The Shadow Throne (Ascendance 3)

Which, at best, was a contradiction in terms. Continuing, I said, “Good enough, I suppose. Tell him that during my time in captivity, I was forced to reveal our key strategies in this war, so everything must change. I need every spare man moved to Drylliad to protect the castle, and I want every trap ready in that city. I also want the wealth of Carthya moved to a place called Farthenwood. It’ll be safer there.” I leaned in to him. “Now promise me that this message will reach my castle.”

“That’s a pretty dangerous message.” He nodded at a single garlin clasped in my fist. “I hope you’re planning on paying more than that.”

I stuffed the coin back into my pocket. That one wasn’t for him. “No doubt Vargan would consider this message far more valuable than what I can afford to pay you here. But my companion will give you a few garlins now, and you may ask for many more once you’ve reached Drylliad.”

I gestured to Mott, who reached into his saddlebag and withdrew a handful of coins for the man. He pocketed the money and then told the other thieves to get his horse ready.

There was nothing more to keep us here now. I wished the men well and told them we had to be on our way. After we rode off, Mott said, “While in captivity, you lied to Avenia about our plans.”

“Yes.”

“And now you wish to change all our actual plans to fit those lies?”

“It seemed like a good idea.”

He stared at me for a moment, and then shrugged. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“If I don’t, then you’ll always be there to point out my mistakes.”

I smiled from the corner of my mouth and Mott chuckled lightly. The joke eased the tension that had been between us since my rescue, and even Tobias relaxed somewhat. After another few hours, we stopped to give the horses a rest and for us to share some of the food we had brought with us from the inn. In the warmth of the day, we took shade beneath the canopy of a tall yew tree that overlooked the coast of the Eranbole Sea in the distance. It was uncommonly beautiful and I longed to one day board a ship and set sail across it.

Before taking bites for themselves, both Mott and Tobias leaned against the trunk and allowed me to eat as greedily as I needed to. It helped to return my strength, though it wasn’t nearly enough for the conversation I had been avoiding since my escape.

When it couldn’t be delayed any longer, I asked Mott, “Did I do the right thing, coming after you in that camp?”

“No.” He sighed heavily and looked sideways at me. “But it wasn’t the wrong thing either. The night you rescued me, from the minute they brought Imogen there, I knew I would tell them everything they wanted. I’d have failed you, Jaron.”

“I’d have done no better. I didn’t even last long when they put Tobias against me and he isn’t nearly as pretty.”

Tobias snorted a laugh and said he wouldn’t even try to disagree with that.

We rested awhile, and then Mott said, “About Imogen —”

My eyes had been closed, thinking again of that last moment with her. “I thought I could save her. And you as well.”

“You did save me. She might have gotten away too, but she wouldn’t leave you behind any more than you’d have left her.”

“She took the arrow intended for me. She gave her life for mine.”

“And you risked yours for us. Why didn’t you send someone else in? We have other warriors capable of that rescue.”

“I knew Avenia was looking for information, and if anyone was captured they’d dredge my plans from them, as they would’ve done with you. But if I became their captive, I knew I could give them the exact information I wanted. Which I did.”

Tobias shook his head. “If you were going to lie, why not just tell them at first, before they had to beat it out of you?”

“They’d never have believed me if I made it that simple.” My voice softened as I felt again their strikes and blows. “They had to beat it out of me so that they would accept my lies. It was going to happen anyway. At least we got something from it.” The price for misdirecting them had been very high, so much that it had nearly killed me. But we had an advantage now in the war. Avenia would waste a great deal of energy chasing shadows that did not exist.

Little more was spoken until we were back on the road again. Then my thoughts inevitably turned back to Imogen. I said, “The arrow hit below her shoulder, but might’ve missed her heart. If she survived the fall, then they would’ve tried to heal her, so they could use her against me.”

“Then why didn’t that happen?” Tobias spoke gently, knowing his words would add to the crushing ache within me. “If she survived, of course they would’ve used her and not me. So why didn’t they?”

I already knew the answer, though I couldn’t find it in me to speak the words. She had said it herself when we were together. Even if she had survived, she would try to die. She would choose that, rather than allow herself to become a weapon against me.

But this understanding only stirred my frustrations. “Why did she stop that archer? All she had to do was run.”

Mott pressed his lips together, then with the same calmness as Tobias had used, said, “She stopped him because that’s who she was. Don’t be angry for what was best about her.”

Maybe he was right, but I still wasn’t sure that Imogen had been. I dropped my head and said, “Give me hope, Mott. Is there any chance of her being alive?”