oakden, but instead the opposite was happening. Daphne carefully traced back over her days in Oakden thus far, concluding that something had changed after she woke Archer.

Instead of slipping gradually from the Legacy’s notice, Daphne had attracted its power further, and it had responded with enthusiasm—latching onto her more strongly than ever. Her ability to part thorns might have faded, but in exchange, the Legacy had strengthened her sleepiness.

But to what end? What did Daphne have to do to finally be free of it?

Getting entangled with a sleeping enchantment was the opposite of what she should have done, and yet…

If she could go back—knowing everything she knew now—would she act differently?

Could she walk away and leave Archer there, knowing he might be condemned to years of sleep while his brother and friends grew older without him?

She sighed and slid to the edge of the bed. They had all made the best decisions they could in the moment, so there was no point bemoaning the past.

Which is exactly what she had been trying to tell Finley.

She remained sitting, staring out the small window in front of her.

Finley hated his father—there was no other word for it.

The memory of his voice and words as he spoke of the man made Daphne shiver.

How could he speak of his own father that way?

And how dare he criticize Daphne’s mother and father—people he didn’t even know!

A surge of protective love for her parents washed through Daphne, but as it faded, it left her stomach churning harder than ever.

If Finley’s judgment of her parents—and of her own attitude toward them—had been entirely wrong, why was it so hard to shrug off his words? Why did she feel so sick?

Voices reached her through the thin wooden walls of the cabin. Nisha, Morrow, and Archer had returned, bringing a wave of conversation with them.

Daphne forced herself to stand. She needed to be focusing on the future, not the past. The current situation was difficult enough without borrowing past troubles as well.

Slipping back inside her usual composure, she stepped out into the main room.

T hey debated for two days on the best way forward. Nisha wanted to try tracking their enemies, but Finley insisted the trail would already be cold.

“Tracking them will be an impossible job. We’ve never managed it before. But there’s one place where both sides know the other has been recently…right here. If we wait, eventually, when they can’t find any trace of us elsewhere, they’ll circle back.”

When it came to a vote, Daphne voted with Finley. She much preferred their comfy cabin to traipsing all over the kingdom.

“If we’re going to stay here and wait for them,” Nisha said, bowing to the inevitable, “then we can’t let them catch us by surprise. We can’t become complacent. We need to be on the watch and ready for them.”

“You make us a watch roster,” Finley said, “and we’ll all follow it.”

“Make sure you include me.” Daphne grinned. “Just not for any night shifts.”

“I don’t think we need to cover nights,” Nisha said seriously.

“They know we were in this region, but not where we are exactly. My hope is that we’ll know they’re back before they can pinpoint our location, and we can take extra precautions then.

” She eyed Daphne speculatively. “We’ll patrol in pairs for safety, but I’m not so sure about including you.

There’s no advantage to having a patrol partner if they can’t hold their own in a fight.

That makes them a liability rather than an assistance. ”

“But she saved us all last time,” Archer protested.

Nisha was unmoved. “That was thanks to the lingering power of the Legacy. We can’t rely on that again.”

“Daphne is helpful even without the Legacy.” Archer sent a reproachful look toward Nisha. “She can peel potatoes twice as fast as the rest of us.”

“Thank you, Archer,” Daphne said wryly. “You’re a salve to my self-esteem. But don’t worry, Nisha. I can fight.”

She glanced at Finley. Would he back her up? He had appeared at her side in the forest every morning so far, silently joining her training dance. But he said nothing, observing the conversation without comment.

“I see.” Nisha sounded polite but unconvinced.

“I could show you, if you like,” Daphne offered.

“I’ll help with a demonstration,” Archer said eagerly, but one look at his face reminded Daphne of the puppy kicking analogy.

Her eyes skipped over Morrow just as quickly. She’d been training most of her life, but she didn’t fancy facing off against someone of his size. Which left…A smile grew on her face.

“I’m sure Finley would be happy to help me,” she said sweetly.

From Finley’s look of resignation, he had expected her words.

Nisha agreed, and they all moved outside.

“I’m not a weapons master like you, Nisha,” Daphne said as they gathered on a level patch of forest floor.

“And I’m not saying I’m an expert at unarmed combat either.

But if someone grabs me, I won’t just be a helpless victim.

So that’s what I want to show you—what I’ll do if someone tries to seize me. ”

“That’s fair enough,” Nisha said after a moment’s thought. “I can’t expect you to be able to fend off any imaginable attack since none of us could do that.”

“Are you sure?” Archie muttered with a grin, eyeing the array of weapons that bristled all over Nisha.

But she gave him a stern look in response. “It doesn’t matter who you are, or how well trained—there’s always the chance of encountering an opposing force strong enough to take you down. If Daphne knows basic self-defense, that’s enough for me.”

Daphne turned to Finley. “Try to grab me.”

“From the front or the back?” He eyed her speculatively.

“Either. Or…wait. We’ll do both. You choose which one first so I’m surprised.”

Finley sighed. “This is going to hurt, isn’t it? Hurt me, I mean.”

She gave him her sweetest smile. “Maybe.”

He sighed again. “I guess I deserve it.” And then without any warning, he lunged at her.

Before she had time to sidestep, he’d grabbed one of her arms and spun her around so her back was against his chest. Wrapping both arms around her, he locked her arms at her sides.

Daphne responded on instinct. Using a small jump to spread her stance, she bent her knees, lowering her body. At the same time, she thrust both elbows upward, breaking his hold.

He tried to recapture her, but she moved too quickly. Reaching her left hand across her right shoulder, she grabbed his arm and yanked him onto her back. Continuing in one swift motion, she stepped forward and threw him over her shoulder.

He landed on his back with a grunt and lay there. Daphne instantly let go of his arm and stepped backward.

The four on their feet all stared down at Finley, who wasn’t attempting to stand. He waved a hand at them.

“Just…give…me…a minute,” he wheezed.

Archer crowed with delight. “Nice work, Daphne!”

Finley finally rose to his feet, shaking himself out. “Do we really have to do that again?”

“Yes,” Nisha said. “Now from the front.” Her tone was serious, but Daphne glimpsed a laugh in her eyes.

Once again Finley lunged for Daphne without warning. Seizing both her wrists, he clamped down on them with a firm grip. For the second time, Daphne’s body responded instinctively, reacting to years of training.

Twisting her arms inward, she rotated within his grip until she could reverse his hold, clamping onto his wrists in just the way he was attempting to do to her.

But unlike him, she didn’t stop there. Kicking forward in one fluid motion, she only just remembered to soften her blow before her foot connected with his chest.

He let go and staggered backward, rubbing his hand on the impact point. Daphne winced. At least she hadn’t followed up her kick with an elbow to the head as her parents had trained her.

“Do I pass?” she asked Nisha.

“I apologize for doubting you.” Nisha spoke solemnly. “I can recognize training when I see it. If you like, I could teach you some knife fighting techniques to expand your capability.”

“I suspect I should be honored by the offer,” Daphne said carefully. “So I’m thankful. But I’m afraid it’s an honor I’ll have to decline.”

Nisha blinked. “Why?” She sounded like she couldn’t fathom anyone turning down such a treat.

Finley, apparently recovered from both windings, laughed. “Do you have to ask? Knife training sounds far too fatiguing for Daphne.”

“Precisely,” Daphne said. “I’m quite sure that any sort of training with Nisha would be exhausting.”

Finley laughed again. “You seem to have worked us all out.”

“And we’ve worked her out,” Archer declared. “She’s perfect!”

Daphne groaned. If one of the Legacy’s effects was going to linger, why couldn’t it have been her ability to manipulate thorns and not Archer’s puppy love? If it kept going much longer, she might have to kick him next after all.