“I would caution you against trying to mistreat them,” Lainey said with a feral smile. “My people are used to acting separate from the main. We have long memories and avenge those who’ve been trespassed against.”
Shea grunted next to him, the sound quiet with a hint of irony. The stories she’d shared with him made it clear that Lainey wasn’t kidding with her threat.
“I’ll see that they have the same protections those in my army enjoy,” Fallon said.
She gave him a sharp nod.
“You’re dismissed,” Fallon said to the rest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
As the rest filtered out, Fallon stood and clasped the hand Darius offered him, pulling him in for a quick hug before slapping the other man on the back. “Well met, old friend.”
Darius stepped back with an easy smile, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling. “Looks like your jaunt to the Highlands was a bit more exciting than anticipated.”
Fallon snorted. That was one way to put it. They’d run into nothing but problems, one after another, since coming here.
“I have a feeling what we’ve seen so far is just the beginning,” Fallon said.
“Still want to unite the Broken Lands?” Darius asked with a knowing expression.
As one of Fallon’s most trusted generals, Darius Lightheart was also his oldest friend. They’d been each other’s stalwart support since they could hold a blade. Where one got into trouble the other was sure to follow. Nowadays, trouble was a lot deadlier and on a greater scale than when they were young, but the principle had always remained the same.
He’d been the first among the Trateri to add his support behind Fallon’s banner. Even before Fallon made a name for himself and began gathering followers, Darius had been there, mighty and unwavering.
This latest save was just one of many instances where Darius had come through for him, bringing not just Fallon’s army, but every person in the clans who’d been in the Lowlands.
It was a feat that had probably driven his friend to distraction. While he enjoyed the aspects of planning a campaign, he was less enthused when dealing with the clan elders. He loathed diplomacy with all his being.
Fallon gave him a lethal smile, the conqueror making an appearance, the one who thrived on challenges, the more impossible the odds the greater the triumph. “Never more so than now.”
Darius’s chuckle was warm, the same need to conquer and prove his superiority over the rest stamped on his face.
“You two are very strange,” Shea mumbled, her head resting on her arms.
As soon as most of those assembled had filtered out, she’d wilted, her exhaustion making it impossible to keep her head up.
She sighed and sat back. “Darius, I’ve been meaning to ask. One of our scouts was caught outside the Keep during the attack. Eamon’s warning gave us valuable time to prepare. I’d like to know what happened to him and his team.”
Darius’s nod was grave. “Of course, I know our scouts were able to rescue some of your rear party, so it’s possible they survived. I’ll have my men check into it.”
Shea let out an exhale, her face hopeful.
Fallon reached down and stroked her hair, knowing the possibility of her friends’ deaths had weighed on her. “Although I appreciate the timely save, I have to ask how you came to arrive when you did.”
Darius’s head tilted. “That is a strange story I’m not even sure I fully understand.”
Shea lifted her head, turning her face toward the general. “Now you’ve got to explain.”
Fallon settled down and pulled his telroi into his arms. Now that it was just the three of them, he could afford to let some of the man take over, and that man needed reassurance that his telroi was here, alive and unharmed despite the harrowing events of the day.
Darius joined them, reaching over the table to grab a goblet and carafe. He poured a dark colored liquid into the goblet, before setting it aside and repeating the action with two others.
Before he could say anything, a small child tore into the tent, her hair an untamed halo around her head, her face frantic as she looked around the room.
Seeing Shea, she let out a glad cry and threw herself across the space into his telroi’s arms. Shea caught her with a grunt. The child’s back heaved and Fallon heard audible gulps as she cried.
Shea looked up at him, her expression slightly lost. It was clear she had no idea what to do with the small one.
