Page 93 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘None of your —’
‘The sounds I heard from the roof made it my business…’
Talemir cringed inwardly, accepting the spare shirt that Wilder pulled from his pack somewhere and shedding his tattered one, drawing a few stares from onlookers.
When he’d finished buttoning the shirt – which was clearly one of Wilder’s and a little tight – Wilder gave his shoulder a squeeze. ‘I’m glad you found some comfort before we return to Thezmarr,’ he said more seriously. ‘Furies know we’ve needed it.’
It was one of the first times that Wilder had ever alluded to his struggles since the final battle of Naarva, and Talemir almost tried to coax more from him, until the words hit a note inside him.
Comfort? It was so much more than that with Drue. Talemir’s gut hardened as the rest of Wilder’s words washed over him – the innocent comment was like a cold bucket of water being dumped over his head. Suddenly, the pocket of bliss he’d experienced fractured, reality crashing down around his ears.
Return to Thezmarr…Of course. He was a Warsword of the guild. He had duties, responsibilities… All he had thought of was Drue. Everything else had seemed so miniscule in the face of what they had shared.
Only decades of training kept his face neutral. ‘What are the plans moving forward?’ he asked.
Wilder’s brow furrowed slightly, as though he wanted to say something more on the subject, but he didn’t. Instead, he surveyed the room, and Talemir followed his gaze to where tables had been set up at the far end and Adrienne was poring over a bunch of maps.
‘Adrienne’s been waiting for Drue…’ Wilder gave a knowing smirk.
Drue herself strode into the warehouse, her shoulders back, her chin held high. Somehow she looked completely unruffled, as though she’d had a decent night’s sleep and was ready for the day… He clearly hadn’t done his job properly —
‘Easy, brother…’ Wilder grinned beside him. ‘I’ll wager she only just managed to —’
‘Don’t even finish that sentence,’ Talemir cut him off.
From afar, they watched as Drue met a sly-faced Adrienne at the table. The glare Drue shot her friend told Talemir she was being subjected to the same grief.
‘What did I miss last night, anyway?’ Talemir asked his protégé as they started towards the women.
‘A lot,’ Wilder replied. ‘Someone discovered a case of fire extract, so the rangers dug into that something fierce. Adrienne beat the shit out of that prick, Coltan —’
‘What? Adrienne beat Coltan?’
Wilder nodded enthusiastically. ‘Pummelled him to the ground, more like.’
‘Why?’
‘He talked shit about Drue. Adrienne just lost it. Beat him up and kicked him out of the forces.’
‘About time.’
‘Adrienne said as much. Apparently, he’s been on her nerves for years.’
‘Wish I could have seen it.’
‘She knows how to land a punch. Let’s just say that.’
The Warswords reached the women and Talemir schooled his features into a neutral expression once more. ‘Is the plan still to locate the lair?’ he asked.
Drue answered without hesitation. ‘Yes. Adrienne has told me that some of the captives have opened up a little more since their liberation. They’ve spoken at length now about what the raiders discussed in front of them. The gist is that it’s known there are more cages in the lair, and that they hold live captives. Gus might be there – there might still be hope…’
Beside her, Adrienne was nodding. ‘We give our forces another half hour to recover from last night’s antics, and for any injured parties to be assessed for the journey. Then we head south.’ She looked to Talemir. ‘Drue told me you might be able to track the wraiths?’
Wilder shot him a confused expression, but Talemir nodded. ‘I have a rough idea of what to look for.’
‘Good. We move out shortly.’ Then, Adrienne made a point of looking between him and Drue and said with a straight face: ‘I suggest you two eat something. You must be famished.’
Drue’s answering glare could have given even the sturdiest warrior pause, but Adrienne merely laughed.
