over his face. “In exchange for her help getting out of the fortress, I promised to take her to Sacred Lake and protect her.”
“An honor debt.” Vash grunted. “Perhaps you could turn this to your advantage then. Hand her over to the Blade Council. Being who she is, who knows what sort of information she might have about Na’Reish warrior numbers and the like.”
The Blade Council knew next to nothing about the Na’Rei ’s defenses. They were going to need every advantage available if they had any hope of stopping Patrols from raiding across the border.
He peered over his shoulder. Annika sat by the small shelter, leaning back against the wooden wall, her arms clasped around her drawn-up knees, looking as tired as he felt.
And alone.
Don’t be fooled by her looks . She’d used him. She didn’t deserve his empathy. Did she?
“Here.” Vash’s gravelly voice broke into his thoughts. The older man handed him a small pile of faded clothes, worn but in better condition than Kalan’s garb. “They’re not much but they’re clean and certainly warmer than what you have on. Change in the all-weather cabin.”
Nodding his thanks, Kalan took them and glanced at Annika again. She’d placed her head on her knees. A vulnerable pose. Deceptively so. He shook his head. She had a strength of will most men lacked. That, coupled with her skill when it came to killing demons, or humans, proved she was as accomplished as any Light Blade warrior.
Something he’d better never forget.
“I’ll watch her.”
Nodding his thanks to Vash, Kalan headed for the small cabin. Changing would only take a few minutes, then Annika was going to need that inner strength. It was time she answered his questions.
Annika drew in a slow, deep breath to ease the thumping of her heart as Kalan’s footsteps retreated to the all-weather cabin. Over the sound of the ferry disembarking, she’d caught parts of his conversation with Vash. What were his plans for her? He’d neither confirmed nor denied any suggestion made by the river-trader.
“Sometimes Light Blade warriors take their honor too seriously when it would benefit them more to bend a little.” Vash’s voice sounded closer than before. Annika glanced up to find him, Maren, and another walking toward her. “But I have no problem dealing with rock-scum like you.”
The pungent scent of their hostility raised the hairs on the back of Annika’s neck. A rush of adrenaline cleared away her fatigue.
“I don’t care why you helped this Light Blade escape from Savyr’s fortress but I do care that your father will come looking for you. We both know he won’t be happy.” Vash’s grey eyes narrowed. “What I need to know is how many Patrols will he send to my village looking for you?”
So that was to be the way of it. Kalan had left Vash to question her, unable to stomach doing it himself? Annika scrambled to her feet, unwilling to face them all while sitting down.
Maren seized her injured arm, his fingers clamping directly over the newly healed wound. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull away only to find her other arm caught. Both Maren and the other man hauled her back toward the wall of the all-weather cabin and slammed her against it. The impact drove the breath from her lungs.
“I noticed you favoring this arm earlier,” Maren hissed. His fingers dug into her shoulder. Pain shot through it, numbing every muscle along the length of her arm. “How many Patrols track you?”
“I don’t know.”
He scolded her with a tongue clucking noise. “Wrong answer, Na’Chi .”
He twisted her arm until every muscle, tendon, and ligament screamed in protest. Nausea flooded her belly. She bit the inside of her cheek, her temper flaring at Maren’s brutal tactics.
“Think carefully, demon, and answer my father with the truth. Claim you don’t know again and I’ll break your arm.” The whispered threat increased her anger. Compared to her father, Maren’s technique
“An honor debt.” Vash grunted. “Perhaps you could turn this to your advantage then. Hand her over to the Blade Council. Being who she is, who knows what sort of information she might have about Na’Reish warrior numbers and the like.”
The Blade Council knew next to nothing about the Na’Rei ’s defenses. They were going to need every advantage available if they had any hope of stopping Patrols from raiding across the border.
He peered over his shoulder. Annika sat by the small shelter, leaning back against the wooden wall, her arms clasped around her drawn-up knees, looking as tired as he felt.
And alone.
Don’t be fooled by her looks . She’d used him. She didn’t deserve his empathy. Did she?
“Here.” Vash’s gravelly voice broke into his thoughts. The older man handed him a small pile of faded clothes, worn but in better condition than Kalan’s garb. “They’re not much but they’re clean and certainly warmer than what you have on. Change in the all-weather cabin.”
Nodding his thanks, Kalan took them and glanced at Annika again. She’d placed her head on her knees. A vulnerable pose. Deceptively so. He shook his head. She had a strength of will most men lacked. That, coupled with her skill when it came to killing demons, or humans, proved she was as accomplished as any Light Blade warrior.
Something he’d better never forget.
“I’ll watch her.”
Nodding his thanks to Vash, Kalan headed for the small cabin. Changing would only take a few minutes, then Annika was going to need that inner strength. It was time she answered his questions.
Annika drew in a slow, deep breath to ease the thumping of her heart as Kalan’s footsteps retreated to the all-weather cabin. Over the sound of the ferry disembarking, she’d caught parts of his conversation with Vash. What were his plans for her? He’d neither confirmed nor denied any suggestion made by the river-trader.
“Sometimes Light Blade warriors take their honor too seriously when it would benefit them more to bend a little.” Vash’s voice sounded closer than before. Annika glanced up to find him, Maren, and another walking toward her. “But I have no problem dealing with rock-scum like you.”
The pungent scent of their hostility raised the hairs on the back of Annika’s neck. A rush of adrenaline cleared away her fatigue.
“I don’t care why you helped this Light Blade escape from Savyr’s fortress but I do care that your father will come looking for you. We both know he won’t be happy.” Vash’s grey eyes narrowed. “What I need to know is how many Patrols will he send to my village looking for you?”
So that was to be the way of it. Kalan had left Vash to question her, unable to stomach doing it himself? Annika scrambled to her feet, unwilling to face them all while sitting down.
Maren seized her injured arm, his fingers clamping directly over the newly healed wound. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull away only to find her other arm caught. Both Maren and the other man hauled her back toward the wall of the all-weather cabin and slammed her against it. The impact drove the breath from her lungs.
“I noticed you favoring this arm earlier,” Maren hissed. His fingers dug into her shoulder. Pain shot through it, numbing every muscle along the length of her arm. “How many Patrols track you?”
“I don’t know.”
He scolded her with a tongue clucking noise. “Wrong answer, Na’Chi .”
He twisted her arm until every muscle, tendon, and ligament screamed in protest. Nausea flooded her belly. She bit the inside of her cheek, her temper flaring at Maren’s brutal tactics.
“Think carefully, demon, and answer my father with the truth. Claim you don’t know again and I’ll break your arm.” The whispered threat increased her anger. Compared to her father, Maren’s technique
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