Rydon and Gabriol looked back at Croak. He raked his hand through his hair, a lost look on his face. He caught sight of Terena watching him, and he squared his shoulders, turning back to Rydon.
“All right,” he said quietly, and walked to his horse and mounted.
Terena wiped her face one last time, then rode off after Rydon.
As soon asthe sound of horses’s hooves faded, Daris turned to face his men.
“Who talked?”
By the looks his men gave each other, they knew what he meant.
No one outside of his officers in the Liodari and King Altos knew about Prince Lerek.
And since that didn’t include any of Terena’s friends, that meant one of his men had been talking about something that would get them all killed.
His men remained silent.
Daris’s eye twitched. He pulled his lips in to stop them from trembling. His mind raced, still thinking of the fight with Terena, but he was so despondent he latched on to any excuse absolving him of the blame she’d laid at his feet.
How could he have hoped to explain it to her when he’d lied to her for months?
And she was right. Hehadsaid he’d never hurt her.
But keeping this from her, after everything?—
“It was me, Commander,” Fane said, holding his chin up as he took a step forward. His blond hair looked mussed as if he had slept badly.
“I made a poor joke and mentioned it. It was only in passing, and although I had believed we were alone, I had no right to speak on the subject.”
Daris lunged at him, grabbing fistfuls of the man’s leathers in his hands. The metal plates at his shoulders rattled when Daris shook him.
His face a breath away from Fane, Daris asked softly, “What was said?”
Fane, to his credit, did not flinch. “As I said, it was a poor joke.”
“I want to understand how a poor joke accounts for a state secret being spoken of so openly, people outside of Sparta are now aware of it?”
The other men stopped moving. Everything stilled around him as Daris’s eye narrowed on Fane.
“Do you know what will happen if this gets out? If they want touse that against us?” Daris asked, pushing Fane back to look at every one of his men. “The eyes of the Heylisian Empire will turn to us once more and we will now not only have Solon at our throats but a unified Heylisia! And all for afucking joke?”
The clearing remained awkwardly quiet as the blood roared in Daris’s ears.
“Break camp and prepare to ride. We’re going after them. Michael and Fane, ride for Messene and meet us in Seleste with a host of Liodari.”
He strode off, needing some space, when the ground beneath him trembled.
Daris looked up and saw the looks of bewilderment on the faces of his men.
A moment later, they were knocked to the ground, and what sounded like the loudest clap of thunder Daris had ever heard rumbled over them.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“They’re here.”
Terena stiffened, bolting upright as Rydon strode into the stables. Sonah gasped. Her hands stilled as she was gathering the reins of her mount.
“They’re here!” Croak said, coming in seconds behind Rydon.
