Probably a hostage like they’d been. Only he’d never seen her while they’d been held.
Which meant nothing. There had been dozens of hostages, and they hadn’t all been kept in the same place.
Meara had taken a great deal of pleasure in turning her prisoners against everyone and everything. Had he not had the Outlaws as his brethren, there was no telling how he’d have ended up, especially after he’d been told about his father’s death.
He was grateful every day of his life for the stroke of luck he’d had in finding his fellow Outlaws. They alone had kept him safe and relatively sane.
“Should we kill her?”
Xaydin was shocked by that question. “When did you become so bloodthirsty?” Normally, those kinds of thoughts were his domain.
“Life…as well as my older brother…has taught me that sometimes it’s best to strike first.”
I am an asshole.
He should have taught his brother more productive things. Like crochet or pottery.
“What about Inshu?” Xaydin reminded him.
“The gods will understand.”
Wow. Masakage was in a foul mood tonight. “She’s after theaþaswere. Let her waste her time chasing it.”
Masakage took her cup and held it out toward Xaydin. “Can you read the leaves?”
“Not my talent.” But he took the cup anyway and looked into it. All he saw were grinds in the bottom.
“There’s more to her journey than just Oath Island.”
Xaydin wondered how Masakage could know that based on nothing more than some grinds swirled in the bottom of a clay cup. It made no sense to him. “What else do you see?”
“Whatever you do, don’t tell her you serve Dash.”
That was easy enough. “I don’t serve him.”
Masakage rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
He did, but something in his soul loved to antagonize his brother. “Why?”
“She’s been ordered to execute any Outlaw she finds.” He took the cup back from Xaydin, rinsed it with water, then put it into his pack with his other dishes. “That means you.”
“Then perhaps we should execute her.”
“Not based on what I see.”
Xaydin didn’t like that tone of voice. “Tell me why you’ve changed your mind. You were so willing to just a few seconds ago.”
Masakage didn’t answer. “Rest. You’ll need it.”
That made his stomach cramp. “I hate your ability to see the future, especially when you don’t share that knowledge.”
“You’re not the only one. I find it most annoying myself.”
That was something Masakage had never admitted to before. Interesting. “Is there any way to control it?”
He shook his head. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
Damn. He didn’t envy him, then. While others might want to know the future, he didn’t. Here and now was all that interestedhim. The future would come regardless, and he had no plans for it.
