“Alright. Let’s kick these pigs and see how they squeal.” Havoc said with a grin.
“What?” Zoelyn mumbled looking to Zachary for a translation.
“What he means to say is we will not be using stealth and he doesn’t want the Puppy to take all of the fun of killing the Rivasans. I concur. I’ve had enough stealth and deceit to last me the rest of the year. I’d much rather face them and have them know who is sending them to their grave.” Zachary smiled and tossed the hooded cloak to the ground. He wasn’t wearing armor underneath it, but a very large sword was strapped to his back, and that seemed more than enough to satisfy him as he turned back the way they had come. “Let’s leave that mess for Puppy to sort out and find a quicker route that will waste less time.” Zachary suggested with a casual wave in the direction that Shade and Grim were in.
“Agreed. A lot to do and not much time to do it if we are going to make it back here in time to kick the teeth out of some of those asses.” Havoc smiled and winked at Zoelyn. “By the way, your Blight friend can show himself if he likes. We both know about him anyway.” He added with a sly grin and winked at her.
“Now is an excellent time to prove yourself to be your father’s son young man. Micah Arovan never slunk through the shadows. He walked as a warrior and confronted everything with honor.” Zachary added with a smile.
“Damn I like you so much better when you aren’t drenched in Oblivion, Zach. You are almost human again. You never smile when you are holding Oblivion inside you.” Havoc murmured with a shake of his head and a smile that mirrored Zach’s.
To her amazement Dray dropped his camouflage and nodded solemnly to Zachary. The Blight smiled faintly then bowed his head to Havoc in respect. “I don’t skulk because I’m a coward. I skulk out of respect. I know my presence offends many people and it is often the most diplomatic to simply avoid being seen.” Dray’s voice was calm and for a moment a memory of his father rang in her mind. She hadn’t seen Micah Arovan often, but she remembered his voice and his careful wording well. Every day it became more apparent that Micah’s memory would live on in his son, even if they had never met.
Chapter 14
Rivana
The thrum of bows rang through the air as Shade moved as quickly as he dared toward Derrick. He could hear the clash of swords behind him and the cries of wounded men, but he didn’t dare look back to check on Caleb. He knew if he did the desire to help his friend would overwhelm the knowledge that Derrick Rivasa had to die.
His gaze settled on the blue grey horse Derrick rode and he watched the animal dancing in place. Its ears were pinned and its teeth were bared in fury. He’s been trained for war. Shade realized and his steps slowed as he watched the animal strike at the cobbled street with a steel-shod hoof. Sparks flew from the stones and Shade’s approach slowed further. Derrick wouldn’t see him he knew that much, but he wasn’t sure the horse wouldn’t sense him. He wasn’t as stealthy as a true Blight and he knew it. Just the faintest noise could send the edgy animal into a fit that would leave him broken on the stones with hoof prints decorating his face.
A shrill whistle sounded from behind him and Derrick’s horse reared in response nearly unseating the man. With a furious snarl the Rivasan cuffed the horse between the ears and spurred it hard. The animal lunged forward to land on all four feet once more and Shade had to dart back to avoid being crushed beneath it. With a toss of its head the gray backed and stomped its feet seeming even more agitated than it had been before the whistle.
A memory surfaced of Valor training horses in Merro. It hadn’t truly been something of interest to Shade, but Jala had been leaning on the rail watching and so he had stayed to speak with her and ended up learning a thing or two about Arovan horsemanship. Such as the fact that they trained their War Horses with a mixture of whistles and leg pressure. His gaze traced over the horse once more and then to the other Rivasan mounts and a smile began to form on his lips. Of course, this animal was a prize of war. Excitement rose in him with the realization. Derrick had likely ridden it here to irritate Caleb. In turn Caleb had given Shade the answer to his problem with one shrill whistle. It was obvious by Derrick’s reaction to the horse’s rearing that he didn’t realize how it was trained and that he was essentially sitting on an enemy.
With a wide smile Shade stepped further away from the agitated horse and searched his mind frantically for the memory of Valor once more. There was a set whistle that would send the horse leaping forward and if he could just remember it he was certain Derrick would find himself kissing the cobbles. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about the leg pressure cue of course, but he hoped the animal was annoyed enough with Derrick’s heavy handed treatment that even half of the signal would be enough.