He was gambling with his life, Hadley’s worry and doubt resting heavily on him as he eased to a cross-legged position and waited.
Out here in the open with his bow out of reach, he was a sitting duck. If they chose to shoot, he could do little but crawl away and hope they missed him.
Kade battled to keep his mind focussed as he waited. Distractions tore at him. Thoughts of Hadley, of Meg and Cester now locked in close quarters, all vied for his attention when all he should be doing was preparing to scatter if the warriors fired.
Kade relaxed his shoulders and controlled his breathing in an attempt to fool his body into thinking he wasn’t scared. But he was scared. Terrified of failing. Terrified he’d made a mistake in coming here.
With no reply from the other side, Kade settled in for a long wait. If no one came by morning, he’d know his idea to win an ally hadn’t worked.
He was pinning all his hopes on a man he knew nothing about, other than the fact that he shared Cester’s religion. That, and the fact that the Prince’s wife was an Azetarian Princess.
Kade mouth grew dry as the day wore on, but still he didn’t move from his spot. He needed to remain visible. Needed to prove he was serious.
The shadows grew longer as the sun tracked across the sky, pinking Kade’s exposed flesh and causing his eyes to droop. He closed his eyes for a moment, his neck muscles relaxing as his chin hit his chest.
Awareness woke him a second before an arrow lodged in the grass at his feet. Kade scrambled backwards, flattening himself to the ground as he risked a peep over the river.
Four Numachi warriors, all on horseback, waited as a solitary figure dismounted and moved towards the riverbank. Kade lifted his shoulders then pushed up slowly until he was back on his feet.
From this distance he couldn’t be sure, but in the fading light, Kade swore the man boldly staring at him, posture confident to the point of cockiness, was wearing the slightest of grins.
Kade stepped closer, lifting his hands, his heart thumping against his ribs as he approached, getting closer to the warriors most of Azetaria considered savages. Kade kept his movements fluid as he shouted across the distance. “Prince Rahid? I come in peace. But I need to speak to you.”
He froze as the man raised his own hands in reply, before cupping his hands and shouting. “I told you I’d kill you. Did you forget this?”
Kade’s eyes popped a little wider. Was the Prince taunting him or making fun of him?
He frowned before shouting back. “Why do you think I’m bloody asking you if I can cross?”
The slightest of chuckles carried on the breeze before the prince turned to his men and waved a hand at them.
Even at a distance it was obvious they were distressed by the prince’s behaviour. Kade waited until the Prince was at the river’s edge before stepping forward so he could see the smirk on the young prince’s face.
The prince shouted. “Swim across and I’ll hear you out, but you will leave your daggers on your side, and if you make one move, I will carry out my threat to kill you. Understood?”
Kade growled to himself as he nodded, exaggerating the motion for the audience as he unbuckled his knives and threw them aside.
With the Numachi watching on, Kade descended the bank and tugged off his boots, tossing them aside before he dived under the cool waters. He kicked hard against the current and clawed his way to the other side.
When he emerged soaking and gasping for air, the prince was waiting, an amused expression on his face as he offered Kade a hand. “You have a death wish, Stormer?”
Kade shook his head, sending water flying in all directions. “Not at all. But when my family are concerned, I’ll risk it.”
The prince cocked his head, a curious expression on his face. “Tell me what my father-in-law had to say.”
Kade took a breath and looked him in the eye. “I didn’t make it to the king, I was injured. But the boy I was with did. And he relayed your message.”
The prince stared at him, a mixture of expressions playing on his face. “What is it you want, Stormer?”
Kade cleared his throat. “You told me to look to my own king to find the boys being taken. Well, it wasn’t the king, but a power-hungry priest. I took care of the men responsible. But in doing so, I uncovered a man willing to relinquish the crown for the woman he loves.”
The prince stared at him, his hand rubbing his angular chin. “Who is this man you speak of and why is it of interest to me?”
Kade kept speaking before he lost his nerve. “His name is Cester Romano, he was my captain, and now he’s my brother-in-law.”
The prince’s eyebrows rose, a whisper of a smile touching his lips. “How is this relevant?”
Kade kept his voice even. “It’s relevant because your wife will know of him and know what he’s suffered. It’s my hope he and my sister who are both followers of the Ancient can live a normal life somehow.”
The prince shook his head. “Escape? Into my country? Is this what you ask of me?”
Kade swallowed and held himself steady as he said the words he’d come to say. “I need your help. If I can’t convince my country that Cester Romano is dead, my sister will never be safe.”
The prince’s eyes narrowed. “And you think this is of interest to me because my wife knows the man? Because we follow the Ancient? You think this should be enough reason for me to get involved in Azetarian politics? You are sorely mistaken, Stormer. Neither are good enough reasons.”
Kade flinched, his heart sinking to his bare toes, shivers rippling down his body as the prince stared hard at him. A sigh escaped as he ran a hand through his sopping hair and nodded slowly. “Well, thanks for not killing me.”
The prince laughed and placed a hand on Kade’s shoulder, startling him. “Don’t look so glum. I said those two reasons weren’t good enough. But one is.”
The prince released his hand and chuckled at Kade’s confused expression. “There is always one reason I will help a man, Stormer. One reason that surpasses all others.”
He held his breath as the prince grinned at him. “Love. It’s the only reason we do anything worthwhile. It’s who the Ancient is.”
Kade’s own smile crept across his glistening cheeks, a spark of hope igniting at the cheery expression the prince displayed. Love? That’s what the Ancient was all about? That, curiously, made sense to him.
The prince’s smile lessened as he gestured to the water Kade had swum through. “You know your mine poisoned the supply for Arrowford and for half of your country? A few dips in every now and then won’t hurt, but drink enough of it over a long period of time and you’ll die.”
Kade gaped at him before realising what that meant. “The mine did that? One of your men said it was from plants growing?”
The prince’s eyes fell on the water rushing past them both. “It’s both. The minerals and additives your countrymen used interacts with the plants. When combined, they are toxic if you drink enough. Did you not consider that the plague began in Arrowford and spread from this point downriver, Stormer?”
Kade’s mouth flapped open as he tried to understand what the prince was explaining. The produce sold over the country would have been affected too. He’d have to talk to Cester and Carl to confirm it, but it made more sense than he’d ever been able to make of the way the plague had spread.
Kade pushed aside the thoughts of his parent’s slow decline and focused on Rahid as he gestured to the water.
The prince grinned. “There are other ways to mine gold that do not affect the waterways. Perhaps if you stay, I will show you, hmm?” The prince extended his hand. “Numachi do not shake hands but as it is customary in your country, I will make a concession for a man so willing to risk himself for his sister.”
With a bewildered grin edging on his lips, Kade slapped his wet palm into Rahid’s hand and locked eyes with his newest ally. “I aim to stick around.”
Rahid nodded sagely and, as he gestured for Kade to s
it, he was almost compelled to thank the Ancient One Cester, Meg and Rahid worshipped.
There had to be something else going on here? Or maybe the gods are giving me a break?
One month later.
Hadley dragged the trough through the dirt, her hair plastered to her forehead, her muscles trembling with exertion as she finished with the garden for the day.
She stepped back a little to admire her handy work: lines of freshly tilled soil that would produce vegetables come summer. Her eyes caught on Kade as he stood at the end of the road. He was still talking to Cester outside the cottage they’d spent a lot of time having discussions inside of.
For the last month, she and Meg had been living in the most habitable cottage in Arrowford, with Cester and Kade sleeping rough in the other abandoned cottages in the decimated village.
When Kade had returned sodden from his meeting, with a tentative smile and a hug for a relieved Meg, he’d finally spelled out the plan in its entirety.
The prince had agreed to confirm Cester’s death by drowning, citing diplomatic reasons for not reporting the incident until now. Meg and Cester would hide here, until Brute returned with the news that it was safe for them to move on.
Until then, they were biding their time, Meg keeping house and spending a lot of time taking walks with her new husband.
Hadley’s heart ached for the loss of his family. If Cester grieved that he might not see them again, for their own safety as well as his, he bore it stoically and with a grace that continued to surprise her.
There were tentative plans for he and Meg to meet with Rahid and the princess. Whether they would stay in Azetaria remained to be seen.
Meg seemed happy enough, grateful both the men she loved were currently close at hand, and any attempt to talk to her about her future was met by a shrug and a gentle chiding. The words “I trust in the Ancient’s plans for me” seemed to be Meg’s explanation for the uncertainty.
Hadley had given up asking, instead settling into her own rhythm of working, avoiding thinking too long on Kade and the future she hoped for.
She squinted against the sun to take in Kade’s current state. His clothes were covered in a chalky substance, his eyes creased as he smiled at her and folded the piece of paper he and Cester had been staring at.
At the sound of hooves, and the sight of familiar figure riding on horseback, both Kade and Cester began to move in her direction.
Brute’s grin was wide as he reined in his mount. “Hey up, all. How’s the dead man doing?”
Cester’s frown was severe, but it only flashed across his features as Meg took hold of his hand. “I hope you have good news?” she said.
Brute swung down, his eyes drifting to an apprehensive Kade. “I have a bunch of good news. What do you want to hear first?”
Hadley’s eyebrows rose along with the rest of them. Kade was the first to speak. “That thing I asked you to do? It’s done?”
Brute’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his eyes shifting from Hadley to Kade before he answered. “Sorted. It’s all yours. Cheap too, considering.”
Kade’s nod was clipped as though he didn’t want to dwell on it. “The boys are being taken care of?”
Brute nodded and hitched his horse to a tree before joining them, his eyes on Cester as he spoke. “Your apparent death seemed to rally those followers even more. We lost a few lads to fights and sickness, but by in large most made it back home in one piece. Carl played a bigger part than he intended too.”
Hadley waited, foot tapping impatiently as Brute sank down on the grass and gestured for everyone to sit. Hadley had to remind herself that the gentle giant was now the Captain of the Northern Stormers, and he’d obviously taken to the command easily.
Kade scratched his chin stubble, his own impatience oozing through his tone. “How did Carl help? I thought he was with Rose?”
Brute nodded cheerfully. “He told her everything. Who he was, what he did and about the boys. She told him if there was any way she’d ever forgive him, he had to get as many of them home as he could.”
Meg snorted, her cheeks flaring as she covered her mouth. “Sorry. Go on.”
Brute grinned. “He got hold of Spike down at the docks and badgered him into helping get the boys home by boat.”
Kade shook his head slowly his voice steeped in disbelief. “She took him back then?”
Brute nodded, his eyes on Cester. “I made him my second-in-command.”
Hadley’s smile dissolved a fraction as she realised everyone around her was pairing off. She avoided looking at Kade as Brute finished the rest of what was turning out to be a happy visit.
When all his good news had been told, a simple meal had been served, and a few papers passed to Kade, Brute readied himself to return to the Stormers campsite.
He grinned at her and beckoned her away from the others. “I have to tell you something. But it’s for your ears only.”
Hadley cocked her head, intrigued as to what the news could be he didn’t want anyone else to hear but her.
Her chest tightened as she joined him at his mount, the others lost in deep conversation around the fire, her thoughts on the one thing she hoped he’d be able to set her mind at rest over. A dozen thoughts tumbling in on one another. Thomas. Let the news be about Thomas. “Are you sure you won’t stay for the night?”
Brute shook his head and after another wave to Meg, Kade and Cester, he drew her away, out of earshot. “I know you wanted to find your brother. So, I checked the camp a couple times and asked for lads from Kingsport. There was no sign of him, but that’s a good thing, right? It means he’s still out there for you to find. And you wouldn’t have wanted me to find him with that lot. They were pretty bad when we got to them.”
Hadley’s eyes flooded at the thoughtfulness. What could she say to him? Of course, he knew nothing of Thomas’s treatment or his behaviour towards her. No one had told him. There hadn’t been time, but Brute hadn’t forgotten her wishes.
Hadley threw her arms around him, barely able to reach her fingertips together as she held fast to his girth. He chuckled and patted her head as though she were a child. “Steady on. Kade looks like he wants to damage me.”
Hadley laughed despite her pain. She pulled back and managed a watery-eyed smile. “Thank you for trying.”
She reached up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, earning her a crooked smile. “I should go. I recruited a few of the boys who were keen, had to fill the spots Kade and Cester left. They need a bit more time and care, but it’ll be worth it I think.”
He smiled again and turned to leave, before he frowned and after a cautious look back at the camp, and Kade’s curious expression, he leant down and whispered in her ear. “You wanted to know my real name? It’s Clarence. Clarence Kincaid.”
Hadley’s eyes widened as he pulled back and winked at her. “That’s my gift to you. And you alone.”
Hadley’s lips parted in surprise before they grew into a wide smile. “I’ll take it to my grave, Captain Kincaid.”
Brute stared at her, a puzzled expression on his face as though the title sounded strange before he chuckled and swung up on his mount. “Be seeing you.”
Hadley waved him off and bit her lip to keep from crying as the new Stormer Captain rode back to the Stormer Unit she’d unwittingly found herself a member of.
With the sun setting at his back, Meg and Cester busy with plans to travel to the cottage he, Hadley and Carl had stayed in, Kade approached Hadley, more nervous than he’d ever thought possible.
Hadley spotted him coming from where she sat on the riverbank, her eyes locked on the stretch of land they’d once crossed together and had no reason to ever visit again.
The prince had made his conditions. And Kade wasn’t interested in testing his patience. Even if he was bribing him by only telling him how to mine gold if he split the profits. Romantic fool who followed the invisible Ancient, he may be, but Rahid was also a savvy businessman.
A port
ion of what he mined would go to the families who’d lost Numachi warriors by the hands of Stormers over the years. It was little recompense, but it was a start and a way for Kade and for Cester to try to mend the damage done by years of hostility and misunderstanding.
Hadley shifted her hair catching the slight breeze. It was longer now and bleached a little lighter by the days spent outside in the weeks they’d been here.
Kade eased himself down, hands beginning to sweat, his heart racing as he glanced at her. Hadley’s voice was soft as she continued to stare out at Amaria. “We could have died there. Do you ever think about that?”
He cocked his head, eyes on the grass beneath them. “I try not to think about all the times I nearly died. But I especially try not to think about you almost dying.”
She was silent, her eyes still ahead giving him the courage to ask what he’d not had the chance to. “Do you still want to head back to the lower district? See if Thomas made his way back to your home again?”
He felt rather than saw Hadley’s head swing to look at him. “There’s nothing for me there now. Even if he did decide to go back, I couldn’t ever think of it as my home again.”
Too cowardly to look at her, he kept his eyes averted just as he’d done the night she’d stepped out of the bath in Jack’s Tavern, and he’d nearly collapsed.
Her voice held a fraction of scolding when she spoke. “Kade, please look at me.”
Kade forced his head up, his chest aching as she shifted closer to him until they were a breath apart. Her eyes roamed his face, then she trailed her fingertips through his hair on the side of his head. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not right now.”
His body went rigid, his pulse quickening as her fingers traced a scar directly above his eyebrow.
At her tender touch, all the rehearsed lines he’d spun, all the romantic ways he’d wanted to ask, vanished under a wave of self-doubt and desire.
He closed his eyes as though he were in the secret tree with his sister where bonds were made and never broken. “You could stay here? You could help me?”
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