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Amber casts them dirty looks, rubbing her arms where they’d gripped her.
I slap her. Hard. “How dare you—”
“How dare I what? You must realize we will not last through the cold season. Not with the ribbons and beasts.”
“You had no right—”
“To use you as leverage? The one thing that might matter to Grixis’s men. Your baby could be our ticket to safety.”
“Or it could bring about our demise. Did you even think of what they might do if they deem my child unworthy? If they think we’re too great a risk and temptation to keep around?”
“Of course I did.”
“Then why would you do this? Why would you invite their scrutiny?”
“Because if they still denied us, it’d be better to end this now than to struggle on.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make.”
“You’re right. It should have been yours, but you’re too weak to make it.”
I pace back and forth in my small nook, my fists clenched so tightly, my knuckles are white.
“Things were going good here, and while I know you might not like taking orders from me, believe it or not, every decision I made was for the good of you and my people. And now, well, fuck—I don’t know how to protect them from what you’ve done.”
“You think I didn’t do you a favor? You could die out here. We have no clerics, and as smart as Nori is, she’s no healer. Grixis’s men have medicine and knowledge beyond ours. They can mend bones quicker than we can and stop bleeding. They could mean the difference between life and death for you.”
“Don’t you dare act like you did this for me.”
“I’m not. I’m just stating a truth.”
“Well, here’s a truth for you.” I stop pacing and square my shoulders to face her. “You’re banished.”
She blinks back at me, clearly confused.
My legs feel like jelly. During my time as chieftain, I’ve never had to issue a real punishment. The women followed me because they were terrified and needed someone to lead them, and while a bastard servant might seem like a bad choice, it was actually better that it was me and not someone they considered their equal.
Despite all the hell Amber’s given me, this is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
“Take a weapon, a skin, and a week’s worth of rations. You’re to leave here and never return.”
The hurt look on her face isn’t lost on me, and for a moment, I regret my words, but I can’t ignore the fact that she put the entire tribe in danger, and if I don’t make an example out of her, it could happen again with someone else.
Finally, she says, “You always wanted this, didn’t you?”
I turn away, angry that I’ve been forced into this position. “Leave.”
28
ELENA
Meeting with Grixis is no longer optional. Not with what Amber revealed.
And now that we know that conception isn’t just possible, it’s probable, I need to know how his men will react.
Perhaps this means the fertility issues of Tempest were due to the women’s inability to conceive. It’s hard to say without more information.
I give Fiona a nod, signaling her to escort Grixis into my chamber.
