Sunweaver by Ryan W Mueller

Author:Ryan W Mueller [Mueller, Ryan W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23: A Foiled Plan

Deril froze, his heart pounding in his ears as he tried to think of some way out of this situation. The female Sun Guard stepped closer, and Deril made his decision.

"We don't mean any harm," he said, praying his ruse would work. "We've been following a group of people we thought were Fireweaver bandits. Now we know, and they're close. We have to act quickly."

"I don't believe you," the woman said, narrowing her eyes as she and two other Sun Guards stepped between the trees. "Prove you aren't Fireweavers."

"We're going to weave shields," Deril said. "You can read our heat signatures."

Deril nodded to Tiran, and they did the weaves. One of the male Sun Guards stared at them for a few long moments, then said, "They're Sunweavers."

"That doesn't mean they aren't affiliated with the bandits," the woman said, her gaze severe. She stepped closer, pointing at them with her sword. "Who are you two?"

The other man was staring at them with a curious frown. He looked vaguely familiar, and Deril worried he might have once been stationed at the Temple of Aralea.

"Wait, I recognize you," the man said. "You're Deril Anduri. What are you doing out here following bandits?"

Deril's heart pounded. "Can you keep your voice down? The people we're following can't know who I am. Tiran and I are working as spies, trying to get information on my father's kidnapping. Tiran's a Sun Guard. You can trust him."

The woman turned to the man who'd recognized Deril. "Are you certain it's him?"

"I spent seven years at the Temple of Aralea. I think I'd know the Sunlord's son."

"All right, I trust your judgment." She turned to Deril and Tiran. "Do you know where the bandits are, or what they want from us? And do you think they have something to do with the Sunlord's kidnapping?"

Deril fought down a wave of panic. "We're following every lead we can. Captain Hanir has allowed us to undertake this mission. If you trust his judgment, you can trust ours."

"I do trust him," she said. "Now let's look for these bandits."

"We'll help guard the prisoners," Tiran said. "You can find the bandits."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "How did you know we were carrying prisoners?"

Deril's stomach lurched. "We are acting as spies. We've gathered some intelligence from the people we're spying on. They know you're carrying Fireweaver prisoners, so we know."

"That seems logical," she said, though she didn't sound convinced. "You may help guard the prisoners. It would probably be better if you didn't put yourselves at risk trying to apprehend the bandits. You can leave that to us. Your mission is too important."

Deril exhaled with relief. He couldn't believe she'd accepted their story. Being recognized might have saved him this time

But long could he depend on that?

Then, of course, they still needed to free those prisoners. How could they do that without implicating themselves? Deril turned to Tiran, hoping for reassurance, but Tiran shook his head.

The man who'd recognized Deril led them back to the road, where the caravan waited for the wall of rock to subside.

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