The Crow King's Wife(102)

Chapter 13





Rivana





The ship settled uneasily into the sandy riverbed. It was far from an ideal landing spot but it was the closest he could get to the city without risking his ship being spotted by scouts. They would still have a substantial walk to reach Prendington, but it was the only option he had seen that offered any hope of stealth. With a sigh Shade leaned back from the controls and turned to Caleb with a pleading look. He had tried to talk reason to him before they left Delvay, but the man hadn’t listened. Now was his last chance, and he had spent the entire flight inventing ways to manage the day without Caleb dying. He had several ideas and he was certain they would work even if they weren’t conventional plans. The difficult part would be getting Caleb to listen.

“No.” Caleb snapped before he could even open his mouth to speak. The Arovan rose from his seat and stretched with a look of mild irritation on his handsome face. He had changed from his uniform the moment they had left Delvay and the chain mail he wore now rattled softly as he moved. He wore no insignia on the armor, and Shade couldn’t even determine where it had been crafted. It had no special touches to it whatsoever and as far as Shade could tell it wasn’t even magical. It seemed too common for a man like Caleb, but when Shade had questioned him about it Caleb had only shrugged in response.

“But Caleb we could…” Shade began quietly.

“No Shade. There is too much you don’t understand about this.” Caleb cut him off coldly before he could finish. With a heavy breath he gathered his cloak from the back of his seat and walked toward the door.

“I understand my friend is about to suicide for the sake of his honor.” Shade snapped as he rose as well. No matter how much thought he put into it, Shade couldn’t figure out why Caleb was so set on the path of Kevala’drin. The knowledge that his daughter was still alive should have given him a reason to live, but it hadn’t.

“Leave off Shade. We do things my way. Syrah’s life is at stake and I refuse to take risks of any sort.” Caleb replied with forced calmness. With an angry snap of his wrist he shook his cloak out and fastened it around his shoulders. “I go into the city. You, Zoey, and Dray follow me through the gates invisible. I will lure Derrick to us and ensure he brings Syrah. Once Derrick arrives Zoey and Dray head off to find the prisoners while you wait for a chance to kill Derrick. I will make it look as though I’m sending Syrah away with magic but I will simply send her to you, Shade. I can’t actually teleport her out of the country, and even if I could I wouldn’t. I’m not strong in arcane magic and there is a very good chance they will have several mages waiting for me to send her off so they can snatch her from the transport. She will be safer if you find her a place to hide before you kill Derrick. The moment you have the man’s head gather Syrah and go to meet Zoey and Dray. Once you have all of the prisoners on the ship, you leave.”

“And just abandon you to die then?” Shade snapped as his frustration with the plan crested. It was the same thing he had done to Jala when she needed his help and the fact that Caleb was suggesting he repeat the mistake was salt in an old wound. There was no way for Caleb to know that however, and that made the argument that much more difficult. He didn’t have time to explain his objection to Caleb now, and when he had tried earlier Caleb had ignored him. It was all so damn frustrating it made him want to snarl and curse like Neph.

“Easier to argue with a stone and you would have more chance of winning.” Zoelyn mumbled as she rose from her seat. The expression on her face was one of defeat and Shade could tell just from looking at her that she was already imagining Caleb dead.

“I like the plan right up until the point of me abandoning a friend.” Shade grumbled.

“I don’t care if you like the plan, Shade. I care if you follow it.” Caleb snapped. His glowered at Shade and took a half step forward. “And you will follow it. I saved your life in our prison and I’m calling in that debt. You will pay me back today by saving my daughter.”

“You are a stubborn ass.” Shade snapped before giving a grudging nod. “Fine, if everything plays out the way you expect it to then I will follow your plan. If something unexpected happens I will make my own choices without wasting time to consult you.” He added firmly and found himself silently praying that something unexpected would happen. He had no desire to follow the plan at all and today was quite possibly the only day he would ever cheer complications arising.