Page 100 of The Second Death of Locke
“Epras and Luthos have agreed to meet,” Cleoc said. “You are right. They have allied.”
“And Nestria?”
“They remain silent, thus far.”
Grey nodded. She felt the eyes of the other knights on her; she could basically taste the confusion coming from Commander Reggin and his Hand. A few eyes widened when one of Cleoc’s guards pulled out a chair and Grey slipped into it, as if they were expecting Ola orBrit to claim the seat. Perhaps, Grey thought darkly, it was because both looked older, and had brushed their hair, and did not have a bruise covering half of their faces.
“We are to meet Eprain, Luthar and an ambassador from the continent in two hours’ time,” Scaelas said. “We have patrols on the sea, in case they attempt to do anything beforehand, and we have petitioned for the release of Captain Seward.”
Grey blanched. They often petitioned for the release of soldiers taken prisoner outside of the allowable context: more often than not, they were returned dead. And if Kier was killed for naught—if Kier was killed atall… she would raze the entire island. She would swallow it all with the sea in the depths of her grief.
“If I may, my lord?” Commander Reggin started. Scaelas inclined his head. “Your highness,” Reggin said, turning to Grey. He said the title like it burned his tongue, but he continued all the same. “We have arranged two companies from Scaela and have accepted two more from Cleoc Strata. These soldiers will accompany the High Lord and Cleoc as they negotiate the release of Captain Seward.”
Grey glanced over at Torrin. “And I…?”
“You will remain behind our forces, in the fortress and safe,” Torrin said firmly.
Grey scoffed. “I have beeninyour forces for nearly a decade, and I have not died yet.”
“You willnotrisk yourself,” Torrin said, acting again like her father. If he was trying to make up for sixteen years of lost time, this was not the way to do it.
Grey felt Ola’s hand heavy on her shoulder. Fingers dug into her flesh.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “If you are meeting, I need to be there. If you are discussing my future, I need to hear it.”
“She has a point, Scaelas,” Cleoc said mildly.
“I will not reveal you as Locke,” Torrin said firmly. “Not when they would accept Seward’s death and leave you safe.”
Grey could not allow herself to think about the possibility. “Then don’t,” she said. “Take me as your own guard. I will stand behind you and listen, but I will be there.”
“I cannot allow—”
“That is an acceptable compromise,” Cleoc said, sitting back in her chair, her gaze on Torrin cooling by the minute. “And if he refuses to armor you, Locke, you may act as one of my guards.”
Torrin looked between the two of them, clearly furious, trying his best to tamp it down. It took all of Grey’s focus not to smile sweetly at him.
“Then it is settled,” he said, shrugging. “You will come, but not alone. Select one of your guard to accompany you.” He nodded to Reggin, signaling for him to resume his explanation of troop movements on the map.
“It is settled,” Grey agreed.
An hour later, Grey and Eron were lined up with the rest of Scaelas’s guard, marching off to the meeting. Brit and Ola had protested, each volunteering in turn to accompany her, but if one of them perished, she could not imagine being responsible for splitting the pairing. For his part, Eron understood, reaching to squeeze her hand after the other two had stomped off to sulk.
With Grey’s hair up and braided around her head, and dressed in Scaelan armor, she looked like any other guard. She felt the comfort of armor settling over her, the weight of it as familiar to her as the feeling of her own power.
Despite her anxiety, she had to appreciate the beauty of the coast as they rode to the meeting point. This close to Luthar, there were no beaches; the rolling hills went all the way to the cliffs, which fell away into the sea below. When she and Kier were children, Lot would take them to similar cliffs, and they’d take turns jumping into the waiting arms of the ocean below. When Imarta found out, she boxed all of their ears for making her panic, but she did not tell the boys’ mothers.
“Gremaryse.”
She was brought out of her thoughts by Scaelas’s voice, and looked up to realize he had fallen back, riding next to her. He, too, wore armor, but no helm. His own crest was embroidered in gold.
“Have you come to scold me more?” Grey asked. Eron, glancing over, slowed to give them privacy.
Torrin looked at her, frowning. “I will not pretend,” he said. “If I had my way, you would be locked in a tower until we figured out the safest way to do this.”
“You could try to keep me locked up, but you would fail.”
“You know,” he said, “your father would not remain in a locked tower, either.”
