Chapter 18
HARK
She had behaved exactly as he knew she would.
He had seen the fury in her eyes, the vengeance she would rain down upon Kastonia – upon his people.
The worst part was he didn’t blame her.
He had been sickened when he had found out, and nothing he had said, or bargained, or promised had persuaded Elrod to release them.
Gods, he didn’t know how he would begin to explain it to her.
What was really going on here, and why he couldn’t allow her to charge down there like a whirlwind of death and fury and start killing guards.
He had bet himself she would kill more than half before the soldiers had even realised what was going on, but it was too dangerous.
Too many things could go wrong; too many things that neither of them understood.
No wonder the gods were punishing Kastonia.
She was quiet as he led her back towards somewhere warm – not Irelliad, no.
There would be talk if the two strangers turned up there again, and he couldn’t count on Arla not to start gutting those who couldn’t keep their whispers behind the walls.
She was deadly like this, as if the wrongness of the slave traders had slithered inside her and corrupted any thread of good that ran through her heart.
She was too dangerous to be around anyone who would spark her irritation.
Vorstrum would work. She would like the crowds there, and if she felt the need to release the violence she wielded, she would meet her match in the brawls he was sure she would incite.
Not that he wanted her out of his sight tonight.
Though he was angry with the king and angry with the kingdom, his people didn’t deserve her wrath.
But it was inevitable. He would have to wait until she was asleep to meet his crew, his friends – people who were allies and upon whom he was relying for information and updates on what had been happening in his absence.
There was more than one reason he had chosen Vorstrum to shelter them tonight.