In the Shadow of the Goddess (Book 1 of The Fallen Gods Trilogy)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"All enemy accounted for?" Brexten asked, moving into their loose circle. All eyes swung to him.

"So far as we can tell. Two mongrels and ten aldar teres. A small pack, but large for Ferice. Almost like they knew we were here," Rafe said. "Good to see you awake. Next time, leave the sneaking to people who know how to do it."

"I'll keep that in mind," came the answer, a faint half-smile on Brexten's lips. Then he turned to Damek. "It's good to see you. I didn't know if you'd escaped after the assassination failed. The whole time I wandered the Maze, I was never certain I'd made the right decision."

"You did and I owe you more than I could ever repay."

"And you're back with the Shey'na'shen? Good. I never wanted to splinter the ranks."

"What makes you think you had that much power?" Aden asked.

"My lord Shey'na'shen. Obviously you've survived the past two years without incident."

Aden's expression grew stony. "As have you, my lord Prince."

"Much as I love all this catch up, we need to move," Rafe said. He kicked the body of the closest mongrel Shey with the toe of his boot, and looked to Damek. "This one dead?"

"Unconscious," Aden answered for him. "We destroyed the segment of his mind that enables him to wield magic. When he wakes up, he won't be able to summon anything."

"Killing them is the only way to really finish it."

"The Shey'na'shen are my people. You're not going to slaughter them like cattle."

"Correction: they were your people. Now they belong to Tamas."

And before anyone could react, Rafe casually stabbed the man in the throat. Jill shrieked and jumped back. All of them did to one degree or other.

"What kind of animal are you?" Aden shouted first.

"The kind of animal that keeps us alive! Do you really think he wouldn't slink back to Tamas and tell him all he knew, magic or no?"

"Rafe!" Brexten barked the name. "You don't take a life without reason. What's the matter with you?"

Rafe looked at him darkly. "Don't tell me you've gone all high and mighty. Your little pet here told us about killing Strephon."

Jill bristled. Pet? "What happened in Pydia was nothing like this." She gestured toward the dead body in disgust. "This is just murder."

"No little princess, it's survival."

She wasn't sure what might have happened next had the moment not been broken by a man bursting into the clearing.

"The last two aldar teres got away," he reported in between gasps for air. "We hadn't returned to position yet and they caught us off-guard."

Rafe swore viciously. "Then we need to move before an army of alder teres storms through and we shit ourselves in terror."

"Then we need to move, unless you'd prefer to do more killing?" Brexten suggested.

"Don't start with me. Can you even imagine the shit we've dealt with these past two years? Do you have any—" Rafe bit the last off with a curse. "You have no idea what any of us have been through."