Chapter 28

                                    

                                          
The Shadow Walkers were halfway through dinner when Corbin and Parker walked in. Immediately, all conversation hushed into silence. They were all sitting in what had once been the dining room of the mansion. The original, rectangular table was still there, though it was groaning under the weight of the pots and pans. It was long enough to give everybody a seat, though they'd had to repair a few chairs before they had enough furniture to accommodate everyone. 
Corbin sat down at the head of the table, and he was handed food and drink immediately. Parker set himself beside Ryleigh, picking food from her plate. She slapped his hand. 
"Get your own food, thief." She shot him a look that was meant to mark her food as her territory, but he only grinned and snatched a chicken leg from her plate, setting his teeth in it before she could take it back. 
"Are you looking for a fight, huh?" She showed him her fist. "I can take you, you know."
He snorted a laugh and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hate to break it to you, Miss Silvered-a-Million-Times, but you're not as strong as you used to be. You couldn't take a toddler." 
The comment was supposed to be teasing, but it hit a nerve. She prided herself on her strength. If she didn't have that, she really didn't have anything. He must have noticed that instead of giving him some kind of clever retort she only stared at him. He lowered the chicken leg from his mouth to the table. 
"Ry, I didn't mean that."
"Yes, you did." She picked up her fork and drove it through a piece of deer meat, though she didn't lift it to her lips. 
"You were injured, Ry. It's not like you had any control over it." 
Ryleigh glanced around her. Everyone had picked up their conversations again, seeing as Corbin didn't seem to be in any mood to relay information. Nobody was paying attention to their conversation, and she was glad for it. The last thing she needed was to draw public attention to her bad state. 
"Just drop it," she said. She grabbed her cup of wine and sipped from it just so she had something to do with her hands. 
"I was just joking, Ry. You could still take most of us." 
She shook her head and stabbed another piece of meat with her fork. Stupid Parker. Stupid silver. Stupid health. Stupid illness. 
"You'll regain your strength. You know you will. You always do. Come on, Ry, don't be mad at me. I was just joking."
"It wasn't funny." 
"I see that now. I'm sorry. You don't usually let my comments get to your head." 
He was right, and she wondered why this time had been different. Sure, her strength was important to her, but this was Parker. He was always saying stupid, insensitive things, and she never cared. Only now she did, for some strange, inexplicable reason. Maybe she'd had more wine than she thought. 
"You're a jerk," she said, shooting him a glare. 
He took the comment as forgiveness, and smirked. "I know. Isn't that what you love about me?" He took another bite of his chicken, then grabbed her cup of wine and took a swig. 
She rolled her eyes, but didn't stop him. 
He leant a little closer, his shoulder brushing hers. "Bad news." He nodded towards Corbin, who was drinking his wine in silence, tapping his fingers against the tabletop. 
Ryleigh frowned. "What's going on?" she asked, loudly enough to draw Corbin's attention, and consequently that of everybody else. 
Corbin sat up a little straighter and put down his cup. "Parker and I just went to retrieve some information our informant in the castle has left for us. Apparently Jade got hit with three silvered arrows late last night. She's not expected to make it to tomorrow."