The thought of Zorvut caused his mind to move instinctively to the silent bond in the back of his head. When his thoughts were occupied it could be ignored well enough, but most of the time it had a strange sting to it, a prickly emptiness that he couldn’t put into words.
He had not heard Zorvut’s voice again since the day it had woken him from his sleep, as clearly as if the half-orc had spoken in his ear. He had tried thinking at the spot where the bond sat with all his focus and concentration, trying desperately to convey a message or hear even a whisper of Zorvut’s thoughts, but it was a fruitless endeavor. It must have just been a dream after all, but the thought certainly did not stop him from constantly thinking back to his words and fixating on the empty point in his head.
I’m here,he thought, focusing on it once more. He mouthed the words silently as he thought them, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration.Please, if you can hear me, say something. I’m here.
But, of course, there was no reply. He knew that was not how the bond worked, that the magic that connected them simply had a limit to how far it could extend, and that wouldn’t change no matter how hard he concentrated on the words. As real as Zorvut’s voice had sounded then, it was a dream. It sounded real because he was afraid, and missed him, and yearned to truly hear his voice. But it was a dream.
Taegan sighed, and gave himself up to sleep.
* * *
Taegan did not hear Naydi speak again until the next morning, or at least after he had slept if that could be called the morning. He had been awake for a little while and was pacing in circles around his room when her soft voice broke through the sound of his footsteps.
“Taegan,” she murmured from the opposite cell, and he stopped. “Taegan.”
“I hear you,” he answered in a low whisper, shuffling over to the bars. He still could not quite see the woman, just the faint outline of her.
“You want out of here?” she asked, and Taegan blinked in surprise.
“I mean, of course,” he replied after a beat of hesitation. “I don’t see how, though. Do you have a plan?”
She grunted in reply, seeming to mull over her words before explaining. “Wait too long, Hrul come to kill me, us. Better die trying to get out instead of die here.” She paused, Taegan remaining silent as he processed her words. “If you come, I try get us out. Jump on guard. Only has one dagger.”
“What?” he finally blurted, his mind racing. She wanted to try to escape? Even if they could subdue a guard, then what? How would they get out? How would they leave town? He wasn’t even sure what to ask first. “You’re really going to try and escape?”
He could hear her scoff, or maybe laugh at his shock. “I try. Yes.”
“Even if you do get the jump on the guard, how are you going to sneak out? Where would you go?”
“Take clothes, sneak out,” she replied, sounding far more nonchalant about it than he would have, all things considered. “Go north. Or if you come, go south to elves. Maybe.”
“Maybe,” he echoed weakly, glancing nervously to the left where he knew the guards were stationed. There was a door separating them, but now he worried it was not enough to disguise their conversation even though they spoke in elvish. “And how would I sneak out? Something tells me there’s not many other elves here.”
“Hmm,” she replied slowly. “I wrap you up and carry you. A package.”
He laughed aloud at that. The absurdity of it all was starting to sink it. The thought of trying to leave sounded insane, but was it any more so than just sitting here and waiting for whatever fate had in store for him?
“Okay. Okay. Let’s say wecouldget out of town,” he said, lowering his voice as much as he could physically manage. “Aren’t there patrols on the roads? We would have to make sure not to be seen at any point.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Dangerous, yes. Risk. But possible.”
“And where would you go? What’s up north?” he asked.
“Wilderness,” came the reply. “Camp out until fighting is over. Or new plan.”
Her nonchalant tone, even in their quiet whispers, was somehow maddening to him, but he felt almost manic in the way he had latched on to the idea. If they could escape, if it was truly feasible, then shouldn’t they put every effort into doing so? And even if he were apprehensive of the idea, if she did somehow escape would he truly be able to just sit back and watch her go?
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head although he knew she could not see him doing so. “Just hiding out isn’t a good plan. And you’d have no supplies, no camping gear… You’d still die.” Naydi snorted again and started to protest, but he bowled over her. “But if I were with you… If it were me, I would go into Aefraya, but not south. All the orc forces are going to be heading south toward the capital. No, there’s an elven outpost to the east, right on the border, outside the Forest of Solitude. It’s not big enough to be a threat. No orcs would be marching on it. And even now it must be manned by at least a few elves. I’d go there.”
“You’d go there,” she echoed, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them for a long moment. She could not go there alone, and he would never be able to break out of the prison without her.
“And you really think you could take the guard? And the one up the stairs, too, or however many there are?” Taegan asked, his voice lowering conspiratorially.
“I was warlord’s wife. I fight anyone,” she boasted, then after a moment added in a more uncertain tone, “If I surprise him, yes. If timing bad… maybe no.”
That wasn’t exactly much to bank on. But, uncomfortable as it was to admit, if she failed to subdue the guard, he could feign ignorance of her plan and likely be unaffected by it. At least, that was what he hoped, but it was more an educated guess than anything.
“Okay,” he breathed, still uncertain. “Okay. You really want to do this?”
