Page 69 of The Prince's Sacrifice

“Do you think my father is going to attack the exiles while we’re gone?” Pel asked.

While he should know his father better, Tor had more military experience.

Tor made a face. “I don’tthinkso, but I’m not certain. He’s certainly angry enough, but he lost guards up that mountain,and now the landslide is in the way. I’m next to certain that the exiles will stay out of the way—which will only help if Forex doesn’t pursue them all the way over the mountain. But the exiles will know that land best, and he didn’t get the decisive victory he wanted before. While that no doubt infuriates him, my best guess is that he’ll now wait and see if the High King will support him and send more guards to help.”

Pel nodded, hoping Tor was right. Forex was so bitter about so much, and Pel wasn’t convinced that even crushing the exiles and taking back the land beyond the mountain would actually appease him. He suppressed a shiver. He didn’t know what to do with people like that, who wanted more and more and more.

“Something’s going to need to be done about the exiles,” Pel said carefully.

Whatever the High King thought of all of this, the situation had grown too fraught in Tond.

Tor nodded. “I agree. We have to talk to them, no matter the objections. They were fleeing in a torrential rain storm. Why did their raiding methods change so drastically? What was so important? No part of this makes sense.”

He eyed Denil suddenly. “We haven’t asked for your opinion. Thoughts?”

Denil was silent for a moment, looking a little surprised to be asked. And then he said, “If Beluna had mentioned all the difficult questions being asked in this boat, then I would probably have stayed in the other one.”

They laughed, and Denil’s lips tipped up, lines forming around his light blue eyes. “I don’t know any more than you. I’ve done patrols by the mountains, of course. I’ve seen the aftermath of the normal raiding.” He sighed. “I’m a Tondian guard. It’s my duty to the King and our people to keep everyone safe, and that includes from theft. I’ve never engaged directly with any exiles because none of my patrols have ever caught sight of them.They’ve always been careful, and they’ve never taken all the supplies from any one person or place. I’m not saying I condone it, but…” He shrugged helplessly. “It seemed manageable, and I always assumed there was a reason for it, right or wrong. That last raid was terrible—and abnormal. Were they angry and lashing out? But who exactly? And why? I’ve no idea.”

That seemed to be what everyone was feeling—which probably meant that Tor was right, and they needed to actually talk to the exiles. Never mind twenty-five years of supposedly leaving one another alone; the situation had changed, and they didn’t know why.

So they were rushing to involve the High King and explain what had actually happened.

They stopped only when they had to, and Tor napped.

“I’m feeling much better,” he told Pel later in the day. “I’m sure I could row for a little while.”

“Not happening,” Pel told him flatly.

“But—” Tor protested.

“Do you want to row, or do you want to do something fun tonight?”

Tor opened his mouth, shut it, and then finally said, “I’m going to rest now.”

“That’s what I thought.” Pel sounded as smug as he felt.

Denil looked altogether amused, but he didn’t make any comment about Pel’s negotiation technique.

Tor definitely looked better, less pale and more energized, but Pel was certain rowing wouldn’t help with his recovery. He’d recently seen the man nearly drive himself into the grave, after all, trying to help others, so Pel was smart enough to cut him off completely this time. There were other options now, and Pel was going to make use of them.

That night, when they pulled up on the eastern bank in Bessar, they were close to the bridge that led across to Filon. Itmeant there was a large enough town nearby that they risked stopping at an inn.

Pel bargained for the rooms. He might not generally appreciate being unnoticeable, but it actually came in handy when you were trying to be unobtrusive. He explained that his companions were out in the town but would be coming by soon.

Beluna asked after the tap room, so while the innkeeper escorted her there, the rest of them were able to get upstairs. Pel had only got two rooms in an effort not to flaunt too much wealth, and Denil already looked resigned.

Within a few minutes, Beluna had joined them and assured them that there was enough dim lighting in the tap room that Tor would be able to eat with them. They didn’t linger, but they all appreciated the well-cooked meal.

Upstairs, Beluna pulled a grinning Cavun into the second bedroom, and Denil rolled his eyes.

“I’ll get one more drink,” he proposed. “Bela, you have thirty minutes.”

“Make it an hour!” she called before closing the door in their faces.

“You can stay with us?” Pel offered.

Denil laughed at whatever expression was apparently on Tor’s face, though the man looked perfectly neutral by the time Pel glanced at him.