“Your cousin seems to know the leader quite well.”

It was something in Aidan’s voice and, after a few seconds, Brannie caught on. “Oh. Yeah.” She shrugged. “Well, the one thing Ragnar must know is that Keita loves him, because she’s never stayed with anyone too long. Everyone bores her eventually.”

Brannie leaned her head down and dug her fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp for a bit.

“Can I admit something to you?” she asked Aidan.

“You’re just relieved to be off that bloody boat?”

“By the gods, Aidan,” she gasped out, “you have no idea.”

The room door slid open and a woman stepped in. She was beautiful and tall and definitely in charge.

“You’re awake,” she announced.

“Branwen, this is Lady Meihui. Lady Meihui, Branwen the Awful of the Cadwaladr Clan, captain of the First and Fifteenth Companies.”

Brannie smirked at him. “You’re such a royal.”

“I know. It’s a flaw.”

“No introductions are needed for us,” the witch said, moving into the room. “We all know Branwen the Awful.” When Brannie cringed, she added, “Don’t worry. You didn’t kill anyone we know.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Always a bit awkward when you have . . . but you don’t know it until you’re face to face.”

“We’ve just heard a lot about you.”

That surprised Brannie. “You have? About me?”

“Of course. You’re the great Branwen the Awful.”

“I am?” She heard Aidan chuckle. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

Meihui leaned over Brannie and studied her back. Fingers prodded the wound.

“It’s healing very nicely, Captain.”

“Brannie’s fine. Everybody calls me Brannie.”

“All right, Brannie. You’ll need to stay another day. Maybe two before you can head inland to Emperor’s City.”

Brannie looked at Aidan. “Do we have time for that?”

“We’ll make time.”

“Is there a rush?” Meihui asked.

Aidan gave his most charming smile. “Not at all. Captain Branwen just hates to dawdle. Military logic.”

“Of course.” Meihui moved back to the door. “I’ll be sending up some medicinal tea. It tastes awful, but drink all of it anyway. It’ll help the healing.”

“All right.”

“And your Riders . . . we put them out in the stables because they annoyed me.”

Meihui walked out, closing the sliding door behind her.

Brannie and Aidan were silent for a long moment until Aidan noted, “At least the Riders like horses.”

Laughing, Brannie buried her face into her pillow.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

The torrential rains started that night. Aidan went out on the terrace outside Brannie’s room and watched the rain fall for an hour while she slept.

He would forever be grateful to the warrior witches for helping Branwen. When trapped in that storm, he hadn’t known if any of them would survive, but Branwen . . .