Indra sobbed. Snot ran down her face as her skin turned red and blotchy. “Please!”
“You brought this on yourself,” Caden said. “You knew the consequences if you failed. You’ve even enacted them on failed challengers yourself.”
When she didn’t answer, Fallon made a sound of frustration and stood.
“Cale. It was Cale,” she cried as he turned his back. As if released from a dam, her words poured out. “It was his idea to alter the maps given to the scouts. He said the more men you lost, the lower the morale. He was the one who had your maps exchanged for an older set and marked the route next to the spidren nest as safe. It was all him.”
Fallon bent his head and rubbed his forehead. The curve of his neck spoke of sorrow.
Caden looked sour but unsurprised. Neither man looked shocked, more like resigned.
“It doesn’t matter,” Indra suddenly said. “You may have won this battle, but we’ve finally managed to decipher the Highlander’s maps. When I don’t return, Cale will take them and head north. Once he gets his hands on those weapons, it won’t matter how great your army is.” Sobbing nearly hysterically now, Indra collapsed, sinking facedown into the ground.
What? Shea started for the woman. She needed to know details. Had they deciphered all of it? Or just parts?
Fallon nodded once, sharply to his men.
The one on the left drew his sword and swung down on her neck, cutting Indra off in mid sob. The air came alive with the sharp zing of metal clearing scabbard and then the aborted quick cries of men before they died.
It was over almost before it had begun. At the end, every conspirator lay dead in a pool of their own blood.
“You ride with me,” Fallon ordered, grabbing hold of her good arm and hustling her towards the horses. “Caden, prepare the men to ride. We need to get back to Darius. Shea, how accurate are those maps?”
“They’re dead.”
“Yes.”
“You killed them.”
“Yes.”
“You killed them all.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Shea couldn’t help the question spilling from her mouth.
She understood death and violence. She couldn’t get away from it as a pathfinder. Both existed out in the remote wilds. It was a dangerous world, one where death shadowed your footsteps, waiting for you to make that one mistake that would destroy everything.
This, she did not understand. Not this wholesale slaughter.
“They betrayed me. There was no way they were leaving this place alive.”
That was not an answer.
“I don’t-“
“Shea.” He hauled her around to face him. “We are not Lowlanders. We rarely exile our people. We have no jails. This is the only way to do things. I could not leave them alive to try again, nor could I let them go to unite with my other enemies. It was quick and merciful. Previous warlords have been known to drag it on for days. I would have preferred not to have killed all these men or the ones I’m preparing to end, but that’s the world we live in. I will do anything to safeguard you and the future I’m building, even stain my hands with blood. Do you understand?”
Shea searched his eyes, struck by the feeling that if she gave the wrong answer this would be the end of them.
“No,” she said. Steeling herself against the disappointment in his eyes, she continued, “I will never understand bloodshed of this scale. I abhor it with every fiber of my being.” He started to turn from her, and she grabbed the front of his shirt. “No, I don’t understand, but I don’t have to. I will not agree with it; I can’t. It goes against the very bedrock of my being, but I will trust you. And I will not judge you. Though, I had questions she could have answered.”
Relief, an expression she never thought to pair with him, dawned behind his whiskey colored eyes, and he touched her hands lightly.
“As to the maps, it depends on which part of the cipher they broke. There are several. Also, if the mist still covers the cliffs, those maps will be useless. They’ll never be able to get through it. Probably. It’d be best if we could stop them from attempting it, though.”
“It’s agreed then,” he said.
Shea let go, smoothing the fabric back into place as she did. “Well. That part is. The rest is still up in the air.”
“It’s agreed,” he reiterated.
To his back, she muttered, “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Chapter Twenty Four
The trip back to the encampment went much faster with Shea riding passenger with Fallon. The group took only one short break to rest and water the horses, then they were off again, riding as fast as the uneven terrain would allow.
It came as no surprise when they rode into camp hours earlier than the trip out had taken. There was no pony to slow them down, nor did they have to wait for the enemy to take the bait.
The camp was much the same as they left it, though there were signs here and there of the impending movement. Many of the sleeping tents had been disbanded and not one fire was lit.
Their pace didn’t pause as they rode through the tent city. People dove out of their way to avoid being trampled. Fallon and his men had a single-minded purpose, and they were going to let nothing or no one stand in their way.
The man was damn near unstoppable once he put his mind to a task.
It didn’t take long to make their way to a trio of tents located right on the border of the area allotted to Lion Clan and Snake Clan. Fallon’s men fanned out, encircling the tents. As one they drew their blades. The circle constricted. Nobody would escape.
They had drawn a large audience.
Shea sat behind Fallon, peering over his shoulder. He had placed his horse directly in front of the center tent’s entrance and now waited quietly. His sword sheathed.
“Cale of the Lion Clan, half-brother to Fallon of Hawkvale, come out and meet your end with honor.” From his position to Fallon’s right, Caden projected his voice so that everyone could hear.
A commotion at the end of the lane drew Shea’s attention. A line of horses rode toward them, Darius at their lead.
The new additions reinforced Fallon’s men, creating a second ring behind them. Darius rode to join Fallon, Caden and Shea.
“I see your trip was successful,” Darius observed dryly.
Fallon grunted, not taking his eyes from the tent.
“In more ways than one,” Darius continued, his gaze falling on where Shea sat behind Fallon.
Shea rolled her eyes.
The group turned their attention back to the tents. No one was forthcoming. With a hundred of the fiercest warriors she had ever seen, Shea didn’t blame them.
They waited.
Shea was beginning to think they would wait until the end of time.
“I was hoping he’d end this with a little dignity,” Fallon said softly.
“That’s just not who he is. He always did have to be as difficult as possible,” Darius responded, sympathy in his tone.
Fallon sighed.
“Go get them,” he ordered Caden.
Caden nodded and then signaled several of his men.
They dismounted then broke into groups as they headed into the three tents. Almost immediately, shouts and the sounds of struggle came. Fallon’s men emerged, first from the smaller two tents, shoving their captives, looking the worse for wear with red and swollen faces and various wounds on their bodies, in front of them.