“Let me see yer wound.”
“How many other wounded?” I hid my wince as he peeled away the blood-soaked bandage.
“Fennin took a cudgel to the hip, and some terrified virgin kicked Trevik in the bollocks.” My brother was intent on cleaning my wound with saltwater. “Ye were the worst of it, oh mighty Stormseeker.”
I scowled at his mocking.
“And how many humans?”
Maardok didn’t answer for a moment. I glanced sideways, to see him dabbing intently at the raw slash of flesh. Too intently.
“How many humans dead?” I prompted.
He did not look at me, mayhap knowing I didn’t want to hear his answer.
“Six.”
Fook.
I settled back on the bench, watching my warrior’s strong backs as they pulled at the oars, drawing us farther out to sea, farther from human retaliation. Closer to the stones which would take us home.
There was comfort there, and I trusted Auld Garran—who’d been doing these calculations since before I was born—to put us in the right place at the right time.
Six humans dead, because we needed this ore. Because wehadto have it, and they had to defend it. Mayhap we should have attacked at night, when they’d be sleeping, as my brother had suggested.
I felt Maardok grunt softly as he tied off another bandage.
“We took what we needed,D’malk. Callor will be satisfied.”
He was trying to make me feel better.
“Aye, I ken it.”
I raised my voice. “Our warriors did well. If Trevik couldnae control his female, he deserved to have sore bollocks.”
From the chuckles and the way the youngest member of our raiding party glared at me over his oar, I knew I’d broken their tension.
“She had the wrong idea, Stormseeker,” the lad called out indignantly. “I wanted her apron for my mother!”
“So ye tried to take it off her?” Auld Garran chortled. “Nae wonder she defended herself.”
“‘Twas beautifully embroidered,” Trevik shot back.
The male at his side chided, “Ye should try wooing her next time—once yer pimples clear up!”
The party laughed heartily at that, and I felt tension drain from my shoulders. Aye, my friends were alive, we had enough to satisfy Callor for another season, and we were going home.
I couldn’t feel guilty over the fate of the humans. Not when my own clan’s fate was so tenuous.
With a soft grunt, I stood then rolled my neck. Aye, the pain was still there, but I would survive until Matthias could treat me. While the Battleborn raiders threw jibes back and forth, I nodded to my brother.
“I’m ready.”
“For yer prisoner?”
“Well, we’ve teased puir Trevik, ye’ve poked my wound, we’re on the right course for the stones, the humans are far behind—och, are ye waiting to give me a report on the number of cheeses we stole?”
Maardok grinned. “For the arse-pain, we should have taken more.”
