“No,” Triste managed, gesturing wildly. “No, you can’t wait! You have to go after them now!”
The Wing leader turned to her with a sly smile. “Don’t you worry, darling. They won’t get away. In the meantime, maybe I can do a little something to … cheer you up.” He eyed her up and down appreciatively. “It’s clear that the men you’ve been with just don’t know how to treat a woman.”
The minister cut him off with a curt chop of his hand. “Why do we have to go after them now?” he asked, his voice calm but measuring.
“The old monk,” Triste explained, raising her eyes for the first time. “He knows this part of the mountains. There are caves, he said, huge caves. They’re going there now.”
Ut glanced over sharply at Adiv. “Is that true?”
The minister shook his head impatiently. “How should I know? We never expected to be out here. The maps we have don’t even show the main peaks.”
“What kind of caves?” Ut demanded, seizing the girl by the hair and dragging her to her feet.
“I don’t know!” she cried, arching her back and rising onto her toes, face twisting in anguish. “I don’t know! Just that they’re big. The monk said once they were inside, they could walk for days, could come out in dozens of places.”
“’Shael take it,” Ut cursed.
“My bird won’t do much good if you let them skulk off into a cave,” Yurl said, chuckling, as though amazed at the incompetence of those around him.
Valyn felt a sudden fierce hope. If Kaden could reach the caves, Yurl and the Aedolians could spend days searching for just the entrance, weeks! Of course, Triste stood to ruin everything. Evidently she was as treacherous as she was gorgeous.
“Always the unexpected,” the minister said, shaking his head. “Where are these caves? How far away is Kaden?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “A few miles? The monk said they could make it by dawn.”
Adiv nodded slowly, then turned to Yurl. “All right, then. Can you find them by dawn?”
The gibbous moon gave ample light, but anyone searching would have to keep the bird low. If Kaden and his company could stick to the shadows, it would be hard to hunt them down. On the other hand, if they had to cover a few miles of extremely rough terrain by dawn, they wouldn’t have the luxury of choosing the most sheltered route. There would be sections where their haste would force them into the open. Valyn ground his teeth. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but he didn’t like his brother’s chances.
“I can have my people in the air in two minutes,” Yurl replied, “but it’s a big world out there, and it’s dark. If he’s changed course to break for these caves, we could spend half the night soaring around the wrong valley.”
Ut glanced at Adiv, and the minister, as though he could feel the other man’s gaze upon him, looked up, tightened the blindfold uneasily, tilted his head to one side, then nodded. “Kaden’s not moving at the moment. If he does, I can tell you roughly what direction he’s headed.”
Yurl raised an eyebrow. “Seeing in the dark’s an impressive trick for a blind man. You want to explain how you know all this?”
“Not especially,” Adiv replied evenly.
“Well, if I’m going to put my Wing at risk by taking them into the air on your say-so, why don’t you just go ahead and try.”
“You’re telling me you’re not comfortable flying after an unarmed band, three exhausted people?”
“One of them’s Skullsworn!”
Adiv waved a hand dismissively. “There are five of you. You are Kettral. You have a bird. Pyrre, Tan, and Kaden have been running for days. If you would have me believe you can’t handle this tiny little chore, I will begin to wonder if we made a mistake involving you at all.”
Yurl twisted away and spat, but the minister had him in a bind. “Once we’re in the air, how does this secret knowledge of yours get to us?”
“Simple,” Adiv replied, gesturing toward the fire. “Two flames means north, three means south, four means east. Just glance back here from time to time—you’ll be able to see this pass from fifty miles out.”
“Fine. Wait here, and I’ll try to clean up your fucking mess,” he snarled.
Ut turned toward him. The Aedolian had drawn his blade when Triste appeared, and he looked ready to use it now. Adiv, however, stepped between the two.
“If we’re going to discuss messes,” he said, nodding toward where Valyn and his Wing were bound, “it seems you’ve got some cleaning of your own to do.”