“I will consider you an ally for now, but if you ever summon one of my personal servants again without my permission I will become your worst enemy.” Finn warned in a firm voice that left no room for doubt. His smile had faded and her expression grew wary in response.
“I’m sorry for that. I should have thought better on it and I understand your anger completely. Had another god summoned Nix I would have been furious.” Exodus admitted with chagrin. She bowed her head once more to him in respect. “Please forgive my transgression. Much like Lutheron, I don’t always consider the consequences of my plans. It seemed like a very good idea in my mind, but I see what a poor choice it was now.”
“Then we’re good.” Finn agreed with a hint of his former smile. “As long as we know where we each stand there is little chance of offending each other in the future.”
Chapter 2
Glis
Sweat trickled down Shade’s forehead as he focused every ounce of will he had remaining on his mangled leg. The flesh around the wound was the color of a corpse and felt like leather under his hand. Swallowing heavily he redoubled his effort to force his body to shift, silently pleading that his Changeling gifts could return his strength to the limb. As it was walking was nearly impossible and fighting was something he wouldn’t even contemplate. Agility had been his strong point, and now he needed Caleb’s help just to cross the room without falling.
The sound of the door latch broke his concentration and Shade collapsed back onto his pallet breathing in ragged gasps as Caleb entered their shared prison. The Arovan was trussed so tightly in chains that his steps were mincing. The Blights that had been acting as escorts for the knight pushed him the rest of the way into the room silently and the thick door thudded shut behind him followed by the clicking of several bolts being thrown into place.
Even with the chains the Blights didn’t trust Caleb to stay where they put him. Shade knew for a fact their security measures weren’t meant for him. Every one of the guards knew how poorly he moved now and that escape simply wasn’t an option. If he was going to get out of here, it would have to be from Onvalla’s release.
He watched Caleb expectantly waiting for the man to speak first. The Knight had been trying to secure a meeting with Onvalla on his behalf, but by his expression it didn’t look positive. Caleb was typically mellow from what Shade had seen, but at the moment the man looked like he was barely containing fury.
The silence between them stretched as Caleb slowly crossed the room his expression growing darker with each chain rattling step. Wordlessly he sat down a few feet from Shade and stared hard at the thick iron chains around his ankles. His breathing slowed and the muscles in his shoulders relaxed as he visibly forced his temper back down. After another long moment he looked over at Shade and nodded his head faintly. “You have your meeting.” He announced quietly in a voice laced with disgust.
Shade watched him carefully noting the anger that still lurked in the man’s eyes. He didn’t know Caleb as well as he knew some, but after days in the same small prison he knew the man well enough to know something was seriously wrong. “What did it cost you?” he asked softly.
One corner of Caleb’s mouth turned up in a half smile and he raised an eyebrow at Shade. “Another man might have started off the conversation with a thank you, or babbling about what they should say at the meeting. You however look at me and ask me what it cost.” Caleb observed in a calm voice.
“I’m already up to my balls in debt to you Caleb. I’d like to know if the debt has risen to my neck. By your expression it wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish. As for the Thank you, well that is probably how I should have started, poor manners on my part. Thank you Caleb, but I’d still like my question answered. Do I owe you another life boon for this?” Shade returned softly.
“When you leave I go with you and we are even. I don’t care if I have to carry you out of Glis on my back. I leave when you do and there will be no debt between us. I’ve lost too much time here already.” Caleb replied. He leaned back against a pillar and his gaze rose to the shadowed rafters above them. “You were at the last stand weren’t you? The final battle in Arovan.”
Shade blinked a moment at the abrupt change in topic and nodded silently. He frowned as he realized Caleb’s eyes still hadn’t left the rafters and he cleared his throat quietly. “I was. It was a nasty bloody brutal affair.”
“When you were near the Arovan camps did you hear any mention of survivors from the fall of Amdany?” Caleb asked as he continued to stare above them as if the shadows themselves held the answers to his questions. “Granger returned with reports from Arovan today and he says the entire city was lost. I want to know if he is speaking the truth. Has Arovan really fallen so far?”
Shade’s frown deepened as he tried to determine the best way to answer the question. He couldn’t read the expression on Caleb’s face, and his voice was utterly devoid of emotion. “I’m not exactly on speaking terms with many Arovan. I am Morcaillo after all. I didn’t hear any word of survivors, but then I didn’t hear much from any Arovan aside from Valor Hai’dia and Valor wasn’t exactly in his right mind at that point.”
“Little Valor survived and Honor died. What a sick twist of irony that is.” Caleb sighed and shook his head slightly as his eyes closed. “Don’t get me wrong. Valor is one hell of a fighter, but Honor had more spine than his brother from what I remember. Valor backed down too easy and was always being pressured into stupidity.”