Page 75 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
Wilder shook his head. ‘At least tell me there’s some mead inside.’
‘I can do you one better.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘There’s wine.’
Wilder’s eyes bulged. ‘Don’t toy with me, Tal. I’ve just crossed shark-infested waters for you.’
Talemir laughed, unable to stop himself from glancing at Drue, who was laughing with Adrienne on the tavern porch. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
‘I sent word back to Thezmarr,’ Wilder said quietly.
‘You did?’
‘Things here are more dire than we were led to believe, Tal. These people need help.’
Talemir was suddenly cold. ‘And who do you think will answer the call?’
‘Torj Elderbrock,’ Wilder replied. ‘Maybe even Vernich, if Torj applies enough pressure. If they each bring a unit of their own, perhaps we could get things more under control.’
‘I see.’
‘You don’t agree?’
Talemir braced himself. ‘I don’t know what to think. All I know is that missives have been lost. Messages mislaid. And the wrong information passed along.’
‘What are you saying, Tal?’
‘I’m saying we need to keep our eyes open. Even with the guild.’
Soon, Talemir found himself sitting between Drue and Wilder before a fire blazing in the hearth, along with Adrienne, Drue’s father, Fendran, and his friend, Baledor, as they discussed the situation with the raiders. He and Drue relayed the information they’d gleaned from their surveillance and the bad news about the prisoners held captive inside the warehouse.
‘Bastards,’ Adrienne spat when he was done.
Drue murmured her agreement.
‘We’ll get them out,’ Talemir told them. ‘With the forces you’ve brought, and Wilder as well, we can launch an attack swiftly.’
Wilder was nodding beside him. ‘We can run through some basic drills tomorrow, decide on our formations. We’ll have your people freed in no time.’
‘And then we continue on to the wraiths’ lair together,’ Drue added. ‘We may yet be able to save Gus, Dratos and the others from the watchtower.’
‘From what Adrienne’s told me of Gus, he’s a survivor,’ Wilder added. ‘Dratos, too. He sounds like enough of a pain in the arse that even the wraiths might get sick of him.’
Both women gave him a grateful look.
Wilder seemed right at home with the Naarvians, and for that, Talemir was glad. Though the young Warsword had verbalised nothing of the sort, Talemir suspected he’d been lonely since his brother’s injury.
‘And what of our mission, Tal?’ Wilder asked more quietly, sensing his gaze.
‘I visited the steel source,’ Talemir said. ‘But found nothing untoward there.’
‘What about Drue?’ Wilder murmured under his breath. ‘Wasn’t the initial report about her? Was she not the one accused of meddling with —’
‘She has nothing to do with it.’
‘Since when?’
