Fearless (Nameless #3)(5)
The guards yanked them away, leaving Zo with her hand stretched to where Gryphon’s warmth had been.
Commander Laden cleared his throat and massaged the side of his neck. “If nothing else, the boy has some nerve.” A genuine smile spread across his face.
“He’s just angry. You can’t hold him prisoner. Please, release him.”
Laden nodded, the weight of his command brought him back to the point. He spoke calmly. “I will do what is right for the Allies. His fate is uncertain, but his service to you will not go unaccounted for.”
“But, sir!”
“Enough.” Commander Laden’s voice boomed throughout the tent.
Zo’s mouth clamped shut. Her nostrils flared as she narrowed her eyes at him.
Laden waved for her to sit at his desk. “Do you trust me, Zo?”
Zo glared at him for a prolonged breath. Laden’s liquid dark eyes showed so much more uncertainty and warmth than his posture ever betrayed. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she relented with an affirmative nod.
Laden lowered himself into the seat in front of her. “Then know that I will do everything I can for the lad, so long as he’s willing to help us.” He leaned forward. “Now, I want to hear the whole story. Everything that happened from the moment you stepped foot inside the Gate.”
Zo told him everything. About her slavery to the Ram, her work as a healer, Gryphon sparing Gabe’s life, and how they all parted ways after leaving the Gate. Her time with Boar and Ikatou, and the little she knew about Gryphon’s time with the Raven.
He swore under his breath then sat staring at the wall of his tent. A minute passed. Then two. Zo knew better than to interrupt his thoughts so she clamped her hands in her lap and waited, thinking how nice it would be to hug Tess.
“Simmika!” Laden called, startling Zo from her thoughts.
One of Laden’s guards threw back the tent flap as he entered, then bowed.
“I need a new scouting team. Send a Wolf detachment this time. Have them monitor all movement at the Gate. I want to know how many mess units enter and exit. Have them report back in three weeks. No later.”
“Sorin!” Laden yelled.
Another man appeared, wearing a string of black feathers around his neck. “Alert Captain Eton. Tell him to send his 200 warriors to escort the Raven who are expected to arrive on the south shore. They may need our assistance.”
The man called Sorin smiled. “We’ll have a difficult time limiting them to only 200, sir. All of the Raven will want to reunite with their families.”
“Two hundred, Sorin. Not one man more.”
The dark-skinned Raven nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Yates!” A portly man appeared. He was the only man Zo had seen not carrying any sort of weapon. “Send for Millie to attend to Zo. Assemble my lieutenants to gather in the meeting tent in one hour. Also,” he paused, as though considering, “have the Pack leaders arrange some entertainment for the men. I think this camp could do with a bit of music and it’s time for our newest recruits to receive a proper Wolf welcome.”
The man nodded and scurried out of the tent to fulfill his orders.
When only he and Zo were left in the tent, Commander Laden settled back into his chair, rested his elbows on the desk, and rubbed his face. Zo could only imagine the stress that came with being responsible for so many. After a moment, he looked back up to Zo with a weak smile. “I’m proud of you.” His voice was heavy. “As much as I hate to concede anything to a Ram, that boy was right to be angry with me.”
“I was going whether you sanctioned the mission or not.”
He nodded. “Now that I know you’re safe, I honestly can’t say that I regret sending you. You achieved far more than I could have ever dreamed. Hard decisions can yield the greatest results. I just want you to know that … I’m sorry. For everything. Especially what you and your sister had to endure within the Gate.”
Zo wouldn’t gain anything from arguing. It had been her decision. She’d begged for months and months to be allowed to go. Of anyone in camp, a healer had the most chance of being admitted into Ram’s Gate. Her nearly black hair and above average height was so uncommon in Wolves that she could almost pass for a Kodiak. Besides, she’d had a score to settle on behalf of her parents … a hatred that wouldn’t be pacified. “I’m glad to be back, sir.”
An older woman wearing an apron, her white hair pulled back in a kerchief, entered the tent. “Ah, Millie. Please take Zo to the women’s tent, where she can see her sister and rest until dinner.”
The woman curtsied and led her from the tent, but before Zo ducked under the tent flap she paused and looked back at Laden, the closest person she had to a guardian in the world. “I care for him, Commander. Please, show him an ounce of the mercy he has shown me.”
Chapter Three
Gryphon and Joshua sat on the ground with their hands chained to their feet. The rusted metal of the handcuffs made Gryphon wonder how many men over the years had shared his fate by these chains. The air smelled of venison stew, making his mouth water. The tent glowed amber in the afternoon sun, trapping the heat within.
Joshua stared at the closed tent flaps as if trying to make out the number of soldiers standing guard outside. “How many are there?” he asked, worried.