A Storm of Chaos (The Hunter Legacy #1)

Chapter Twenty-Four

That went well, Felix thought as he watched Kaya stalk away. She went to the opposite side of the sparring ring, her eyes on Brocard who was shrugging off his cloak in readiness for his second duel. King Sigard and Argus had also paused their practice to watch the match between Noah and Brocard, with several other Shields doing the same.

Noah looked over to Felix then, giving a very accusatory glare, and Felix loosed a sigh before walking over to him.

'What did you say to her?' Noah said in exasperation.

'Very little, actually,' Felix replied. 'She's clearly immune to my charm.'

'Sorry to break this to you, but most women are when they come to their senses,' Noah quipped.

Felix made a face at him.

'I need you to speak with the Comavren for me,' Noah said as he adjusted his baldric.

Felix grimaced. 'Really?'

'If anyone can arrange a subtle meeting between myself and Kaya, without Lecreux or Medea finding out, it is her.'

'And if I ask her, you know she'll want to be present at the meeting,' Felix told him, not knowing which he thought was worse; asking Theia for a favour, or allowing her to be present when Kaya ripped Noah to shreds.

The other thought, however, of Kaya and Theia in a confrontation was even more terrifying.

'I know,' was all Noah said, and then he headed into the centre of the ring where Brocard now waited.

Felix's instincts thrummed with growing agitation as he watched Noah become so exposed, so unguarded, even as he reminded himself that Noah was more than capable of defending his own life. He was reckless with it, yes, but still capable. Besides, the threat of an attempted assassination was minimal here – Felix could see even from where he stood that Shields on guard duty were placed at every possible vantage point around the drill yard – and even if it wasn't, Noah was just an Emissary; his assassination would mean nothing while the court still ran the House of Wind.

Nothing to the rest of the world, at least.

As if she had been watching this entire time – or had one of her Mentalists watching – the Comavren appeared from the path leading down into the drill yard, Lady Liretta and her brute of a guard at the Comavren's side. Given the sour expression on Theia's face, Felix suspected that the Comavren had brought the Andine representative down here deliberately.

At the sight of King Sigard, however, Lady Liretta was quick to leave the Comavren's side and approach him. Not surprising, considering how diligently Andine had been working over the last year to earn Ender's favour.

The Comavren surveyed the scene, her gaze like a hawk's as she watched Noah and Brocard face each other, and then as she swept her eyes across the rest of the drill yard Felix caught her eye from where he stood with a subtle tip of his head. Her expression gave no indication that she had noticed his silent request, but she started walking toward him just as Noah and Brocard both struck, the clash of their swords ringing out across the drill yard.

'I'm surprised you've allowed this,' Theia drawled, turning when she reached Felix's side so she could watch the duel.

'If you hadn't noticed,' Felix replied, 'Noah is impossibly hard to control.'

'I'm of the opinion you don't try all that hard,' she returned, but it wasn't a jab to his role as a guard or a hit to his pride this time. It was an observation, one with a tone of mild understanding.