has already shared her knowledge,” Fallon said, the words little more than a growl.
“Rather freely, in fact,” Braden said, surprising Shea. “Ember, you should send some of your vanguard to the beast class she started. They could do with picking up a few pointers.”
If he was Ember, then Gawain must be Rain.
“I will keep that in mind,” Ember said with an interested nod.
“If you ladies are done trading secrets, could we get back to the point at hand?” Van complained.
“I am not sure I see the purpose in leading a force into the Highlands,” Ben volunteered, his mouth pulled into a somber line. “You’ve already stated previously that there is no easy way to get the men, mounts and supplies we need into the Highlands.”
“That’s true.” Fallon braced his hands against the table. “I’ve recently learned there might be an alternate route.”
Shea stiffened and her gaze swung toward Fallon to find his eyes resting on her. She held his gaze for a moment. Surely Reece hadn’t told him about the caverns.
The knowledge was there in Fallon’s eyes. Shit, he had. How serious was this for the pathfinders to let that knowledge fall into the hands of outsiders? And how likely was it that they would let those same outsiders live once they’d fulfilled their role?
Fallon pulled the map towards him and pointed to a spot fifty miles west of the Badlands. “This pathfinder claims there are caverns that lead right up into the Highlands. It’s supposed to be considerably easier to navigate than the cliffs, and we’ll be able to take the mounts and supplies.”
The men stared at the spot he pointed at.
“Why weren’t we made aware of this before?” Ben asked.
Fallon’s council leveled gazes heavy with accusation on him. There was the feel in the air that Shea sometimes sensed right before a storm. The mood was about three breaths from violence.
Van’s eyes narrowed, and he looked about ready to issue a challenge, one that Fallon would be forced to fight. Normally, she would bet on Fallon any day of the week. She’d seen him fight. The man possessed an almost supernatural skill with the blade. But she knew he was tired and bruised, having fought with his men to bring down the eagles as well as participated in the tournament.
“He didn’t know about them,” Shea said, before any more accusations could be thrown. “I never told him.”
She’d probably just made her life a thousand times more difficult, but better that, than seeing Fallon’s people turn on him. Not when she could prevent it.
Shea found herself the center of attention once again.
“And why is that?” Braden asked, his forehead wrinkling with a frown.
Judging by the anger on some of the clan leader’s faces, Braden’s question was the more civilized version of what others wanted to say.
She met his stare with a calm expression. “My people do not give that information out lightly, for reasons I’m sure you can imagine.”
“How are we supposed to trust this woman when she continues to harbor secrets?” Van asked. The look he leveled on Shea made no secret of his distrust.
She forced herself to meet his gaze evenly. Not letting him intimidate her despite the tight feeling in her belly. Worse, was the thought that Fallon might be harboring some of those same thoughts. She couldn’t even fault him if that was the case. She did keep secrets—things that could drastically turn the tide for his people.
Sometimes she felt like a piece of meat caught between two ravenous wolf packs, tugged back and forth, until she threatened to rip right down the center.
“I agree with Lion Clan,” Gawain said, watching Shea with an avarice that didn’t suit the present discussion. “How do we know that anything discussed here will not reach our enemies ears?”
Fallon’s brows lowered into a dark scowl. “You question my honor.”
“Not your honor, just your choice of bedmates,” Gawain said.
“Gawain, you will respect your Warlord,” Henry’s voice was a whip of sound.
The skin at the corner of Gawain’s eyes tightened and his shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. “How can you defend him like this, Father?” Gawain asked, finally turning to address the leader of the Horse clan.
Shea fought to keep her surprise off her face at the revelation that Gawain and Henry were related. She glanced between the two. They looked nothing alike. Gawain was easily a foot taller than Henry and the bones in his face were much finer, giving him an almost delicate appearance.
“His Telroi has