Page 207 of Sword & Shadow
The siblings went silent.
“Thank you.” Hewitt scanned the group. “For the first time in a month, I get to talk to someone other than Deckard, and I’m going to use it to my advantage.”
The whole troop waited, frozen as they hung on the ghost’s words.
Hewitt nodded, pleased with their compliance. “Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not here for any of you. I’m here for Evylin. So your petty quarrels and fears of certain types of magic don’t matter to me. I’m not benevolent. I’m her uncle.”
The smallest smile tugged at Evylin’s lips.
“However,” Hewitt eyed them each in turn, “your conflicts do interfere with my girl’s happiness, which makes them my problem. And if you don’t get your acts together, I will come back and haunt each one of you until the end of your days.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Rafferty muttered, and Thom snorted.
The sound drew Hewitt’s attention. His sharp stare fell on Thom. “You.” He spat the single word like an accusation.
Thom slouched but didn’t back away. His nose was notably broken, his face already turning black and blue.
Hewitt moved around Evylin, aggressively bearing down on Thom. “I trusted you,” he said accusingly. “And you betrayed me.”
“I didn’t!” Thom insisted, panic filling his face.
“You tried to take her. You don’t call that a betrayal?”
“Not a betrayal of you.”
“I chosehim.” Hewitt pointed back to Deckard, then to Thom. “Notyou.”
Thom turned away.
“Shechose him,” Hewitt added, and Evylin’s heart squeezed. “If you truly cared for her, then you’d respect that.”
Thom kept his gaze down but nodded.
“Humph.” Hewitt swung around. “As for the rest of you: I’ll state it one more time. Get your acts together. You’re not children. Stop acting like it.”
Ethenn, Ilain, and Auden studiously avoided Hewitt’s gaze.
Rafferty raised his hand. “I’d like to point out,” he said, setting the hand to his chest, “I’vedone nothing wrong.”
Evylin smiled, and, to her surprise, Deckard laughed.
“Bully for you,” Hewitt grumbled. “Now, get out of here, all of you. I want a moment alone with these two.”
Auden didn’t listen. “We’ve lingered for too long,” he argued. “And this magic is too dangerous—”
Ilain set a hand on his arm. “I’ll travel with Ethenn,” she announced. “With his power and the Fire Relic, I should be able to shroud us just long enough to cross the border. Auden can take Thom and Rafferty.”
“I’ll need the Night Relic—”
“Shut up, Auden,” Ilain said, passing an encouraging smile to Evylin before pushing her brother toward the dismantled campsite.
As the Calders made their way through the trees, Rafferty put each arm around Thom and Ethenn’s shoulders. “Come on, gents,” he said merrily. “Let’s see if the Day Mage can put your face to rights, Thommy.”
Once the Ephrians disappeared beyond the tree line, Hewitt turned to Evylin and Deckard. “I don’t miss them,” he said flatly.
Evylin let out a gasping laugh. Her head was light with emotion, and her eyes were full of tears.
“Now,” Hewitt said, meeting her gaze, “it’s your turn.”
