Page 65 of Shadow Master
“Can the weavers do that?”
“I don’t know,” Kash said. “But we have an Academy full of the most powerful weavers from headquarters, and there’s only one way to find out.”
It was late, and the weavers were probably asleep, but tomorrow, as soon as the posts were deactivated, I’d pay the Academy a visit.
Twenty-One
Sector one’s AM modulators had been removed, but it would be hours before the mist faded. Lloyd and Devon were leading teams in sector two, and Hyde had taken on sector three.
My team was in good spirits as we made our way back to base. The plan was to grab Kash and Lugh and head to the Academy to speak to the weavers. We crested the rise, and Orion came into view. His body was tense as he faced down Lugh. Raised voices greeted us, Brady’s deep timbre combined with Lugh’s regal inflection up against Orion’s irate melodic tone.
“What the hell?” I approached the men. “What’s going on?”
Orion turned to look down at me, his eyes flashing. “Do you know who this is?”
I crossed my arms and stared back at him. “Yes. It’s Lugh, heir of Balor and long-dead fomorian king, now trapped in my mate’s body.”
Orion blinked down at me in surprise, and then his expression smoothed. “So, you know … everything.”
“Yeah, we know everything.” I pressed my lips together. “We know the council lied to the knights.”
“He was trying to bribe me to keep quiet,” Lugh said slyly. “The great Winterlock with histechnologyis afraid.”
“I am not afraid of anything,” Orion snapped.
“You’re afraid your people will turn against you,” Lugh said. “Peons do not value a deceitful king.”
I raised a hand. “Whoa. There are no peons here, and Orion is not a king.”
Lugh’s brows shot up at the same time as Orion’s shoulders bunched.
Lugh’s smile was knowing. “I suppose you cannot call yourself a king when you no longer have a kingdom.”
There was subtext here that was flying right over my head. “Look, Orion, it doesn’t matter why you lied. All that matters is winning this war. Lugh won’t be with us for much longer, and you … You need to stay out of my way.”
Orion looked down at me with a fierce look on his face. “You believe I’ll cower while you take to the battlefield.”
“This isn’t about some macho bullshit. You’re not trained, so you stay out of the way.”
Lugh snorted. “Oh, dear, they really have no idea who you are, do they?”
Orion’s jaw ticked. “It has been a while.”
The two men shared a look that spoke of shared memories.
I didn’t have time for this. “If you can fight, then pick a weapon and grab some armor. If not, then keep off the battlefield.”
“You’re shutting off the mist,” Orion said softly.
It wasn’t a question. It was an observation, an acceptance that time was running out.
I looked out at the thinning mist. “I’ll be sending scouts to the sector three border as soon as the mist clears.”
Orion nodded. “You’ve done well, Justice. Henrich made an excellent choice of Shadow Master.”
I didn’t need his approval, but his confidence would make things easier. “I’m leaving for the Academy to see the weavers about freeing Lugh if you’d like an escort back?”
Lugh stood straighter, eager to be gone, no doubt.
