Tribe: Book Two by Dade Crawford

Author:Dade Crawford [Crawford, Dade]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fractured Press
Published: 2022-06-28T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 32

M y eyes popped open, and I felt lost and disoriented.

Struggling to rise I fought against the force holding me down until Lana’s words reached through the stabbing pain in my skull.

“Relax, Daniel! Relax! You’re safe, my King. We’re all safe.”

“Nin? Glys?” I craned my head to the side, trying to find either and sagged back onto the blankets when both pushed in close.

“We’re here, sire,” Glys breathed, her complexion pallid but not tight with pain. When I glanced down, I saw smooth unblemished flesh beneath the bloody rent in her robes.

“What’s happening… fuck. ” I tried to sit up again, but the world spun alarmingly, and I felt my gorge rise as the pain in my skull grew unbearable.

Something soft slipped beneath my head as Nin pulled me into her lap, gentle fingers brushing the hair from my brow.

“Rest, my King.” Movement beside Nin resolved into Seline who pressed me back down with a gentle hand. “You’ve overexerted yourself. There could be… unforeseen consequences to handling as much magical power as you did. It was… Sire, I would have said it was unbelievable if I wasn’t a witness.”

“Where are we?”

“We’re almost back to the Valley,” Ema said. “You’ve been unconscious for three days, Daniel.”

As I ate a small meal, they told me everything. After the river crossing, they’d escaped into the forest. Robb Spar’o had taken command, naming himself commander in my absence. He’d led them back up into the mountains, on a difficult climb through narrow canyons and up steep ravines.

Eventually they’d made it to the high valleys with no sign of pursuit and stopped to rest. Of the slaves, most had been rescued, with some two dozen or so having perished in the fighting or been

retaken by the Hirsute. Of those who’d come on the mission, nine died in the attack with four times that taking wounds that required tending.

I wasn’t the only one being carried in a litter. When I finally rose to my feet on unsteady legs, I saw the wounded and felt a stab of guilt cut into me.

“We were told you’re back on your feet!” Robb came marching forward with his teenage son trailing him, a broad grin on the lad’s face. “Julio, this is the man I told you about.”

“Thank you, sir, for… for coming to rescue us.” The boy ducked his head, and I felt the guilt retreat for a moment as I nodded in acknowledgement.

“The plan went to shit, but I’m glad we got you out.” I turned to Robb and held out my hand. “Thank you for leading everyone to safety. You looked out for my people the same as your own. You’re a good man.”

The man tried to hide his pleasure at the compliment behind some grumbled complaints, but I wouldn’t release his hand until he saw the sincerity in my eyes. He stayed at our fire for an hour, describing what he’d seen that night and the last few days.

Robb’s eagerness to leap into battle was blunted by his first experience.

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