Fearless (Nameless #3)(81)

“Y’sir!” came the reply.

“They are treating you like their leader,” said Zo, tilting her head up to see his expression as they continued their brisk pace toward the wall of Wolf soldiers.

“I am their leader,” he said.

Laden’s guards cloaked the body and reverently hoisted it on Gryphon’s oversized shield. “Take him somewhere safe until burial,” said Gryphon.

As the men carrying the body passed, a bloodied hand slipped loose from the cloak. Commander Laden’s ring reflected the faint morning light. Zo stopped walking. Her hand involuntarily went to cover her mouth.





Chapter Thirty





Zo walked in stunned silence. Laden, the closest thing she had to a parent … gone.

Gryphon pulled Zo and Joshua closer to him as they continued to distance themselves from the rivers. “I couldn’t stop him.” He coughed out a sob. Emotion rolled off of him as he battled tears. “I couldn’t save him.”

Zo clung tighter to Gryphon’s arm. “I saw the sword fall and thought it was you.” She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, desperate to remove the image from her mind.

“Laden offered Barnabas his own head in my place. I didn’t know … ” Gryphon swallowed. His voice dropped into a rasping moan. “He’s my father, Zo. Barnabas confirmed it. They were mess brothers before Laden left to save his daughter … my twin sister.”

Zo shook her head. “I … it can’t be.” It seemed like Commander Laden had always been a part of her clan. But then, the resemblance between them was obvious now that she knew it, and their characters were so similar. Was it possible? Could the man who had been such a big figure in her own life also belong to Gryphon?

“He knew he wouldn’t survive the morning. He planned his death, just like one of his battle strategies. I saw it in his face last night.” He swallowed. “I’m so sorry.”

She could practically taste his guilt. When would he learn that he wasn’t responsible for the choices of others?

“I don’t think Laden was ever truly happy. There was always something gnawing away at his happiness.” She tugged at his arm with dawning understanding, forcing him to stop walking. “I think it was you and your mom. I think he missed you both and that guilt was a chain he carried with him ever since leaving the Gate.

“What now?” she asked with rising dread that Gryphon would again have to leave. It seemed there would always be some reason for them to be apart, some jealous force in the universe that wouldn’t allow their happiness.

Struggling to swallow, Gryphon pulled both her and Joshua into the circle of his arms and said, “I almost abandoned the most important people in my life.” He set his jaw. “I will not make that mistake ever again.”

“So we’re not going to fight?” Joshua said, breaking his silence.

Gryphon smiled, a strange wave of peace seemed to wash over him. “We can’t spend our whole lives running from Barnabas and the Ram.” He ruffled Joshua’s hair. “This ends today.”

“Give me a job,” said Joshua.

“Get Zo out of here. Help her and the healers with the wounded. Protect them while I’m gone.” And to Zo, he added, “No blessings.”

Zo nodded.

“Not good enough. I need to hear you swear it.”

Zo cupped his cheek and lightly brushed her lips along his. “No blessings. I swear.”

He kissed her again, with more force than before. A man who’d cheated death and needed to do it again.

“Gryphon?” Zo’s stomach knotted. The invisible cord connecting them tugged at her gut. “Can you win?” Zo knew it wasn’t fair to demand such an answer, but she needed to know if there was hope or if this was goodbye. Forever.

Gryphon leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. “After Laden’s sacrifice, and knowing you’re waiting for me, I think I could do anything.”

Zo nodded and wiped at the tears forming in her eyes. She placed a hand on either side of his face, his whiskers tickling her palms. “I believe you.” She kissed his forehead. “Lead them, Gryphon. Lead them, and come back to me.”





Gryphon walked the remaining distance to the waiting Allies, feeling a thief. He’d stolen his father’s life, his mess brothers’ clan, the Allies’ leader, Gabe’s woman, and Zo’s heart. All in only a matter of weeks.

At twenty yards, Gryphon could just barely make out the restless shuffling of feet from the massive gathering of Allied soldiers. At ten, he could see the defeat in their stances as easily as he could spot a gap in an enemy’s armor.

Chief Naat stood with Gabe before their men. The lines on their faces were stretched horizontal, drained of all color. When they turned and spotted Gryphon, neither seemed surprised to see him. Gabe placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss … Commander.”

“You knew his plan to take my place,” said Gryphon. Saying it aloud confirmed the truthfulness of the statement. “You knew, and still you let me … ” Gryphon swallowed. The image of Barnabas’s sword slicing through the air replayed in his mind. “I wish you had told me.”

In his gravelly voice, Chief Naat said, “We followed Laden’s wishes.” And that settled the matter. “Laden wanted you to lead these men.” The old man pressed his hand to Gryphon’s heart. “His spirit will linger with you to see the battle through.” He said it not as a comforting platitude but as a fact.