Fearless (Nameless #3)(73)
So close. Just a little farther.
They came to a felled tree blocking the trail. Joshua practically threw Tess over the four-foot-high log before careening over it himself. Zo helped Raca over when she crumbled on her first attempt. The Raven princess let out a ragged cry of pain when she landed hard on the other side, unable to support her weight any longer.
When Zo decided to offer herself as a spy inside the Gate, she’d had no intention of surviving. It was easy to be brave when you had nothing to lose. Looking back now, she could see that what she thought was bravery was merely selfish indifference. Now she wanted to live. She valued her life and the people in it. Bravery seemed impossible.
“Through here.” Joshua beckoned, darting swiftly to the right. The trail became more rocky, the trees less dense. They would be harder to track but had little cover. Zo felt naked as they raced along. The rocky ground often moved beneath her feet, sending her painfully to her knees.
“Hurry, Zo,” Joshua begged. The kid was thirteen years old and notoriously clumsy, but here, in the thick of danger, his focus was centered. Today Joshua was a Ram. Zo pushed to her feet and wrapped Raca’s good arm around her shoulder, redoubling her efforts to put distance between them and the enemy.
All she could think of was how proud Gryphon would be of Joshua. Of how badly she wanted to survive today so she might have the chance to tell Gryphon what a great job he’d done with the kid. For some reason that one desire seemed ridiculously important. A ferocious need.
But the shouts from their pursuers rang out close by, and no matter how brave, no matter how hard she tried, Zo knew she wouldn’t have the chance.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Allies would reach the point where the two rivers converged by midday tomorrow. Gryphon’s men marched in tight formation. The closer the men came to battle, the quieter they became. A common side effect. There was nothing like death to force a man to ponder the deeds of his life. The things left undone.
Gryphon drew his sword as they walked, turning the blade over and over in his hand, enjoying the feel of the hilt’s comfortable grip. Like the handshake of an old friend.
He’d taken to calling out each of his men, one by one, to help them work with their sparring. He knew every one of their names now. They were, by nature, different from the Ram, but it didn’t take long to see past their differences. They were good men. Humble, but strong. Willing to work hard. Less proud than the Ram. Driven to protect those they loved.
Their lives had value.
His entire life, Gryphon had been trained to think of everyone outside of the Gate as lesser. Human, yes, but only in the simplest, unimportant form. Zo had forced him to reconsider everything he’d ever believed to be true.
“Isaac,” he called to the youngest member of his company. The boy rushed over, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his sword held aloft and a gleam in his eye. His enthusiasm reminded Gryphon of Joshua.
Gryphon swiftly knocked the sword out of his hand with a backward flip of his wrist. The young man turned around to pick up his weapon, and Gryphon pushed him face first into the dirt with his shield.
“Never turn your back on your enemy,” said Gryphon.
A mud clot hung from Isaac’s eyebrow when he rose from the ground. “Only a dishonorable coward would attack a man whose back is turned.”
Gryphon nodded. “And only a fool would rely on his enemy’s honor in the midst of battle.” Gryphon crouched deeper into his stance, short sword raised. “Again.”
The young Wolf had some basic skill with a blade, and he was light on his feet. He was almost as good as Joshua, meaning the kid had no chance against a Ram mess soldier. He didn’t belong in this fight.
One of Commander Laden’s runners sprinted up to Gryphon. “The Commander has called a war council. He needs you at his tent when we make camp for the night.”
The last thing Gryphon wanted to do was sit through another meeting regarding a war he would not live to see. Laden had called for his opinion on several occasions, earning Gryphon the grudging regard of the other clan leaders and captains.
The runner didn’t wait for a response. No one questioned Commander Laden. Gryphon had hoped to spend his last night with his men. He had explained to them several times that Commander Laden asked him to train them, not to fight alongside them. Every time the question arose a fleck of hope dimmed from their faces. They needed him. They would think he abandoned them when he left to confront his fate. Abandoned them like he abandoned Zo, Tess, and Joshua.
Why couldn’t there ever just be one right answer? Gryphon was tired of feeling torn between two impossible choices. For once, he’d like to know that his actions would benefit everyone. That by protecting one thing he wasn’t condemning another.
Gryphon didn’t bother waiting to be announced when he reached the Commander’s tent, much to the guard’s distaste.
“Sorry, sir,” said one of the guards as he trailed in after Gryphon.
“Leave us,” said Laden.
“Yes, sir.” The man eyed Gryphon with contempt before exiting.
“You needed me?” Gryphon’s voice sounded as hollow as he felt.
“You’re the first to arrive. Sit.” Laden gestured to the open chair at his right.
“I’d rather not, sir.” Gryphon folded his arms. He didn’t want this to be a long visit.