“Hey!”
Aislynn continued, not sparing the swordswoman as much as a glance. “We have not detained you for any fight-”
“Speak for yourself, Ais.”
Aislynn rolled her eyes heavenward but showed no other sign that she heard Fallon behind her. “-But we must ask you questions. The appearance of the orcs signals an escalation. We must discover the reason behind this.”
How had they connected her? Was this a shot in the dark? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fallon started looking around her, quick movements of her head in all directions. Laire was watching her teammate with a puzzled expression on her face. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for a brick wall to hit my head against. I’m sure I’d have more luck with it than with her. You know, Teach, you might want to stop and think for a moment. Do you really believe Terak is the only one watching you now? How do you think we were able to plan this little get together?”
Oh gods, why hadn’t she thought about that before? These people knew everything about her. Why wouldn’t they also be watching her? She had been so focused on Terak…
A warm, calloused palm met hers, and Terak’s large hand squeezed, snapping her out of her daze. She raised her face to his. His dark eyes reassured her.
She squeezed back, and was rewarded with that almost smile.
Aislynn took another step forward and spoke not to Larissa, but to Terak. “Clan Leader of the Gargoyles, while we may not be allies, we are not enemies. Our goal is a common one, to protect this woman. Everything we have done has been with that purpose.”
“And how would you do this?” Terak inquired of the elf, his voice stilted but no longer furious. “You have not protected her thus far.”
“We have tried. We would have protected her had you not that first night.” Terak tilted his head as if acknowledging the elf’s words, but didn’t speak himself. Aislynn continued, “We ask to be brought into your confidence. We may have information that you do not, as you may also have information unknown to us. We wish to protect this woman. We wish to protect the Realms. We wish to defeat the necromancers. Surely these commonalities outweigh our differences.”
A play of emotions crossed Terak’s face as he kept his gaze steady on Aislynn. Larissa wasn’t sure what she thought about what was being proposed, but there was no doubt in her mind that the elf had been brought here as the peacemaker and dealmaker. The other two women deferred to her, keeping silent as she talked to Terak. Larissa would place money that wasn’t a common occurrence.
Decision sharpened Terak’s expression, and he looked not at the elf, but at Fallon. “And which of these goals is your priority?”
Fallon’s head tilted, assessing Terak. “Why do you ask? Isn’t it enough they are goals we share?”
“No.” Terak’s baritone was laced with finality. “Only when there is no conflict can there be truce. We are not the same, Dragon Slayer. Even if you could bring yourself to lie and tell me otherwise, we both know the truth.”
What was he talking about? But even before the echo of the words faded Laire’s expression turned serious in a way Larissa never would have believed possible. She reached out her arms in front of her, fingers splayed wide, and with a quick movement flung her arms out to the side.
Around them dozens of floating spheres appeared, bright white with a core of black through the middle. Laire clenched her hands into quick fists, and the spheres exploded in balls of flame. “We need to leave,” Laire said, but before she could be made, she jerked and fell forward as if someone punched her in the stomach, though no one was near.
Fallon was at her side in two quick steps, grabbing the mage’s arm and helping her straighten. “What’s happening?”
A howl sounded, far away, and then a legion of answering howls, growls and almost-human screams of such menace that Larissa’s blood turned to sludge and flowed through her veins, weighing down her limbs and making fleeing impossible. Terak wrapped his arms around her, bending to speak into her ear. “Calm, little human. I will protect you. Have I failed you yet?”
No. No, never.
My sword and my shield.
She wrapped her arms around him, returning the embrace. “Sorry about the momentary freak out. I’m good now.”
From behind her Fallon’s voice ground out, “Laire, what’s going on?”
With a final squeeze, Larissa let go of Terak and turned back to the group of women. They were standing in a close circle. Laire looked recovered from whatever had attacked her. “Someone was watching her,” she said, nodding toward Larissa. “When I destroyed their little spies, they must have decided to send something after us.”