Page 86 of Lana Pecherczyk
“You’ll see him soon enough.”
“When?”
“At the Great Murder.”
River checked the triad tattoo, but there was no message from Cloud. This news from Ash was either passed on from Clarke or from the wind.
“What did you hear?” he asked.
“There’s a rumor he’ll appear at the Tribunal to exonerate his family.” Ash checked over his shoulder to see if anyone waslistening nearby, but they were all busy at the table. “He doesn’t want them ostracized to the top level like your family.”
“How magnanimous of him,” River drawled. “Wait. Exonerate them from what? His Vendetta?”
Rules had to be followed for a Vendetta to be legally binding in the community. Otherwise, any old crow could kill another and claim it righteous. Cloud refused to include his kettle, his murder, or his triad. His Vendetta wasn’t even against another fae. The elders shouldn’t give a shit.
Ash’s sigh spoke volumes.
“You don’t believe that’s why he’s coming,” River stated, fighting to keep his thoughts clear, “which is why you changed your mind about coming to the Great Murder.”
Ash’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. “Cloud’s up to something.”
River gasped dramatically. “You mean beyond the blanket murderous rampage?”
“Yes.”
“Clarke told you that?”
“No.”
“Did you see her?”
“Maybe.”
“You going to elaborate?”
“No.”
“Well fuck you too.”
Ash chuckled. He tossed a pebble across the campfire at River. It hit him on the head.
“What was that for?” River rubbed the ache.
“Just checking.”
“For what?”
“If you still have your wits.”
“You’re the one with rocks for brains.”
He wanted to find the pebble and toss it back, but his arms felt too heavy. He followed Ash’s drifting gaze to the lone, ornate caravan parked beneath the twisted branches farther down the roost. The Crow’s Dowry nesting caravan had likely cost his family a small fortune in coin. The gift was given to the newly mated couple to help them start a life together. Worthy trinkets and gems made it shimmer like starlight, but it now sat empty. Forgotten. Sad.
Something bitter and unexpected lodged in River’s throat. He never thought he’d want that for himself—the traditional courtship, the thrill of swooping for his chosen mate, the community’s and the Donna’s blessing. But now that the Well threw him and Blake together without any of those moments, he couldn’t help feeling like he’d been cheated out of something vital.
He snatched the moonshine decanter Talo had left and shook it. When did it get so low? He shrugged and tipped the last of it into his cup, drinking deeply to wash away the bitterness.
“At least the inside’s practical,” Ash noted, gesturing at the nesting van. “Private washing area, kitchen, sleeping quarters. Everything a newly mated couple needs for their bonding tasks.”
