The Prince of Exiles (The Exile Series) (7 page)

Raven put the questions aside for another time. He threw the cloak around his shoulders and strapped the sword around his waist. As he did his wound burned, and his head began to pound harder.

Okay – lying down might soon be forced upon you.

He shook this thought away. Ever since he’d killed Ramael he’d been unable to stay in one place for very long. It was why he’d volunteered to patrol the mountains in the first place - the idea of resting, even here among the Kindred camp, made his skin crawl. He could be attacked at any time, the Death Watchmen had just proved that. Better to be awake. Better to be alert.

“All right – well I’m feeling fine,” he said to the others, even as his head gave another nasty throb. “And you said I had to be at this meeting, right?”

“No,” Tomaz rumbled, though he looked less sure now. “You need to go back inside and rest. I don’t care what kind of healing happened last night, I’m not going to be responsible for you falling on your face. Until you’re cleared by Elder Keri herself – ”

“Just to be fair,” Leah said, “she is going to
be
at the meeting. If she sends him away, then that solves our problem doesn’t it? Besides, Ishmael told us very explicitly to bring him if he was able to move. They want him there.”

“He’s just a boy,” grumbled Tomaz, “he shouldn’t be included.”

“Standing right here big man,” Raven reminded him.

“You’re injured, you don’t get to make decisions,” the big man retorted.

“Tomaz,” Leah said, “he’s able to walk. We’ll bring him right back after we’re done, and this way we’re sure he doesn’t get up to any more trouble around camp. You know he will, he always does.”

“Still right here,” Raven said.

“Fine,” Tomaz rumbled, “you come with us. But until Elder Keri clears you, I will personally hold you down in bed until you’re healed. Are we understood?”

“Understood,” Raven said, though inwardly he was formulating three different escape plans to keep himself from being confined to that sick tent. He was too familiar with the way the other Children worked – too aware how easily a camp like this could be infiltrated.

I won’t be caught unawares while we’re in Imperial territory. If I don’t sleep until we’re back in Vale, then that’s the way it has to be.

His side and shoulder gave a nasty twinge as if to tell him his body highly disapproved of this, but he ignored it. Which, of course only made his headache worse. He pushed both pains away, until they were only small things that existed somewhere in the back of his mind.

“Let’s go,” he said, smiling widely again. They both looked at him suspiciously, and he decided he should stop smiling. It apparently didn’t have the intended effect.

“Are you sure you’re ready to meet the Elders?” Leah asked him as they began walking. So far he’d avoided them like the plague, though he’d known all along the time would come for them to face each other.

They’re not your enemies anymore. Stop thinking of them like that.

“Yes, just remind me of their names again,” Raven said. He still felt strangely anxious in regard to the Elders. Odd, since he’d just survived an attack by the Death Watchmen. But then again that seemed to have become a habit now, whereas meeting with the leaders of the men and women he’d been taught to hate and fear all of his life was something of a novelty. Perhaps it was the knowledge that they could have him clapped in irons and tortured for information, which was what he would have advocated not half a year ago if their positions had been reversed.

“Sure – ready?”

“Yes,” said Raven, “strike me.”

“
Hit
me,” Leah corrected.

“Hit you?” He asked, worried by this response.

“Shadows and fire princeling –”

“Just tell them to him,” Tomaz rumbled, amused.

“Crane,” Leah said.

“Crane, wisdom, I know that one,” Raven said. Each of the Elders had their own specific title – Crane’s was the Wise Elder, or the Elder of Wisdom. There were twelve in all, and it was important that he know their names and titles, even if Leah insisted it wasn’t. These Exiles wouldn’t know decorum if it kicked them in the teeth.

“Ekman is the Elder of Truth, he ratifies contracts and other state documents as well as takes criminal confessions; Dawn is the Elder of Justice, she is the judge in any official Kindred dispute or trial – she lives at Aemon’s Stand when not required to be in Vale; Lymaugh is the Elder of Mercy, who runs the charities throughout the Kindred lands, and deals with housing of those wounded in wars; Ceres is the Elder of Agriculture, she lives in Chaym, where she grows the majority of the crops that feed the Kindred; Rose is Elder of the Arts, which is just what is sounds like; Keri is Elder of Health and the chief surgeon of the Vale Hospital; Warryn is Elder of State and it falls to him to lead the Kindred in a time of war; Stanton is Elder of Sciences, he has a workshop in Eldoras that produces all manner of new inventions and ideas; Pan is the Elder of Animals, he lives with the Kindred herds that migrate through our land; Spader
 
is the Elder of Law, the man who both writes and exploits the laws of the Kindred; Ishmael is the Elder of Intelligence.”

Raven took a deep breath and repeated back verbatim what she’d just said.

“By the gods I wish I were as quick a study as you,” she said, with a strange kind of lust that made him slightly uncomfortable.

“Let’s go get your brother,” Tomaz rumbled to the girl.

They met Davydd outside his sizeable tent – as a Ranger captain he was an officer and therefore had need of covering in case he had to read messages or plan excursions in inclement weather – but when they arrived, Raven was surprised to find the Eshendai’s sardonic smile conspicuously missing.

“Hey,” he said, hailing them as they approached.

“Hello!” Roared Tomaz, waking up several of the common Kindred foot soldiers napping nearby. One or two looked around angrily, ready to give someone a tongue lashing, but when they saw Tomaz they simply rolled their eyes and curled up again.

“Shut it you great lump,” the red-eyed young man said, sulkily. “Just because I like you doesn’t mean I think it’s all right you’re coming to this meeting while Lorna can’t.”

“Was she a bit miffed?” Tomaz rumbled sympathetically, ignoring the barbed comment. Davydd growled low in his throat and nodded, his face a tight mask of frustration.

“Why isn’t she coming?” Raven asked, confused, as they began walking through the camp.

“She was requested personally by Autmaran for a job inside the walls,” Davydd said, motioning to Roarke. “I was supposed to go with her, but the Elders wanted me to make my report, and they just didn’t seemed to care Lorna wouldn’t be with me.”

“Ishmael cares,” Leah said. “You know he does.”

“Still! She’s the most loyal, compassionate,
sensible
person I’ve ever known,” he said softly, almost gently, surprising Raven with his tenderness. “I hate seeing her left out of things …
everyone
underestimates her.”

“We don’t,” said Leah, “and I know you hate being separated from her. I’m sorry.”

“Well at least I know you’d want her with us,” said Davydd, mollified. “Stupid Elders … all right, let’s get this thing over with. Reporting is so boring … I almost envy her the fact she got to skip it.”

“Shouldn’t be too boring this time,” Leah pointed out, “we’ve got a lot to say.”

“And so does our friend,” rumbled Tomaz, patting Raven on the back and throwing him into the side of a hitching post.

“Oh! Sorry … ”

“Shadows and light,” cursed Raven, unwrapping himself from around the hard wooden stake, wincing as the pain in his shoulder throbbed. “Just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean I can’t critique you right?”

Tomaz smiled, and shook his head. Raven was still learning the ins and outs of companionship, and as such had recently started asking the big man for specifics whenever he was uncertain.

“Right,” Raven said, relieved, “then even though we’re friends, I’m starting to think being around you is hazardous for my health; I’ve received more cumulative bruises from you than from all of the attempts on my life combined.”

Leah laughed, surprising Raven. Tomaz’s ears turned red as he laughed as well. Why had they found this funny? He’d been quite earnest, in his best non-offensive voice. Perhaps he was doing it wrong?

“Raven has a point,” Davydd said to Tomaz, also smiling, “you do seem to be rather mighty lately. Are you trying to remind us all how strong you are? I’ll take you on right now if that’ll help you prove yourself. And hey, it’ll be more interesting than going to this shadow-cursed meeting.”

“You couldn’t take me on if you were a saddlebag,” Tomaz said.

There was a pause where none of them got the joke. Leah caught Raven’s eye and they both looked away, trying very hard not to laugh. It was a running theme with the big man – Tomaz would say things that made perfect sense to him but no sense whatsoever to anyone else. The big man was many things: wise, loyal, protective, but snappy comebacks were not in his repertoire.

“Besides,” the big man said, his voice dropping to a rumble so quiet that, for the first time since they’d met, Raven was forced to lean in to hear the man properly, “since having the Ox Talisman … I sometimes have trouble controlling my strength.”

They were all pensive for a moment, even Davydd, who normally had a quick quip ready for any comment. They continued walking in the silence, Raven’s stitches throbbing in time with his steps.

“It’s like having a new muscle,” Raven said finally, speaking up to help him ignore the pain. His voice was quiet though as he tried to preserve Tomaz’s privacy. He also felt a little self-conscious, as if he were talking about a private part of himself that wasn’t brought up in polite conversation.

“You need to learn how to use it properly … I can help you if you want.”

He cleared his throat gruffly.

“If you need it that is. I understand if you’d like to figure it out on your own – it’s fine if you’d rather I stay out of your business.”

Leah rolled her eyes at him again and Davydd smirked.

“How about you help me with that,” rumbled Tomaz, “and I’ll help you build that cabin you’ve been thinking about?”

Raven was in need of a place of his own back in Vale, and he’d been thinking about building a cabin similar to the one Tomaz owned. He could certainly use the big man’s help, and he wouldn’t mind helping Tomaz learn to channel the Ox Talisman. If anything, it would only help him build his cabin faster.

“I think we can do that,” he said. Tomaz grinned at him and the matter was settled.

“Well, now that the next great Treaty of our times has been settled,” said Davydd dryly, “are you ready to report on what happened in the mountains? The Elders will have very specific questions. As amusing for me as it will be to see you flounder, I know my sister would never forgive me.”

“Yes,” said Leah with a strange protective edge to her voice, “I certainly wouldn’t.”

“I know what I’m going to say,” said Raven. “There’s very little to hide, even if I wanted to. They all know about the Raven and the Ox Talisman, so it would be pointless to leave out any parts of the truth.”

“My feeling exactly,” said Leah, nodding in approval. “Besides, you’re one of the Kindred now in all but name, and it would be a good idea to get the Elders to respect you.”

“Crane already adores him,” said Davydd in a mocking baby voice. “He tink he
wov-
ley.”