Page 60 of Kingdom of Chains

Thorn glanced at Ita, who gave him an apologetic look, then continued. ‘She tells me you weren’t as impressed with the camp as Lord Hodge was hoping for.’

‘It’s the people in shackles for me,’ Tatum said. ‘That was a bit of a turn-off.’

Thorn crossed his arms. ‘Hodge likes to be in full control.’

Tatum nodded. ‘We’re interested in your plan to manage that. I’m certain King Becket will also be interested. Maybe there’s something we can do to help.’

‘Help?’ Thorn asked. ‘You’re going to help the rebel groups you came here to stop?’

Blackmane shifted his weight. ‘We weren’t sent here to stop anyone. We came to find out what’s going on. There’s no way King Becket will support what’s happening in that camp.’

Thorn looked between them. ‘We have ways of getting people out. It’skeepingthem out that’s the challenge. Where do we hide sixteen hundred people living in a constant state of fear?’

Neither defender had an answer for him.

‘Is your interest in all of this purely to gather intel for your king?’ Thorn asked.

Tatum spoke up at that. ‘Cottontail here has someone inside the camp he’s worried about.’

Thorn looked Blackmane over. ‘I thought worry was trained out of you—like every other human emotion.’

Tatum leaned in and whispered, ‘I can see where he gets his name from.’

‘He’s gotten quite attached to Lady Isabel,’ Ita explained, the beginnings of a smile on her face.

‘I’m not attached to anyone,’ the defender replied. ‘And I believe the answer here’s not to hide sixteen hundred escaped prisoners but to protect them while they live free lives out in the open.’

Thorn appeared amused by that. ‘You want me to take on England? Do you know how many men we would need for that task? They outnumber us seven to one, and we have women and children to consider.’

Blackmane was not put off by those odds, but he was also able to kill seven men if the need arose. ‘What about the Emlyn group? Do they have the numbers?’

‘No one knows anymore. There might be fifty of them or five thousand.’

Tatum frowned. ‘And why’s that?’

‘Because we never see them,’ Ita answered. ‘They tend to stick farther north and very much to themselves.’

‘I’m honestly surprised you haven’t joined forces by now,’ Tatum said.

Ita shrugged. ‘Neither group is very trusting of anyone outside of their own. And we would have to find them first.’

‘You don’t,’ Thorn said. ‘They find you.’

Tatum looked between the pair. ‘You likely know this already, but defenders are excellent trackers.’

‘Can you track ghosts?’ Thorn asked.

Blackmane exhaled slowly. ‘We don’t believe in ghosts.’

‘They would have people in those camps too,’ Tatum said. ‘They would want that place emptied out as much as you do.’

Thorn nodded. ‘Of course. They’re the reason the second camp isn’t open yet.’

They all fell silent a moment.

‘Does your king know about what’s happening over here?’ Blackmane asked.

‘We don’t have a king,’ Ita said. ‘He abandoned us during the famine and now wants us locked up for daring to survive.’