An expletive that sounds like an earthquake bellows from Harland’s mighty lungs. He storms across the courtyard, fists punching, legs kicking anything in his path. Better the littered streets than our human confidants though.
“H-he had to!” Nervous, Lewis glances between the rest of us. “He couldn’t just let the noctis leave knowing where we were. It’s his job to protect the town”—wryly, he snorts— “A lot of good that’s doing us, if his little mercenary bitch keeps drawing attention to our doorstep.”
My smile grows increasingly more and more wicked the longer he speaks. I’m learning so many interesting things about this place that they call Valor’s Rest, a town that, before a few moments ago, I don’t think any of us knew existed.
I tuck the nameRowlandaway, someone who appears to be in a leadership role in this town, and save it for another day, but I’m most curious about thismercenary bitch. He said sheledthem to their front gates. She didn’t flee to their doorstep with two noctis chomping on her heels. Hell, it doesn’t even sound like she captured them and dragged them there. Sheledthem. They came willing, of their own accord.
How curious.
Before I can follow any line of questioning, Harland stomps back toward the group, seething.
“Harland.”
But my warning isn’t enough. The bull has been released.
Caz and I lunge for him, gripping his broad shoulders and pressing into him. It holds him in place, which is good enough for now, but it won’t hold long.
“Harland, you need to hold on just a minute. We don’t even—"
“The fuck you meanhold on?” he growls, smacking both of our arms off him in a pinwheel motion. “You heard them. They killed my brothers! I’m not letting them get away with this!”
“We’ll handle this,” I promise, trying to force him to meet my gaze, but his hurt and angered eye is unwavering from his targets. He glares past me. “Harland, please. You need to calm down.”
That seems to get his attention.
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! I’ll calm down when every last one of those human bloodbags’ heads are on spikes!”
When he advances again, this time Cazimir has no choice but to put more effort into his bodyguarding. He gives Harland a hearty shove, sending the large noctis back a few staggering paces. “Back off, Harland. Last warning.”
The two of them square off, ready to bash fists to skulls to burn off some of the tension and grief of the day. I’m inclined to let them. Harland might be able to think more clearly once he’s let his aggression out on someone, and Caz is always invigorated by a good duel.
“Prince Malachi?” Davorin’s quiet, but commanding voice summons me. “What would you like us to do?”
“Hmm?” I barely hear him, too wrapped up in watching the noctis in my ranks regress into animals. We can’t even treat each other with respect. Why would the humans ever have any reason to expect anything less than monstruous from us?
“Our next move,” Davorin says. “Are we chasing after justice for Gregor and Boris? Are we considering an ambush on Valor’s Rest or are we returning to camp to meet back up with the others and reconvene?”
Idly, I tap the red amulet on my sternum. “Do you think Harland will be able to let it go?”
“We did capture three of their humans. Perhaps that’s good enough, knowing that we didn’t risk more of our own in the process.”
He sounds less convinced than I am.
“Mmm.”
“Hey.” The young prisoner—Dunce, I believe his friend called him—whistles through his teeth like he has a secret meant for only our ears. “You want justice for your dead friends?”
I look at him, disbelieving. “Wouldn’t you?”
He thinks for a moment, then nods the way an overly honest small child would. “I can’t give you Rowland—he’s always tucked safely behind those walls. But I can give you the next best thing?”
“And what’s that?”
“The mercenary he works with—the woman with a crossbow? She’s the reason your friends were at Valor’s Rest, yeah?”
“It would appear so,” I say, still curious about how that came to be. “And?”
Lewis gives an exasperated sigh. “Oh, take your time, Dunce. It’s not like our lives depend on it or anything.”
