Page 205 of Sword & Shadow
A long silence stretched over the group as the brothers glared at one another. Rafferty stood to the side, watching with keen interest. Ethenn crossed his arms, scowling. Ilain and Auden shared worried, baffled looks. And Evylin desperately sought away to bring it to an end, knowing that Thom didn’t mean the words he was about to say.
“My whole life,” Thom went on, “I’ve stood behind you in everything. While you’re so busy pretending to be perfect,I’mthe one who’s been at her side from the beginning.I’mthe one taking care of her.”
“She’s not your responsibility,” Deckard said.
“’Cause she’s not my wife,” Thom retorted. “As you love to remind me. Forgive me for believing that my love for her was more genuine than yours, as I don’t see it as a job but a privilege.”
Deckard took a challenging step forward. “That’s not what I meant.”
“But it’s what you said.”
Every harsh word felt like a blow to Evylin’s heart. She hated it, hated watching them crumble. Despite herself, she’d come to care for them both. She couldn’t bear them coming apart over her. Thom was her brother. Deckard was her....
“Is this why you’ve been fighting?” Ilain asked in the lingering silence. She looked at Ethenn, then Thom. “Because it wasn’t a joke. Jonn really did ask you to make sure Thom didn’t steal his wife?”
Evylin drew in a sharp breath, surprised. Had Deckard charged Ethenn with such a task?
Ethenn swallowed, his eyes on the dirt. “That’s part of it,” he mumbled.
A cruel laugh slipped out of Thom. “Oh, come on, Loxley. We’re all being honest here. It’s your turn.”
Auden shifted anxiously. “We don’t have time for this,” he said. “We need to leave the Reach.”
Thom didn’t listen. “How ’bout it, kid?” He moved past Evylin and shoved Ethenn’s shoulder. “Would you like to share the truth?”
“Thom,” Evylin called, “stop it.”
A red flush covered Ethenn’s neck. He didn’t back down from Thom’s baiting, but neither did he rise to it. “I knew about Thom’s feelings for Evylin,” he said to Ilain, though he refused to look at her. “So I told him to stop flirting with you.”
“That’s—” Ilain cut herself off. Because Evylin knew, while there was no truth behind her flirtation with Thom, Ethenn wouldn’t understand her motivation.
“The thing is, Loxley,” Thom smirked, “our highlady is the last one you needed to worry about.”
A sinking feeling churned in Evylin’s gut.
“What was between us—” Thom motioned to Ilain and then himself. “It was never real.”
Ethenn’s expression fell in confusion.
Ilain opened her mouth, but Thom kept going. “Sheaskedme to flirt with her. Not because she wanted me.”
Evylin hesitated, unsure if Thom was about to reveal Ilain’s true feelings or...
“Because shedidn’twant you,” Thom concluded. “We were never anything. But that’s more than you couldeverbe to her.”
In a blinding flash, Evylin saw the switch in Ethenn’s demeanor, the fire in his eyes, only a millisecond before he acted.“Inevitably, I snap.”
The Warrior was on Thom again, his deadly blows more accurate and brutal than ever. Within a second, the men were on the ground, Ethenn pummeling Thom’s face, again and again. Another second, and there was a grotesquecrack, then Ethenn’s hands curled around Thom’s neck. Thom struggled helplessly, his face going from red to purple.
Coming to her senses, Evylin sprang forward to stop Ethenn before it was too late.
“Stop!” Deckard shouted, a depth and volume to his voice that was unnatural. It was loud and fierce and doubled, as ifthere were two of him. A growl of sound that made Evylin’s blood run cold.
Everyone froze, turning to stare at Deckard and the ghost by his side.
With a heave, Ethenn released Thom, who lay on the ground, gasping for air. The young Warrior staggered back as Rafferty stood to the side, mouth gaping. Ilain set a hand to her mouth, and Auden’s eyes went wide in rage.
But Evylin’s heart fluttered, her eyes filling with tears. “Uncle?” she whispered.
