Page 150 of The King's Man
Her lips twisted and she folded her arms, but she didn’t avert her eyes as she answered. “I found a village and walked the shadows to listen to their—”
“I fuckingknew it!”I spat. “So fucking dangerous and you werealone?!”
“It was nighttime, they didn’t even know I was there. I knew we couldn’t leave this place until we understood what had happened, and why they were attacking. And you were so deeply asleep. It was a good use of time, Jann.”
“It was a fuckingrisk.”
She tipped her head and her brows rose. “That’s what we do, Jann, remember? That’s our job, you said that. We were sent for this missionbecausewe will do what needs to be done… right?”
I spluttered. “Yes, but—”
“No buts. I asked you what you’d do if our responsibilities took us apart—”
“Meaning that we wereassignedthose tasks. We aren’t in Theynor anymore, Dee. You can’t throw your life away for the sake of intelligence we might not even need—”
“I didnotthrow my life away.”
“One slip,” I growled. “The Centaurs are easily as strong as me, and while they are usually a lot slower to attack, we already know they’re shooting first now. It was reckless—”
“It was necessary!”
“You’re being flippant with your life!”
“No, Jann, I’m doing what needs to be donebecause I can.It’s what I’m good at—and if I hadn’t we wouldn’t know Gall passed through here almost three weeks ago.”
I went still, my mind reeling. “That’s impossible!”
“I thought so too, but I heard it from four different sources, and in all cases it was casually mentioned as if everyone knew it for fact.”
I straightened, keeping my face blank against the pain and shaking my head. “That can’t… there’s no way they covered that kind of ground—”
“It can’t be the real Gall, Jann. The Fallen… they have to be impersonating him. Right? The Centaurs are talking about him growing angry at a youngster and striking a blow. He almost killed the poor kid.”
What? No. There was no way—
“Jann, whoever is doing this, he’s appearing as a true ruler—intimidating, andpowerful.One of the females I listened to had seen him with her own eyes, and she was begging her matenot to fight. She believed Gall could level her Centaur husband. She grieved for the young one he hurt, but said it was a mercy he hadn’t attacked the males. To her he seemed… impossible to defeat—and she wasn’t speaking of an army, or guards. She used his name.”
I swallowed hard. “Rumors and gossip—”
Diadre shook her head. “Wait until you hear the rest. Because you need to decide what message we’re sending back to Melek. I’m afraid we’ve misjudged this, and he needs to be looking for the true Gall and Istral. This can’t be them. It simply can’t.”
“There’s no messengers out here,” I growled. “If he crossed the Raven Peaks weeks ago we have to get into Ebonreach and get news of what’s happened there—”
“I found a scribe in that village—they're on the border with Meyrath and they have runners—”
“No, Diadre. You arenotgoing back into the—”
My mate planted her fists on her hips and glared at me. “I am. I did. And this is whatIdo, Jann. Now, I listened to you when we were in your terrain, but this kind of fight ismine. As long as you have to rest, I’m gathering intelligence to arm usandMelek and Yilan.”
“Not alone.”
“It’ssaferalone. Far less likely for me to be discovered, and besides, you can barely walk. What are you going to do—fly a patrol to find me?”
I growled and suddenly her face softened. She put that hand back on my chest and I clapped mine over it, needing to feel her and remind myself that she was unhurt.
But as I was about to insist that she reconsider, she gave me a little shove, and with a spluttering growl, I overbalanced and almost fell. Diadre grabbed my wrist and caught my weight enough to give me counter-balance until I was steady again—but glaring.
Right into her very grim face.
