Page 74 of Kingdom of Chains

‘No, she’s really not.’

His brother looked at him. ‘You going to tell me what you’re doing in the middle of the wastelands, alone with Hodge’s soon-to-bewife?’

‘I think it’s safe to say the wedding’s off.’

‘You have anything to do with that?’

Blackmane shook his head. ‘Hodge gets full credit there. I’m taking her to a friend.’

‘And where’s this friend of hers located?’

‘All over the place. She’s part of the St Clare group. They move around a lot, like you. It’s a miracle you don’t cross paths more often than you do.’

‘We make a point of staying out of each other’s way.’

Blackmane tore his gaze from Isabel. ‘I think that needs to change. It’s time to get those people, those children, out of that camp.’

Tolly met his gaze briefly. ‘That’s a big ask of people with trust issues.’

‘You have the trust of everyone here.’

‘Which is why I can’t afford to break it.’ He paused. ‘Even if we could get all those people out, then what? These caves barely fit our group.’

‘Who says you have to hide?’

‘Logic.’

‘You would no longer be just a group of people running away. You would be a kingdom—fighting.’

Tolly laughed. ‘A kingdom? Have you forgotten where you are, defender? You’re in the wastelands, the forgotten kingdom, left to self-destruct. We have no leader, no army, no heroes.’ He paused before adding, ‘No walls.’

Blackmane gestured around them. ‘But you do have caves.’

A nod. ‘Today we have caves. Tomorrow, who knows? If there’s one thing I’ve learned these past five years, it’s that everything is temporary. Everything you have can be taken away in an instant.’

Blackmane felt the pain in that statement, and guilt whirled inside him. ‘You don’t need walls and an army to win a war, but you do need heroes. I’ve met plenty of those these past few days.’

Tolly turned to stare at him. ‘Why are you encouraging this? You hoping we all die to save you the hassle of killing us?’

‘King Becket’s a good man. He’ll not sit idle while innocent people are locked in camps designed to benefit the rich.’

‘He won’t go to war with England either.’ Tolly chuckled softly and rubbed his forehead. ‘I’ve missed arguing with you. Five years.’

Blackmane did not respond straight away. ‘I thought you were dead.’

Tolly nodded slowly. ‘Figured as much. I sailed back, you know. Couldn’t find a grave with your name on it, but that didn’t mean much back then. They were burning bodies in mass graves.’

Blackmane looked at him. ‘You sailed back to Ireland?’

‘I waited six months.’ He swallowed. ‘Then I figured if you ever came looking for me, it would be here in Wales. I worked at the port for a while, until the ships stopped coming in.’

‘Then decided to join a rebel group?’

Tolly’s mouth turned up. ‘It’s funny hearing phrases like “rebel group” and “Emlyn ghosts”. We’re just a bunch of desperate people who figured out we could stay alive in a pack. The only difference between us and the people in the camp is that we’re not ready to give up yet.’

‘And you have matching cloaks.’

‘That part’s important.’