“They are rounding up everyone who might have seen any of us or seen the direction we may have headed and are questioning them,” Griff said. “Three families have already been killed… ones loyal to us.”
“Fuck!” Maddoc stood abruptly, kicking back his chair in his outrage and pacing across the tent. He clenched his fists and turned back to the table, forcing himself to ask. “Who?”
“The Bennetts, the Haywards, and the Wrights.”
Maddoc cursed again, his anger turning to fury. All of those families had young children—most of the families who supported Maddoc’s cause did. And now they were all at risk.
“We have to go home, Doc,” Bram said, though his voice was resigned. “We can’t stay and risk ’em findin’ us here. You have your woman. Let’s go now while we have the chance.”
“I gave my word to those families, Bram,” Maddoc bellowed. “We cannot leave them.”
“Then you shouldn’t have shot the king.” Raine’s voice was quiet but firm.
The other commanders remained silent. Only Raine got away with pushing the boundaries by speaking to him like that, and she only did it when she felt there was a need. Maddoc still didn’t like it.
“Where did they put him?” he asked.
“Back at the palace.”
“Did Agnes go?”
Raine nodded. “I haven’t heard from her.”
It doesn’t matter," another man, Percy, said. "This changes things. We never planned to assassinate the king. It will not bode well for us with the people, even those loyal to us. It will upset the balance too much."
"And we have the heir to the throne," Griff pointed out. "They have an incentive to attack us until they get her back."
"I'm not sure about that," Walrick said. "This is the chance for Sterling and Redcrest to take the throne."
"It’s not that simple," Griff said. "There is no outside influence in this scenario. None of them will want to risk being usurped for taking the throne improperly. It is easier if they have the heir."
"Well, they’re not going to get her," Maddoc thundered. "That should not be a surprise."
Griff shook his head. "No, but they will try hard to.” He inhaled a breath. “I must agree with Bram, Maddoc. We have to go home sooner rather than later."
“No.” Maddoc shook his head. "This just means we execute our plans early, all at the same time. We will still have success while the kingdom is in disarray, we just have to get it done quicker." He looked at all of his commanders. "I trust you will work to ensure that it gets done."
Each of the commanders nodded, except Bram. Bram was a slim man, unassuming in many ways, nothing remarkable about the way he looked, but for his strategic mind. He tilted his head at Maddoc. "If we don’t leave now," he said slowly, "we risk never leaving at all. They will find us here, and they will be desperate to get her back. They will slaughter us and keep their actions hidden in this forest. The longer we stay, the more risk there is to everyone here."
Maddoc gritted his teeth, annoyed at Bram's assessment of the situation, but he couldn't ignore him, not when he relied on him so much for all of his strategic plans.
But Maddoc would not break his word to the people who had risked their lives to help him, to help them all, and he still had to open Ana’s eyes to the truth of her precious court. If he didn’t, she would never accept that what he’d done had been the best thing for them both.
Part of Maddoc wished he hadn't been so cryptic with her during their two nights together, that he'd been able to tell her everything. But she was too much of a puppet, and still was, and had been conditioned not to believe anything he said. That he'd had to get her in his arms through the Royal Promise was already enough of a disgrace, but the fact she didn't even recognize what there was between them, that she fought him at every turn, was testament to how far and how securely she'd been manipulated by her parents.
He walked back to the table. "It is the people out there in the kingdom who risk their lives, yet still help our cause, who are the bravest among us,” he began. “They risk themselves and their families and their livelihoods every day—we would not have achieved anything without them. I will not abandon them. I cannot—it was my arrow in the king’s neck yesterday. So all of you are welcome to leave now if you wish," he began. "I have never forced anyone to stay or to work on this goal with me against their wishes. The only one who is forced to be here is the princess. So if you want to go home, or go anywhere, go. Take any man or woman who wants to go with you and take the weapons you have built. See how you fare. You could survive better in the current circumstances." He leaned forward on the table, his hands planted firmly. "Just know that if you reveal anything about the guild, or our plans you will be killed as is protocol."
All of the commanders were already shaking their heads.
"I am not saying we want to leave," Bram clarified. "I’m saying we should, to avoid any possibility of being captured or killed.”
“Plus some of the new highcloaks haven’t finished their training,” Griff said. “They’re still learning our methods and ways. This is not the time for us to rely on new warriors."
"I agree," Maddoc said. “It should be awhile before they locate us. Finish the training of those who have already started but demote any who are not ready. If there is someone you wouldn’t trust your life with, they must go." He looked at all of his commanders. "Is that clear?"
They all nodded.
"Good. Then we move on with our plan. Just one more thing," Maddoc said. "We have an Omega at our base now. This is hers as much as anyone else's, but she is an unwilling resident. I assume you remember the protocols we talked about being in place for when she is here."
All of the commanders nodded.
"Good. That must be enacted now and at all times. Another thing, none of the highcloaks are to talk to her."
There was a long silence. The commanders stared at him, a couple of them glanced at each other. "But we are all highcloaks… at least, in the active guild…."
"Exactly,” Maddoc said. "Make sure all of them know.”
The confusion on the commanders’ face smoothed out, but he could tell they didn't understand the request. Fortunately, they didn't need to understand to carry it out. "Understood?"
They all nodded, and Maddoc pulled forward the maps and began pouring over everything and discussing their plans. He needed to be careful with everything he did from now on, and it didn't help that in the middle of this, Ana was being so difficult. He understood she blamed him, and that she was grieving, but he couldn’t allow anything negative to fester between them.
But it didn’t matter. He still had her, and once she realized the raw instinctual power of their attraction, her behavior would not last. Soon she would be begging for his cock, and his kisses, and to be by his side as his woman, where she belonged.
6
ANA
Ana sunk deep into the bitterness of the gloom that smothered her.