Shea’s father hesitated, his eyes going to those Trateri whose expressions had less warmth than a stone, as they watched her father and his men.
“That can be arranged,” he finally said.
“Done.” Fallon looked at Shea with a fierce light in his eyes. She could see the wheels already turning.
Her father kept his gaze fixed on Fallon. “As I said, you and your men will come with us. You can send some back to explain to the rest of your army, so they don’t get ahead of themselves with the bloodshed and all. I’ll give you the rest of the day and evening to make arrangements. We’ll leave at first light.”
Fallon gave him a sharp nod. Her father left, not even sparing Shea a glance, as if now that he’d gotten what he wanted he’d lost interest in her presence. The hole in her heart iced over.
Fallon summoned Caden with a look. “Pick ten men you trust to send back to our army below the fault. Darius will need to be prepared if things go bad up here.”
Caden looked like he’d bitten into something sour. “This seems like a trap.”
Fallon nodded. “Probably, but the potential reward will be worth it.”
“I’m coming with you,” Shea informed Fallon. He wasn’t sending her with the ten if that was what he had in mind.
He gave her a sideways glance. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Someone has to watch my back.”
Her lips tilted up. “Yes, we wouldn’t want you getting stuck in another spinner web.”
Caden snorted. “She can barely keep Trenton at bay during training. How is she going to protect you from an assassin’s blade?”
Shea agreed with him. She gave the two men a shrug. “You’ll need my help with the beasts up here. You’re on your own with the humans.”
Caden shook his head and strode off.
Buck stopped at her side as he stared after her father. “Your father has some serious balls. I’m beginning to see where you get some of the craziness from.”
He didn’t wait for her to reply before wandering off shaking his head.
Shea stood next to Fallon and watched as the Trateri prepared to make camp in the ruins of the village.
“Not exactly how I pictured meeting your father,” Fallon said.
Shea snorted. “What? You didn’t expect to meet him in the middle of a destroyed and abandoned village and have him threaten you with death?”
“Somehow, no. Though I should have, given he’s the one to raise such an unexpected woman.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
She bumped his shoulder with hers.
“It would have been easier for me to just stand trial,” she told him. “They’re probably going to ask us to go into the Badlands and face whatever has been directing these beasts.”
“I wasn’t willing to chance it,” he said. “Besides, I got the Highlands out of it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s as much of a prize as you seem to think.” She gestured to her surroundings. “This is what you would be ruling over.”
He looked around. “This is what I would be protecting.”
Shea stared up at his face. Yes. Protecting. She thought the pathfinders might have forgotten that was their role once upon a time. Perhaps Fallon and his army could take up that mantle.
“Are you ready to go home?”
She stared at him for another moment. Her father had made it clear with his talk of trial that the Keep was no longer her home. A thread of sadness fought to linger before Shea forced it away. That was before. This was now.
A smile dawned, it was slow and spoke of new beginnings. “What are you talking about? My home is standing right next to me.”