Chapter 248 After The Battle (1/2)

The guardswo over Arran's injuries, but to little effect It was obvious that her talents lay in areas other than healing, and h Arran's self-inflicted injuries were, her best efforts only succeeded in ly uncoested that she are of this, but it did not stop her frouessed that with the Matriarch's apprentice before her, she didn't dare be seen doing nothing

Arran reluctantly accepted the unhelpful attention If he was to play the part of a shocked initiate who had just barely escaped death, he couldn't seem too confident

When the Matriarch arrived a short while later with several dozens ofbehind her, there was a look of relief on the guardswoman's face At once, she left Arran's side and hurried toward the Matriarch

”Lady Matriarch,” she began ”There was an aesture ”My apprentice will tell uardswoman, she approached Arran, then knelt beside hiht?”

Arran nodded ”Other than a few bruises, I'm fine”

The Matriarch frowned, clearly not content to take his word for it She reached out with her right hand and placed it against his chest, and briefly, a look of concentration appeared on her face ”You have three broken ribs”

”I've had worse than that,” Arran replied truthfully ”A few days of rest, and I'll be all healed”

The Matriarch looked hi concern But then, she sighed, and her expression softened ”I suppose so,” she said ”But tell me what happened In detail”

Arran did as she asked, describing the attack in as much detail as he could Yet rather than reveal his resistance to htblade's a its power more than a little

The Matriarch listened intently as he spoke, and when he finished, she nodded thoughtfully ”This amulet Show it to me”

Arran handed her the a that she would not see through his lies Deceiving so he wanted to do, but there was no other choice — not without revealing his true strength

By now, he trusted the Matriarch enough that he would have done so gladly, but the secret was one that Brightblade had instructed him to keep

The Matriarch studied the amulet for several moments, and from the scowl that appeared on her face, Arran feared that his deception had failed

Finally, the Matriarch shook her head ”It's gone,” she said in a regretful tone ”I'h of the enchantment remains for me to restore it”

”That's a sha care to hide his relief ”But it served its purpose”

”You don't understand,” the Matriarch replied in a sharp tone ”A treasure like this… Even an aainst novices' attacks is a priceless artifact But this…” She shook her head ruefully ”Brightblade will not take its loss lightly”

Arran stared at her in disbelief He had just suffered an attempt on his life, but the Matriarch seemed more concerned with the loss of an aer hardly mattered — she didn't know about that

Moreover, even if his attackers now lay dead on the road, there was no reason to believe they didn't have h Arran had little reason to worry about adepts, he wasn't nearly as confident in his chances against a group of Masters — or worse

”That's what you're worried about?” he asked ”The amulet?”

As the Matriarch took her eyes off the now-useless item, there was a brief look of confusion on her face before understanding dawned in her eyes

”Your safety is more important, of course,” she said ”But you survived the attack And there won't be another”

”How do you know?” Arran asked, not at all convinced by her reassuring words He had been attacked within the Valley, in broad daylight, barely a quarter-hour from the Matriarch's own House of Seals That people dared do such a thing even here suggested that the Matriarch's ire was hardly a sufficient deterrent