He turned and left.
Darius leaned his head against his hand as he watched him go. "It is interesting that he knew of the assassination attempt so soon after. It makes one wonder where he came by the information considering my men were under orders not to share news of the attempt with anyone."
Fallon stared after his half-brother, his face lost in thought. "It does make one wonder. Keep an eye on him just in case."
Darius lifted his head and gave Fallon a penetrating stare, "You think he might be involved?"
"It would not be the first time a close family member has plotted against a Warlord."
Darius nodded, knowing that was how Fallon's grandfather lost his life.
"As you will."
"Hot food, showers, maybe even a clean change of clothes." Buck leaned his head back and rolled his eyes in imagined bliss.
"I can practically taste the stew already," Eamon said, smacking his lips.
Shea snorted as she steered her horse onto safer ground. Every time they returned to the main camp all they wanted to talk about was what they would do first.
Assigned to a supply party tasked with gathering the monthly tithes, the three had just finished guiding their charges to the three villages on their route. Now they were heading back to the main Trateri camp, also known as home.
Despite the bitching that had followed their orders, they'd rather enjoyed their time on what scouts considered light duty. Though the terrain was still rough, the villages rarely put up any fight and every one of them was clearly marked on a map. It was easier than a lot of the mapping missions they drew, but it was also considered bitch work since there was little to no glory to be had.
"This time you're getting a shower if I have to throw you in myself," Buck groused at Shea.
She stuck her tongue out at him. He was only half joking. Though she ensured she stayed as clean as possible, the others had begun to notice that when it came time to bath or whip out their dicks to take a piss, Shea was always conspicuously absent. She found ways to take care of business later when no one was around. She'd been doing it so long that for the most part they chalked up her shyness to a Lowlander thing. They were beginning to push, though. The Trateri didn't have the same body consciousness that Lowlanders did and often bathed in open showers or in streams.
"I'm in no hurry to get a look at your damn dicks," Shea told him.
"But they're such fine dicks, Shane."
"Fine they may be, but I prefer a little privacy in my bath."
"Why? Do you need a little alone time to jack off? You know if you use your hand too much it'll just make what's between your legs fall off."
"I think you might want to take your own advice, Buck. Maybe there's a nice village girl somewhere out there who can give your nether regions a bit of attention." Eamon grinned.
Buck's nose wrinkled in disgust, and his mouth pursed as if it had just bitten into something sour. "A Lowlander girl? Impossible. I'd break her in half. These Lowlanders are just too frail. If she got anywhere near my cock, she'd faint dead away."
"Wow," Shea said shaking her head in disbelief. "That's quite an ego you have there."
"It's the truth. Lowlanders have twigs between their legs." He shot her a sly grin. "Why else would you be afraid to shower with us?"
"That's it," Shea said dryly. "That's the reason right there."
The past month and a half had been an eye opening experience for Shea as she settled into the team. On the Hawkvale's recommendation, Eamon had been given his own scouting team and made Shea his permanent second. She thought that might cause problems with new members who were older and thought they had more experience, but Buck was quick to set any newbie straight. He did that by beating them to a pulp the first time they challenged her authority. She reinforced it by ensuring that person got all the worst jobs like digging the trenches for waste.
For reasons that were a mystery even to her, she hadn't escaped after that first mission but had instead guided her team back to the base camp.
Every night Shea had promised herself she would leave, but she put off her escape night after night as they got closer to camp. That last night she'd risen with every intention of leaving, but Eamon had woken as well, making it impossible to sneak off. She pretended that she needed to do a perimeter check. By the time Eamon settled into sleep, Buck was up and ready for his watch. The night continued like that until dawn arrived, and her chance was gone.
Now, nearly a month and a half later she was still with them. Every time she thought about slipping away and heading home something stopped her. Camaraderie and companionship bound her to them more effectively than Fallon's chains.
Besides, what better place to hide out than under her enemy's very nose? After her escape no one would ever think she would be dumb enough to return. If they were still searching for her, they'd focus on the roads to the north. Maybe even return to Goodwin of Ria to see if she went there. No, she felt pretty safe masquerading as a boy in Fallon's own army.
"When will we get there?" Cale, the expedition leader for the supply train, barked as he rode up beside them. Shea remembered him from Goodwin of Ria and was grateful he didn't recognize her. He hadn't given her a good feeling in the last meeting. He was well on his way to providing an even worse one on this encounter.
He had a sharp beak for a nose and very pronounced eyebrows. He wasn't soft, none of the Trateri were, but he was softer than the soldiers Shea was used to seeing, lacking that chiseled edge of lethality most carried. The only thing that saved him was the scar on his neck and his well-muscled body. Despite that scar, he would be considered handsome by most. For Shea, he seemed too put together. Despite being on the trail, he spent an hour every morning attending to his appearance.
"We were supposed to arrive hours ago," he said.
Buck rolled his eyes where Cale couldn't see him and mouthed the last sentence mockingly. Shea bit her lip and looked down trying to contain the smile threatening to break out. The man said something similar every time they got close to a village. They had come to expect it and could practically repeat the conversation verbatim now.
"We're closer to camp than you think. Probably just a day or two more," Eamon said.
Cale looked up at the ridgeline and sniffed. He'd already made the argument that they should just go over it and was shot down by Eamon courtesy of Shea. It was one of the reasons the trip was taking longer than expected. They had to detour around several hills to find land that could support a wagon.
Despite Cale's expectations, it wouldn't have been faster to go over. The climb would take just as long because of the steep grade. Their breaks would have to double, and they'd most likely have had to leave the wagons and horses behind as the steepness meant they wouldn't be able to make the climb.
"Is there anything else?" Eamon tilted his head expectantly when Cale didn't move.
"I plan to bring your insubordination and general bad attitude to the attention of your superiors," Cale said vehemently.
"In that case, you'll want to make sure your concerns are sent directly to Mathias. He's the one who deals with issues of this nature. If you give it to Thomas or William, they'll forget all about it as soon as you're gone," Buck told him helpfully.
"You think this is funny?" Cale's lips twisted angrily. "I've heard about you three and that your captain doesn't think much of you. After I get done with you, you won't be fit to wear the green. Maybe they'll even put you on the frontlines with the rest of the throwaways."
"Sir, I'll thank you not to threaten my men." Eamon's eyes had gone flinty. "I am the scout master for this expedition, and you agreed upon this route. If you have a problem, I will not stop you from raising your concerns with my superiors, but you will not speak to my men like that again." His lips parted in a nasty smile. "They don't like that, you see. Shane, there, has delicate feelings and when he's out of sorts he makes mistakes. Don't you, boy."
Shea startled and did her best to appear delicate, lowering her eyes before nodding slightly.
Buck said seriously, or as seriously as he could with his lips twitching. "You never want your scout upset, sir. They might lead you into a jagger nest or a revenant's den."
Cale gave them a look of disdain before pulling hard on his reins and riding back the way he'd come. Not many chanced pissing their scouts off for exactly the reasons Buck just explained. Out here in the wilderness there were few rules and it was terrifyingly simple to get away with murder. Beasts were so prevalent that either scenario would be plausible and unquestioned. Cale wasn't all that intelligent to threaten them out in the open.