the whistle of the switch, although it rarely lands upon me. Nola is full of rage for our king’s sweet mate and punishes her with a cruelty that would make the Goddess weep.
Every step takes us further from the village and hope. They allow us to remove the gags once we are too far away to make a call. I do not recognize the three men, only Nola. It seems improbable that they are from the Halket clan, yet they are with Nola, and so they must be. My stomach churns, fearing that Fen and Brandon have failed utterly in their negotiations and are even now prisoners or dead.
He cannot be dead. Surely I would sense it if that were so?
I don’t know anything. The swing and fall of the switch demands we put one foot before the other.
A childhood of sleepwalking has left a legacy, and my feet only hurt a little for the lack of shoes. But Hazel is soon limping as if the switch was not bad enough.
I worry for her. I worry for us both.
We come to a stop beside the river where more men and horses wait. As I recognize the newcomers, my breath lodges in my throat.
Lyon clan.
Their murmured conversation mentions bartering the king’s mate for Danon. My brows tug together. Danon is the firstborn son of the Lyon King. Has Danon been taken prisoner?
My hope lifts a little at this news. They will not kill us unless whoever holds Danon does the same.
My lips tremble as I wonder if Gage is part of this.
A fantasy explodes into my mind where Gage storms the group holding us, slays them all, and saves us both.
Hazel collapses to the floor, crushing my foolish hope under the reality of our fate. I hurry to her side. No one minds us. We are both exhausted and shoeless; running would achieve nothing besides swift capture and punishment.
“Do you know these people?” Hazel whispers.
I nod. “I recognize a warrior from the Lyon clan. Why Nola is with them, I do not know. I heard a man mention that you are to be bartered. The Lyon King’s son has been taken, and they need you so that they might get him back.”
“So, you are here by association,” she says.
I see the pain upon her face, both the physical and the emotional kind. She is blaming herself for me being here. The only person to blame in this is witchy Nola, who conspires with our enemies.
“Our warriors will come for us,” I say, voice steady although my heart is not. I cannot believe Gage would be part of this. These ruffians that hold us do not know Gage and I have met and spoken, nor that we share a secret, one that binds us before the might of the Goddess Herself.
“I wonder what has transpired for them to have captured Danon? It will not end well for them that they dared to take you as leverage.” My eyes grow heavy with tears as I watch the group argue. This time, they are angry tears.
“They will be well punished.” Whether it is Gage who punishes them or Jack, Fen, and Brandon, remains to be seen.
I pray that it is so.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Brandon
AFTER FINDING THE Halket king dead, we returned with Eric to his home. Danon is silent the whole journey. But when we arrive at the clan, he is taken to their village hall, the doors shut, and questioned.
Outside the hall, a funeral pyre is being built, and the king prepared for his journey to the Goddess. Inside the hall, the plaintive cries of the firstborn Lyon son are music to my ears.
A river of blood trickles over his chin and chest, his eyes are so swollen they cannot open, and his body is bruised and battered. If every rib is not cracked, it won’t be for want of trying.
He laughs. I think the bastard has been beat about the head too many times.
“Why did you kill him?” Eric roars, sending the Lyon man crashing to the rough wooden floor with another savage punch.
Danon groans, rolling slowly to his side. He spits a mouthful of blood to the floor.
“I didn’t kill your father,” Danon says, pausing to spit out more blood. “I have said as much many times. But it seems you are not the man I thought you to be. You are too fucking drunk on revenge to care about justice.”
Fen is silent; so am I.
Eric stands over the prisoner, chest heaving, knuckles