The man inclined his head. “As is your husband.”
The word husband seemed to amuse him.
Bria ignored it. “Aye, I am well aware of that. But why does Kaelan hunt you?”
The hall grew noticeably quieter and Ogga’s smile made it obvious she was enjoying the exchange.
Braden laughed softly. “A fair question, since Thornek never hunt their own.” His gaze shifted to Kaelan. “I will leave the telling to you.”
Kaelan didn’t hesitate. “He betrayed the tribe.”
Braden’s expression hardened. “I offered my people an opportunity.”
“Call it what it is, Braden—betrayal.”
The accusation landed like a sharp blow, and Bria felt tension coil tightly through the room.
Braden did not back down, he took a step forward. “Tharne, Warlord of Drogath, offered our tribe land.”
“Tharne, a man known for his lies, offeredyouland,” Kaelan corrected.
“At least, he promised the Thornek a place in the future.”
Kaelan’s voice turned dangerously calm. “Tharne’s promises are worth less than the mud beneath my boots.”
Silence followed.
Bria understood then. This was not merely a disagreement. This was a division that had torn through the Thornek themselves.
“You wasted your time coming after me, Kaelan. I won’t go back with you. I want more. More than what the tribe offers me.”
“No Thornek is forced to remain with the tribe, but all who left have returned,” Kaelan said.
Braden turned a smug grin on him. “That won’t be me.”
“A pity. But you also know that betrayal tears at the hearts of the Thornek and that it cannot go unpunished.”
Braden’s smug smile remained. “I counted on it.”
Before anyone could speak further, the great doors opened and a cold draft swept in bringing with it a man.
Ogga smiled.
Bria’s stomach tightened instantly. She recognized the man who entered. Not from meeting him, but from a vision.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A Mission for the Witch
Where Paths Begin to Divide
The man strode into the hall without hesitation, his dark cloak damp from recent travel. His expression was hard and impatient, as though every moment spent inside the fortress irritated him.
Bria recalled where she saw him. From the vision that had struck her while holding Tibby. Two men arguing in the forest. This man warning the other about the healer who could snatch the dying away from death.
A chill slipped through her despite the warmth of the hall.
The man stopped before Ogga. “I grow weary of waiting.”
