Page 103 of A Dawn Of Blood

“I don’t think this is the time to ask questions, Emberlord,” Alaric spits out. “We need to restrain Wolfram as soon as possible.”

At this, Cain abruptly turns away from me. “What did you just call me?” he growls.

“Cain, don’t,” I yell as I watch him lunge at Alaric.

I manage to stop him, but not before he’s injured him.

“Cain,” I call out when I see him grab his knife out of its holster.

“No,” he snaps as he turns to me and viciously slices into his wrist, probably hoping it will get my blood out. “Lying. Manipulating.Witch.”

Chapter 72

Ispend the night tossing and turning in bed, staring at Cain’s door. What I found out last night… I don’t even want to think about it, that’s how devastating it is to me. But I know without a doubt that there will be pressure to keep going with the mission. After all, we have everything but a piece of his shadows, the plan is to get it from the capital’s shadow torch, and we know for a fact that Baldur is currently away from Dryvein.

And only yesterday, I thought going there would be a simple matter, at least when it came to Cain.

Now… now I’m not so sure.

So it’s after a sleepless night that I show up for the meeting. Seeing everyone only makes me even more torn, especially when I see how pale Raven is.

“Alright, everyone,” Nuala says as soon as we all take our seats around the table, “we’ve had our fun last night…” She makes a face, her eyes darting to Cain sitting in the corner, with a more murderous air about him than ever before. “Sort of…” Sheshakes her head and looks back at us. “Now it’s time to decide exactly when we want to set off for Dryvein.”

Fuck. Here we go.

“Tomorrow?” Dryden suggests. “It’s Baldur’s Day, there will be an outdoor service so the cathedral will be empty, and the crowd might provide the perfect distraction.”

Everyone starts nodding away.

I inhale deeply to prepare myself for the resistance. “We might need a few more days,” I say, making Nuala turn to frown at me.

“I don’t think we’ll get a better opportunity than this one, Anna,” she tells me. “Besides, we got the bones. What else do you want us to do?”

My eyes dart to Cain. “I need to figure out a way to leave Cain here.”

“Why in the name of gods would we dothat?” she demands.

“He’s not okay. And I don’t think it would do him any good, to go back to that place.”

“His home?” Dryden asks with sarcasm in his voice.

I shoot him a look that’s supposed to convey he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “Yes, his home.”

“So you’d like us to change the plans for saving the world because seeing Dryvein might hurt the general’s sensibilities?” Nuala drawls.

I release a frustrated breath. “Alright, then look at it as a safety concern. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep him from escaping.”

“How does that help us? Are you volunteering to stay back?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not, we need me to go.”

“Thenheneeds to go as well,” Nuala says sternly.

Everyone seems to be in agreement with her. And I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but I have no arguments or suggestions.

There’s a moment of silence before Dryden throws me a sympathetic look and says, “We weren’t all planning on going anyway.”

Nuala squints at him. “What’re you saying?”

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