Free Siege: A Borrowed Magic Novella by Shari Lambert Page B

had a force
of just over three thousand. Kern, by comparison, had less than a
thousand.”
    She could feel the crowd’s anticipation.
Whether they laughed off the “crazy” man from earlier or not, they
all wanted an explanation. They were curious. And with the
deep-seeded fear of magic that Kern had wrought throughout the
kingdom, they wanted to know not just that he was gone, but how it
happened. They wanted assurance.
    So did she. Desperately.
    Philip gave it to them, describing how Teige
distracted Kern with the bulk of the army while Philip took a
smaller force and snuck up from behind.
    “Then what happened?” someone in the crowd
prompted.
    Philip hesitated. Only a hardness around his
eyes gave any indication to the depth of his emotions. “I stabbed
Kern straight through the heart.”
    A few in the crowd gasped. One woman let out
a horrified cry. But no one moved. “ And?” The words weren’t
spoken aloud, but Maren could feel the question hanging in the air
like an unpleasant wind.
    Philip frowned. “As soon as the fighting
ended, we took the body back to camp and burned it.”
    She let out a breath she hadn’t even realized
she was holding. Kern truly was dead. Even though she’d known it on
some level, hearing it from Philip filled her with a relief that
left her light headed and surprisingly drained.
    The crowd obviously felt similar. Still, they
only stood wide-eyed for a moment before the questions poured
out.
    It was like watching a group of boys after a
sporting competition. They wanted to replay every move. Every hit.
Every win. They pushed forward, each trying to get that
all-important detail that would be talked about for the next week.
Not that anything they heard would stay the same. The story would
grow and change and adapt until it was barely recognizable. And
through it all, the reality would be lost. So would the horror.
    Only Philip seemed to understand the
seriousness of it all. He opened his mouth and then shut it again
and shook his head, unwilling to say anymore. Instead, everyone’s
eyes turned to Teige, eager for the details Philip wouldn’t
share.
    “All right, all right.” Teige put his arms up
in surrender. “I’ll tell you everything Philip is too modest to
say.”
    Maren retreated from the crowd, immediately
searching for Philip. He stood with Daric and Adare, listening more
than talking. She could understand his reservation; he’d been gone
for three years. But the difference she’d sensed in him earlier was
more than reservation. She continued to watch him move about the
room, talking to various people, receiving praise that obviously
made him uncomfortable. Then he turned and their eyes met just for
a moment before he looked away.
    And she finally recognized what was
different.
    He’d lost the laughter in his eyes – the
realization of which tore at her heart like nothing else had. It
was one of the things she’d loved most about him. That laughter had
allowed them to share private jokes even from across a crowded
ballroom. It had let her know when he was internally chuckling
while some young woman was trying to win his affections. It had
assured her that the bond between them was as strong as ever. It
was something he let everyone see but that he only truly shared
with her.
    Tears stung her eyes as she made her way to
the door, desperately needing to be alone.
     
    Maren wrapped her arms around her legs and
stared out the window. It had been hours since her confrontation
with Philip, but her mood hadn’t improved. She sat in the dark,
letting the moonlight rest on her face.
    Below her, the people still celebrated. The
streets were almost as full as they’d been this morning. Bonfires
blazed in every courtyard. Food and drink, scarce for so long, were
passed around in abundance until the people were drunk with
happiness. The city felt alive again.
    And she’d never felt so alone, which was
something, all things considered.
    She’d always lived in the castle.