Page 103 of Echoes of War

Malachai grumbled something about food being for those who had their priorities straight. I glared at him. Whether I wanted to be or not, I was here, wasn’t I? That had to be enough.

“If you want to earn your freedom, you have a task to complete.”

That grabbed my attention for sure. “Yeah? Anything. Tell me what I need to do and consider it done.”

I would do anything to get out of these chains, to have that tingle of strength course through my body again. Not to mention consume more than a few scraps of stale bread, tea, and water that tasted sour as piss.

“There is … a message I’d like you to deliver,” he said, but I knew that glimmer in his eyes. Whatever deal he was offering wouldn’t sit well with me. “You want to save that little bitch and your friends?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. On one hand, it could be a trick, on the other, this could be the opening I needed to make sure they all made it out safely. He closed in on me and I leaned back in my chair.

“Answer the question,” he commanded, huffing hot ass air into my face.

“If the opportunity presented itself, I would like the chance to save a select few, yeah.”

His fists clenched and Malachai barked a laugh.Did I answer wrong?I was never going to recover from my fuck up.It’s fine, it was worth it.Moe had gotten the message, but either way, I’d suffer in vain. They would never flee and leave the people of Monterey to fend for themselves. All I’d done was offer them a chance of saving their lives in exchange for mine. Even if there was a slight chance that they’d make it out with my warning,it was worth it.

“Very well,” he concluded. “I’ve decided to consider your offer of not wasting good blood. You’ve probably gathered we’re right outside Salem’s borders.”

I froze. Damn right I knew where we were, but I hadn’t wanted him to know that. They’d placed a hood over my head during the ride back. It didn’t make a difference. I knew the area from the scent alone. I’d done my best to play dumb. If he knew that I was fully aware of where we were, he might be inclined to think that I’d make a run for it.

I wouldn’t.

I was smarter than that. My father would take a shot through the back of my head, waiting for the moment I thought I’d achieved freedom to pull the trigger. That was how he rolled. He would give, but he loved to take even more. The higher the hope someone had, the more my father relished in taking it from them.

He chuckled at the guilt in my eyes. “I’m sending you out during our initial approach. Get Amaia to see why surrendering can serve in her favor. If she’s as solid a leader as you say, she’ll take a smart deal when she sees one.”

“Who said she was smart?” Malachai sneered.

I shook my head. Amaia had her own way of doing things and I was the last person she’d consider negotiating with. “She doesn’t want to see me. Whatever offer you think you have isn’t going to work.”

“Why, son, I haven’t even told you what I’m offering yet. Do this. Prove to me you were the son worth staying alive. I always thought you were the weaker one of the three. Then again, you did kill one and leave the other to die without looking back.”

A pang went through my body, scratching the surface of what was now a reopened wound. That wasn’t true. I hadn’t left Hunter. I’d wanted to go back for him, had tried to go back for him. Anger sank into the depths of my chest. Our dad may not be the man I thought he was, but this was still Reina’s fault. All of this was her fault. I hated her for putting us in this position to begin with.

My hatred for her meant nothing, though. I may have been willing to let her die when I’d thought she’d betrayed me withmalice in her heart, but with distance came clarity. I knew my sister. She loved me and I’d broken her. I owed her a spared life. What she did with that spared life … I didn’t care, as long as it was far as hell away from me.

So I would give this my all. I would do this last thing for her and Tomoe. I would offer Amaia this deal, give her a chance to save the people she loved as well. And if they didn’t agree by their own volition, I would make them.

“Show me that I was wrong. Show me you deserve to live.”

Riley

“Sir, one of our scouts reported in. Tomoe and Reina are approaching South Gate. There appears to be an unknown adult male with them, no sign of our general or Alexiares. Should we intercept?”

I glanced up from the paperwork on Amaia’s desk, one of my men offering a welcomed interruption from the mess I’d stumbled into. It wasn’t right working in Prescott’s office, not yet. My heart palpitated, a brief moment of relief washing over me, knowing Tomoe and Reina had made it back safe. It was short-lived as I wondered who was with them. I’d received word from a messenger weeks ago that the group had separated and that my sister and Alexiares would be arriving at a later date. But who was with them?

“No, it’s fine. I’ll meet them at the gate. How far out?” I asked, pushing off the desk and rising to my feet. The paperwork could wait.

He moved out of the doorway, allowing me to pass through. “Two miles, sir. They’re jogging it in. Fifteen minutes out if they keep pace.”

“Copy. Alert the watchtowers not to signal but standby.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, taking off ahead of me.

As eager as I was to be reunited, I needed to make sure it wasn’t a hostage situation. I trusted Reina. She wasn’t anything like her brother. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was bringing trouble to our gates. If they had someone with them, they were either a friend or held against their will.

I worked my way through The Compound. There was a solemn tone throughout the streets these days. We hadn’t tried to hide Prescott’s death. The people deserved to mourn both him and the family and friends we’d lost that day. It didn’t make much sense to keep secrets from our citizens at this point. The end was fast approaching. There was no denying that. They had the right to be prepared.

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