Page 180 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
He met her eyes and tried not to wrench his hand back. He didn’t think she would punch him or curse him because her gaze wasn’t filled with hate. That didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything or call on someone who would.
But he was done running. He’d gone through the caves and fought his way back to Kyvena to answer for his crimes—he’dbeen ready to take responsibility. He hadn’t known he’d come back to find the city razed.
Besides, the world might be ending. What worse could this woman do if he answered the question truthfully?
Be honest,Hallie’s voice said in his head.
Of course his subconscious now spoke with her voice. She’d be proud.
Kase placed his other hand over the woman’s. “Yes. I can’t even begin to tell you just how sorry…”
He clenched his jaw to prevent the emotion from leaking out as he trailed off. Kase tried to find his words again, but the woman shook her head before releasing him. “I’m praying for you, Master Shackley.”
Well, that wasn’t what he’d expected.
Kase swallowed, nodded, and turned back down the tunnel. He couldn’t find any response to that.
He still didn’t know what he believed in, and after the last few months, he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. His reality had been turned completely on its head. He blinked a few times as he wove between men and women who weren’t Eravin. Maybe when he had time, he could ruminate more on the subject. Not that he knew when that would be, if ever.
Funny how time never did seem to be on his side, no matter how much he wished it would be.
“Pilot Shackley,” Sergeant said, dismissing a runner who had just delivered a missive. He read the short note and handed it to Kase.
The parchment had been ripped from some other document, covered in print on the back that made no sense out of context. The writing on the front was firm, almost too neat.
You will report to the Command Tent at 1200 hours.
Kase recognized the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s handwriting, but couldn’t ascertain the motivation behind the summons.Maybe he wanted a report on his progress with the greenies? That wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation. He’d been sending him daily scouting patrol reports through Sergeant. Maybe it was about those?
He’d kept the hover invisible on his recent patrols to escape attention, but he’d spied Skibs circling the city on his dragon more than once, including one incident where he’d been near the Jayde Center, inspecting the ruins. Kase had fired a few shots to warn him off, missing on purpose. He hadn’t includedthatin his report.
Skibs was clearly searching for something, but Kase didn’t know what. If it was the Catacombs, he could’ve inspected the gaping holes in the landscape created by bombs and cave-ins.
Whatever it was had to be important, and maybe he would lead them right to it. Then Kase could use it as leverage.
Maybe not the best plan, but as long as Skibs didn’t threaten those hiding below, Kase would give him the chance to reveal his hand.
He eyed Sergeant and held up the paper, asking the unspoken question. Sergeant merely shrugged, indicating he knew nothing of what awaited Kase in roughly two hours. Of course.
Kase stuffed the parchment in his pocket and made to go further down the tunnel. Just when he thought he’d reached an understanding with his guard, he became the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s pawn once more.
“Shackley! It’s him!”
Kase whipped his head around to find a man pointing an arthritic finger at him. Others followed the man’s finger and locked eyes with Kase.
Blast.
The crowd grew, pushing him to the side. The wall of bodies nearly swallowed him. Some screamed. He didn’t have apistol. He didn’t have anything besides the missive with which to defend himself if someone sought to harm him, and a papercut wasn’t going to scare anyone off.
“Back up!” Sergeant yelled. Kase caught sight of the man waving his sword about. Several people screamed. Another few stumbled away, tripping on others or refuse. “He is under the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s protection, and any harm brought to him will be punished by the highest extent of Jaydian law.”
A few shouted back something rather crude about nepotism. Kase felt the heat on his neck. They weren’t wrong. Kase tried to speak, but Sergeant beat him to the punch.
“Pilot Kase Shackley is the only reason you lot aren’t dead right now.” Sergeant pointed his sword at one of the loudest offenders. “Don’t give the Cerls the satisfaction of dividing us.”
Kase swallowed. He hadn’t expected such a defense from the man forced to guard him. Maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on him.
Though a few onlookers looked like they had more to say, they clearly didn’t like their odds. They might have had the numbers, but they were untrained and unwilling to test the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s wrath, even if they didn’t respect him as they once did.
