Her eyes moved between his. ‘More than anything.’

‘Good.’ He nodded slowly, his mind working. ‘I need to return to Chadora to settle some things, and then I’m coming back.’

She stared at him, visibly confused. ‘Why?’

‘Are you really asking me that?’

‘For how long?’

‘Until you tell me to leave.’

‘What if I never tell you to leave?’

He looked in the direction of the house. ‘Then I’ll have plenty of time to fix that roof.’

She stepped back from him. ‘If this is a joke, it is not funny.’

‘It’s not a joke.’

Clearly she was struggling to process what he was saying. ‘You cannot leave Chadora. What about Tatum, Alveye, and Hadewaye?’

‘They’ll be fine without me.’

‘And will you be fine without them?’

He sighed. ‘If you don’t want me to return—’

‘Of course I want you to return, but I do not want you to regret it later. If all of this had not happened, you would not even be here. You would have continued to move forwards with your life and forgotten all about me.’

He waited for her to fall silent. ‘Are you finished?’

‘For now.’

Margery circled overhead. Isabel raised an arm so she could land. The eagle got comfortable, as though waiting to hear his response.

‘There’s no moving on from you,’ Blackmane said. ‘Trust me, I’ve tried.’

She studied him for the longest time before asking, ‘Would you like to pet her?’

‘The bird?’

‘No, Ita.’ She laughed. ‘Yes, the bird.’

He reached out to stroke her feathers. She did not move away or attempt to slice his face open, so he took that as a good sign.

‘She is an excellent judge of character,’ Isabel said, looking up at him. ‘Go do whatever you need to. We will be here waiting for you when you get back, defender.’

‘Stay out of trouble until I get here.’

Her lips turned up. ‘I make no promises.’

Chapter 39

CHAPTER 39

Blackmane was on his way to see the warden when he was intercepted by three very unhappy defenders fresh from the training field. They were sweat-soaked with grass in their hair and matching scowls.

‘Firstly,’ Tatum said, ‘what the hell were you thinking going to Hampstead Keep by yourself?’

Alveye shook his head like a disappointed parent. ‘You could have been killed.’

‘We’ve been worried sick,’ Hadewaye added. ‘Tatum has been running extra laps to manage the stress.’

‘And you know he hates to run,’ Alveye said.

Tatum held up two fingers. ‘Secondly, what in God’s name are you wearing?’

Blackmane looked down at his clothes.

‘And thirdly,’ Tatum said, drawing Blackmane’s attention back to him, ‘did you get Isabel?’

Blackmane’s eyebrows lifted slightly. ‘That’s the order of your questions?’

Tatum looked down at the peasant clothes again, then said to Alveye, ‘Should the clothes question have been first?’