Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)(104)

He’d hoped to include Rogan Shadow Dancer as well, representing the clans, but he’d left on some mission or other to the upland camps or the coast. That might be just as well. Shadow was a bit of a loose cannon.

They’d all been sworn to secrecy. They all looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

It was no wonder they’re wary, Ash thought. They don’t know you. He’d been closest to Finn, and even he had become a stranger since they were boyhood friends.

It was his job to win them, and he’d never practiced being charming.

“Thank you for coming,” Ash said. “Once I explain what this is about, each of you is welcome to opt in or opt out, no questions, no hard feelings. I just ask that none of this be shared outside of this circle. Agreed?”

When everyone nodded, he continued. “As you know, my sister Alyssa was taken captive by the empress Celestine of Carthis in an attack on the port of Chalk Cliffs. We assume she’s being held prisoner somewhere in the east. I plan to rescue her.”

Talbot flinched, then pointed at Strangward. “Why is he here?” she said, in her blunt fashion.

“Strangward is a weather mage and a skilled pilot with an intimate knowledge of the Desert Coast. We’ll need him.”

“Huh,” Talbot said. She shifted on the hard temple floor, wrapped her arms around her knees, and fixed the pirate with a suspicious gaze. “What’s in it for you? Why would you risk your life to save our princess?”

“I am here to stop the empress, free my homeland, and save my own skin,” Strangward said. “It seems to me that the best way to do that is to join in on a rescue of the wolf princess.”

“Before we get into the weeds on this, are we sure Lyss isn’t being held in the keep at Chalk Cliffs?” DeVilliers said.

“Corporal Talbot saw her being taken aboard the empress’s flagship just off Chalk Cliffs,” Ash said.

Talbot nodded. “Plus, she left a message on the beach,” she said.

Finn’s head came up. “She did? Before she was carried off, she had time to write a note?”

Talbot reached into her uniform tunic and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded and refolded many times. Carefully flattening it, she held it up for everyone to see.

AG + BdT

Finn squinted at it. “What does that even mean?” he said.

“Alyssa Gray plus Breon d’Tarvos,” Talbot said.

DeVilliers raised an eyebrow. “The busker?”

Talbot nodded. “Plus, there was an arrow pointing out to sea. That means they were carried off by ship.”

“How do you get that?” Finn said. “That looks more like a lover’s inscription. Saying they ran away together.”

“Well, she didn’t have time to write a whole story,” Talbot said, scowling, folding the paper up again.

“Even if we assume she was alive on the beach, and carried away aboard ship, how do we know that she is still alive?” Julianna said.

“She is,” Talbot said, without hesitation. Then added quickly, “Captain Byrne says so. He says that he would know if the line was broken.”

“Can he tell where she is?” DeVilliers said. “That would help a lot.”

Talbot shook her head. “He says that her bound captain might, if she had one. His primary connection is to Queen Raisa, and now—” She paused, took a breath, and looked down at her hands. “It would help if Lyss had a bound captain of her own.”

The mysterious connection between queens and the captains of the Gray Wolf guard had existed for more than a thousand years. After the magical disaster known as the Breaking, Queen Hanalea the Warrior was the first to take a bound captain, who happened to be a Byrne. Ever since, it had always been a Byrne.

Bound captains were magically compelled to defend the Gray Wolf line at all costs. They had the ability to anticipate threats and counter them, and to track their queens, even over long distances. When Ash’s sister Hana was killed in the borderlands, her bound captain, Simon Byrne, died fighting at her side.

The ritual that bound captain to queen was a closely held secret, known only to the captains, their queens, and the presiding speakers.

“In order to do that, we’d have to involve Captain Byrne,” Ash said. “I can’t imagine that he would approve.”

“He might,” Talbot said. “I’ve been reading up on it in some old texts. The captain’s first allegiance is to the Line, not to an individual queen. In order to save the Line, he might give the go-ahead. Anything we can do to improve our odds, we should do.” Talbot raised her chin, meeting Ash’s eyes unflinchingly.

Hmm, Ash thought. Obviously, she already has a plan. I’m going to have to find out more about this.

Julianna shifted her weight and glanced at Finn, then back at Ash. “Speaking of the queen, has she approved this idea of a rescue mission?”

“No,” Ash said. “I haven’t asked her.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I know it’s unforgivable—to leave again after being gone for so long, especially since she’s so worried about Lyss. It’s a terrible thing to do to my mother. But it’s the right thing to do for the realm. The only way to succeed with this is to launch a quick, surgical strike—in and out before we’re noticed. I’ll understand, though, if that’s a deal-breaker for anyone.”