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Chapter 24
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Flight of the cardinal Chapter 25
Diana sat on her stool beside me and made me repeat the movements she had instructed me to do. They were repetitive, but I could feel the difference in the days after we started exercising my hand. She helped flex my fingers when needed and massaged the scarring. She was very patient with me and encouraged me to keep bending, even though it sometimes hurt. Diana had removed the splints, but I needed to keep my three fingers bandaged for another couple of days to ensure they healed right. It had been a relief since the splints made me itch something terrible. I was lucky that Xander's healing ability helped speed up the process. The last few days had been quiet. We were alone in the house while Xander and Gideon planned our trip to Perch. One of Gideon’s men had sent word to their headquarters that we would make way for them. I had no notion if they had mentioned me. I figured the risk was too significant to write that in a letter if someone other than leaders in the rebellion inter
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 26
We had been on the road for Maple for three days when suddenly, the road was no longer practical. A big snowstorm pounded the path for nearly a day. We would need to find shelter soon or be stuck in the carriage, snowed in. “I know a place where we can go until the storm lessens. It’s a small inn, maybe a half-hour ride from here. It will suit our party, and I think we can make it!” Shouted Gideon from outside the carriage. “Are the horses too deep in snow?” Xander asked. “Not yet, but if we continue waiting for the storm to pass, they might be, and we won’t be able to get there.” Xander nodded and closed the carriage door. Leo had his arms around Diana, keeping her warm, while Xander returned to my side and pressed me further into him. It was freezing. The storm came out of nowhere and took us by surprise. Hopefully, with Gideon’s encouragement, we would reach the inn shortly. I could hear the horses snort and the carriage being jerked forward. These were difficult and dangerou
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 27
We had resumed the road two days behind schedule. The snowstorm had not let out the following morning, and I had used that time to change the colour of my hair. Gideon had done a double-take when he had seen me coming down for supper that day. I grinned and winked at him. “You said so yourself. My hair was a dead giveaway, remember? I’ve found a better way of hiding it without cutting everything off.” From recalling that event, Gideon’s face had become beet red, and Xander had looked at us questioningly. I recounted what happened, and everyone laughed at Gideon’s rash action, which ultimately saved my life. Gideon had been right, though. I would have been found within a few days, maybe a week if he hadn’t cut all my fiery red hair. The inn we had stayed in was called the “Wayward Dog.” I learned from Gideon that it was a place many shifters stopped while on the road. I also discovered that all three men were shifters, which explained why they hadn’t seemed bothered by the cold sto
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 28
The ride to the baron’s estate had been short, and they had welcomed us inside a vast manor. A footman took our coats and showed us to a lavish room where sumptuous curtains draped the tall windows surrounding us, and the sofas had gilded wooden frames that exuded wealth. I wondered if the entire house had furniture like the ones we were in the presence of. Multiple paintings were hanging in the room. Most seemed like family portraits. While we waited, I passed the time by looking at them. The biggest one was a man with dark blond hair, thinning lightly at the top. His dark honey-brown eyes were severe and made me feel like they were scolding me. I surmised that this was Baron Mallard. He didn’t look familiar, which slowed down the blood pumping through my veins. I was nervous about meeting anyone who had ties to Osprey. My past experiences had been awful. The same man was in multiple paintings, often accompanied by a small girl. She was stunning, with beautiful blond hair, pink
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 29
Xander POV I wandered through Baron Mallard’s guest house in the early hours of the morning. My feet kept bringing me back to Ida’s room. But I dared not go inside, although I terribly wanted to. I knew I had crossed the line when she slapped me in the carriage ride from the baron’s manor. I had tried to explain to Ida why it was necessary to do what I did, but I knew my actions stunned her. She had refused to look at me—to let me touch her. I wanted to howl in grief. From the moment he saw Ida, that bastard Mallard was all over her—then blatantly insulted me. He still held a grudge against my refusal of his daughter years ago. Beatrice had moved on since then and had married into a wealthy family. I thought we had been past this. How could I have explained why his daughter would never have been enough for me without mentioning I was a Lycan shifter? Beatrice was nothing compared to Ida. Nothing. I hated the persona I had created while doing my duties as heir to High Hill and it
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 30
I had been on horseback for the better part of the morning. Leaving the city of Maple had been a rather tedious affair. We had gone through the forest to avoid roadblocks. There wasn’t a clear path, so we needed to go on foot, holding our horses’ reins. We were now going to Perch to meet with the rebel leaders. Gideon had offered to accompany me and serve as a liaison between the leaders and myself. Xander would stay behind while conducting his investigation and meet us in Perch once his business in Maple was concluded.I had felt it was better to leave the city since it was under the watch of Mr. Hawk. If his ability was as good as Diana’s, I feared that if I slipped up, I would get caught, or worse, Xander would somehow expose himself while trying to protect me. I saw Xander act on impulse at the baron’s manor. I was a liability to him in that situation. Not to mention that the baron’s men had kept a close eye on us since our arrival in his district.I had the distinct feeling th
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 31
Silas took my hand, held my waist, and led me to an underground tunnel under the ruined castle. I tried to remove my hand from his, but his gentle grip was firm. I didn’t like that he was touching me so intimately, and I didn’t know if he knew I was mated to a shifter. He looked human, so he wouldn’t have been able to smell it on me. Diana followed closely behind, shooting me worried looks. I thought she also felt Xander would disapprove of another man touching me like this. The tunnel spilled into an underground area. It smelled of earth and stale air. The casemate and undercroft remained intact and seemed big enough to house the rebellion leaders and a small other portion of rebels. Still, I understood why most of them went throughout the kingdom searching for lodging and work—it could not accommodate everyone. “I’ll show you to your room. You must be exhausted from travelling so much. There’s a hot spring in the forest near the castle. It’s well hidden. I’ll bring you there onc
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 32
Diana had not returned to our room until I had been fast asleep. I had pinched my thighs to stay awake until her arrival, but I was too exhausted. Whatever had happened with my hand had left me feeling drained. Had I done it? I had focused my energy on my broken hand but had never been gifted with healing magic. Was it because the hot spring was a supernatural conduit that I could heal myself? Or was it the water that had magical properties, as Silas had said? I didn’t know the answer to that. But when I woke the following day and noticed Diana sleeping on the other side of the bed, I pounced on her and shook her hard. She looked at me through sleepy eyes, and I recounted the night’s event. Once I was done, she sat straight up and inspected my hand with intrigue. “Have you tried to use magic with your hand?” I frowned at her question. No, I hadn’t thought of trying. I pulled the sleeves from my shirt up and swirled my wrist, concentrating on creating a surge of magical current a
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