Page 134 of Fate's Wicked Oath
He wished none of them had come.
Tonight was the Unity Ceremony at Castle Might. The night when all the nobility of Fenrir and Lothgaim would be in the same place at the same time. The night when Lord Haron would bestow Faren (and a few others) with promotions. The night the Valiant were most likely to show up with an army of enhanced knights to enact their bloody rebellion. It didn’t matter that his siblings all had favorable Fates, with peaceful Death visions; with Morta near, nothing was certain.
Kate rested her head on Faren’s shoulder, meeting his eyes in the mirror. “Flattery aside, you still look like a prick.”
He forced a smile. “If you think I look like a prick now, just wait until you see me on the dais, receiving my new title.” He contorted his smile wider. “You sure you don’t want to skip the ceremony altogether?”
“That wasbarelyfunny the first three times you suggested it,” Beatrice said. “I’m beginning to wonder if you’re serious.”
“We didn’t endure such an abhorrent journey for nothing,” Persephone mumbled. Apparently, their trip to Fenrir had been especially trying: punishing weather, broken wagon wheels, and spoiled rations. “Whoever decided to set this Unity Ceremony on the cusp of winter is an imbecile,” she added with a grumble.
“That was Archer,” Beatrice said. “He didn’t want it to conflict with his wedding.”
Persephone scoffed and flipped the page in her book.
Eva set down her truffle and faced Faren, clearly hurt by his suggestion. “Do you not want us in attendance?”
Kate turned away from the mirror to meet his eyes for real. “Was this not your entire goal when you left home? To make a name for yourself outside the Hayward shadow? You’ve been so adamant about the importance of your service, yetnowyou’re—”
“You don’t have to pretend to care about my status in a neighboring territory,” Faren stated, hoping that if he downplayed his achievement, they wouldn’t feel obligated to attend. “As Mother, Father, and Rown have pointed out, Captain is still a step down from what Icould’vebeen in Lothgaim.”
“You’ve done well for yourself,” Eva argued. “We’re all proud of you.”
“Who cares about Rown’s opinion?” Beatrice muttered.
“It’s not like you to disparage your own accomplishments.” Kate placed her fists on her hips. “What’s this really about?”
A stab of worry lanced through his chest, the same one that had been piercing him seemingly every other moment since he’d returned to Fenrir City. The past three weeks had been a trial in restraint, of skirting uncomfortably close to the boundaries of his Oath to warn his Mighty friends with frustratingly veiled language and to fruitlessly suggest to his family that perhaps they ought to leave Fenrir City early.
All with little luck.
“The ceremony will be tedious,” Faren said, swiveling to address the room. “You despise tedium. I’m merely trying to save you all the hassle.”
“Our last visit wasn’t tedious, remember?” Beatrice pointed out. “That lady knight started a brawl, and you ended up covered in squash pie.”
Kate smirked. Eva giggled into her hand. Persephone made a gagging face.
When once Faren had been mortified by what happened, his present embarrassment stemmed from how easily he’d allowedthe indignity to hurt his ego. Mariana had been right: he’d taken himself far too seriously, back then.
He bit his cheek, not wanting his face to inadvertently divulge his altered feelings for saidlady knight. Just the mention of her had his heart fluttering like a bird trapped in his chest, frantically nervous, but also overcome with yearning to fly free.
“But what are the chances he’ll end up covered in pie asecondtime?” Eva asked.
Beatrice bounced her eyebrows. “I’m sure we could increase the odds.”
Kate shook her head, a tendril falling loose from her elaborate braid. “No. There’s more to it than that.” She met Faren’s eyes. “Be honest.”
Faren gritted his teeth. That was the problem, hecouldn’tbe honest. Even if hewantedto break his Oath, to do so now would alert the Lord’s ledgermasters and ruin Oderin’s plans—putting his familyandthe realm at greater risk.
The best he could do was instill in them some suspicion. “As a Mighty Knight,” Faren enunciated, “I can’t say.”
“Well if you can’t say, then I can’t listen,” Kate replied tartly.
“Kate—”
“I think one of my pins has come loose,” she interrupted, fiddling with her intricate hairstyle. “Excuse me while I locate my maid.”
Her skirts swished as she exited the sitting room and disappeared into one of the conjoined bedrooms, where the voices of their parents and Rown drifted through a cracked door.
