Page 70 of A Courage of the Chosen

“Give us a minute.” With the request spoken to his mind, he slips out. Not far from the door, but far enough that Erin relaxes.

My heart breaks for her all over again, and I have to swallow once before the next words form. “I want you to know, Erin, that what you did was really brave. And you’re not in any kind of trouble, okay?”

She nods hesitantly.

“And don’t worry about grumpy face out there. He’s harmless. But I can whoop his arse for you if you want me to.” Reyne winks, drawing a tiny smile from Erin.

The thing is, Reyne would be fully capable of whooping Cal’s ass.

“I’d like to see her try,” he huffs back to me.

I press my lips together, the situation too serious for the smirk wanting to work free.

“My dad is the general of the royal armies, and he told me that you’re under the official protection of all those soldiers now. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Reyne shuffles further up the bed as she speaks.

“Does that mean Brollachan can’t get to me anymore?” Erin’s question croaks out.

“Aye, lassie. The Brollachan can’t get to you. And the queen has said you can stay in the palace, too. Would you like that?”

Erin’s eyes flit in my direction, seeking permission.

“I made you a promise that you’d be safe. I don’t break my promises.” I might lie through my teeth sometimes, but I don’t break promises.

“O-okay,” she murmurs.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“I’m tired, and my feet hurt. They made me run for a really long time.”

I lean my forearms on my knees, so I’m more level with where she’s lying in the bed. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Erin.”

Her eyes shift around the room, taking in the bare walls and small window, the midday sun high in the sky. “I wish I could go home.”

Reyne and I share a loaded look, because she seemed so much older than eight years old when she said it, with an awareness that her home was destroyed, and there’s no going back there for a long time.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” I offer the words, knowing they’re useless, wishing there was some way for me to fix it.

“Do you think you can answer some questions for us?” Reyne begins, after a few moments where Erin stares out the domed window. “If you don’t want to tell us, or you’re scared, that’s okay. We can stop. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Erin tries to shuffle herself up the bed so she’s sitting up and I reach forward to help, fluffing the pillows behind her so she’s comfortable. This time, she clasps my hand and holds onto it tightly.

“Can you tell us what happened? How you ended up with that message for Elsie?”

Erin takes in a single breath and fiddles with the sheets tucked around her.

“They came to our village in the night. It’s always at night. Mum tried to hide me in the cupboard, but they found us as she was closing the door.” Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence, and Reyne reaches for some water on the nightstand next to the bed.

After she takes a sip, Erin speaks clearer. “There were shadows everywhere, and Brollachan were there, too. My mum told me to not let go of her, and not to look. I tried not to, but it was hard to do both, and I saw them hurting people I knew from around town. I was the only kid they took. They left the rest behind.”

Reyne and I exchange another glance, and Callahan’s presence drifts closer to the door as he listens in to what Erin is saying.

“We were blindfolded and thrown into wagons, and travelled for a while. I don’t know how long. I just tried to keep hold of my mum’s hand. When they took the blindfolds off, we were in this underground cave. There was a big fire, and lots and lots of people, and more Brollachan. Then . . . then the big monster came.”

“You’re doing so good, sweetie,” I reassure her, stroking my thumb over her hand. “Was it another Brollachan?”

Erin shakes her head, losing what little color she had, and moving nearer to me. “We couldn’t see him at first, he was hidden in his magic. Mum told me not to look again, but I couldn’t stop myself. She was trying to hide me behind her and he noticed.”

She stares at the wall as tears gather in her eyes and spill onto her cheeks. I climb onto the bed with Erin and open out my arm. She leans into my side, drawing her knees up to her chest.