Ander crossed the distance between us. He had a smile and a nod for Cara, and for me, the usual curt, “Fieran.”
“Ander.” I offered my hand. He accepted it; it was the firm, brief grip of two men who respected each other’s capabilities and not each other’s intentions.
Tesa was nearby, but I wasn’t sure where. Best to get him into a tent or further away from the main thoroughfare.
But he was already launching into why he was here. He laid it out efficiently, as usual: the facts in order, conclusions separated from speculation, nothing wasted.
The queen had sent Obsidian alone to guard the eastern sea wall.
The monsters at the eastern wall had broken far larger groups than Obsidian alone.
“Maura sent word. It could not reach you here, so I brought it myself.”
He reached into his coat and removed a folded piece of paper, which he held out. Cara took it before I could as he continued. “They need our help.”
“The queen has sent us both on missions of our own.” It was not an objection, but a problem we would have to navigate.
Cara read the letter quickly, then again. She handed the paper to me without being asked.
The message was Maura being Maura, which meant it contained no sentiment and all the information. Underneath, if one knew how to read her, was the faintest acknowledgment that she was asking for help.
Fear—we were sent to the eastern wall alone. If you’re going to do something, now would be the time. We will be of little use to your plots in a month –M
She could never quite bring herself to ask. Instead, she reminded me of the larger mission.
I needed to unite the shifter clans if we were going to have a chance against the queen. I doubted even I could get all nine clans aligned in one direction at once, but the more we had, the less chance we’d end up fighting dragon against dragon.
The wards that protected us had also kept her message out. “When did you receive this?
“Two days ago. I would have come sooner.” Ander meant the journey had been difficult. He did not elaborate.
“How bad is it?” Cara said.
“Obsidian is not a weak clan, but the eastern seawall has usually been the work of multiple clans. The queen knows what she’s sending them against. She’s not expecting them to come back.”
I considered it. “Obsidian could rebel against her orders.”
“They will not do that without an exit plan.”
“Why are you here, truly, Ander?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I am happy to give them an exit. If they will take it. It seems they have little to lose. But why are you here?”
Ander’s jaw worked. “We both know what you are plotting. This seems like a more private conversation.”
I was more than happy to move us somewhere private and far from where we might encounter Tesa.
“Very well.”
I gestured into the forest, moving opposite where Tesa would be. It was not my most subtle choice. “You look tired.”
“I’m always tired around you,” Ander returned, as if the queen had not been running him and his clan ragged. “You’ve got a new toy. Nightwalkers.”
He was going to regret that choice in wording later. “Two Nightwalkers, extracted from the queen’s household.”
“You trust them.” He managed to imply many emotions in three words, chief among them judgment.
“As much as I trust anyone outside my clan.”
“So, not much.”
