A Sacrifice of Names

Chapter 13

No.

Nimble fingers stilled, breath hitching in her throat. Earie hardly registered how the man behind the bar pushed the requested glass of water in her direction.

"Can't he pour you anything better than that? Looks quite bland, don't you agree?"

For a split second she wasn't quite sure who she had dreaded encountering here the most. Her conversation with the regent could not have been avoided, and although she still feared crossing paths with him, Earie had the slight hope she could have avoided any sort of encounter with anyone from the Court of Shadows altogether.

She had let down her guards, exactly what Innogen had warned her not to do numerous times. The pair was now nowhere to be found amongst the crowd Earie realised as she quickly cast her gaze over her shoulder. Brenhin curiously followed her gaze, and from the corner of her eye Earie could see the grin on his lips widen.

"Looking for someone?"

"None of your business, I presume."

Brenhin leaned against the bar and picked up Earie's requested drink, twirling the contents inside before taking a sniff.

"Just water?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" The palms of Earie's hands pressed against her hips. Inside her mind she could already hear Keely scold her for looking too nervous. An unconvincing actress she was indeed.

"Feels a bit boring on a night like this, but that might just be me." Brenhin's smile left no trace of mockery and he put the glass back down. "Far too many here seem happy enough to wake up with a headache tomorrow morning."

"My lips felt dry," Earie lied, ignoring the glass. "Besides, I have to be bright and early tomorrow morning. It wouldn't be wise to drink much tonight, would it?"

Brenhin shrugged. "Trust me, lass, it has happened more than once that we had to drag someone from their bed. Not exactly the best way to spend your last morning... here." He spoke the last word with slight contempt in his voice. Earie did not know what to say. More than anything she just wanted to turn around and disappear into the crowd. She might have if he had not looked like a person who would follow her till he got what he wanted.

A dance.

Much to her regret, she had not managed to forget their first encounter back at Keely's home. They had certainly left an impression, albeit not a good one. Dancing was out of the question. If she had wanted to give away her secret in front of hundreds of people then she would have taken his hand and dragged him voluntarily onto the dancing floor. Nevertheless, she was going to have to try and stay in his good graces, for as far that was possible. In the morning she would leave with him and various others and the last thing she wanted was to draw any negative attention towards her. If anything she wanted to remain unnoticeable and expendable. The longer it would take for them to find out she had slipped away after approximately twenty-four hours, the better.

"A more suitable drink then, to loosen up a little? Seems like you have lost your tongue." Brenhin turned his head towards the man behind the bar, lifting two fingers in the air before pointing at a bottle that Earie assumed was wine. In one swift movement she took the glass of water from the bar instead.

"I'm good, but thank you for the offer."

"Manners, huh? That is what I like to see." With a sly grin he grabbed one of the two glasses the barman placed in front of him and raised it in cheers. "You're missing out, though. Your dear regent truly knows how to pamper his guests at these events. I certainly wouldn't have minded an extra day to sleep off an inevitable hangover, but alas."