The Raven and the Dragon

Chapter Twelve

There was no way in this or any other lifetime that Nimah was going to change her mind about this.

If her father had taught her one thing, it was that you didn't back out of an arrangement until the task was finished, not without good reason. Granted, she had fulfilled the terms of their original agreement, but that was the original agreement. No explicit changes had been made between the beginning of their journey and now, to be fair; they were entirely implicit, based on the fact that these were her friends now. You didn't leave your friends high and dry.

Granted, she was volunteering to help with this as someone whose trade consisted entirely of wandering around the woods, but what sort of woman should she be if she didn't at least volunteer?

Alicia didn't seem all that thrilled about it, though. Neither did Solomon, though it was difficult to tell if he was genuinely angry about it or just confused. He and Kit broke off from the main group as they went to have supper and spent the whole walk having a silent, frantic conversation. Even if she couldn't understand what was being said, she could read their faces. Solomon had that exasperated look, the one he wore whenever she suggested something especially daft, and Kit looked...stubborn. More stubborn than she'd ever seen him look.

She was shaken from her observation by the feeling of a hand on her elbow. It was Bo. "You don't have to do this," he said quietly.

"Maybe not, but I am," Nimah replied. "Listen, I know what you're thinking..."

"That it's dangerous and Alicia doesn't want you to get hurt?"

"Yes, that, but I can't stand by and do nothing. Not with this, not with you two."

"You've done enough."

"Not yet I haven't." Nimah grinned and nudged him gently. "Come on, I can handle myself. You saw."

"I don't doubt that, but this is more dangerous than anything we've done so far. It's a military operation, not a brawl in a mine."

"Okay, then what are you doing going into battle, Mr. Court Mage?"

Bo froze, his eyes widening. Gotcha. She hadn't known for sure that he'd be involved, but she'd had a feeling. "I...this is my kingdom," he said, visibly flustered. "I am the Court Mage of the Raven Isle. It's my duty."

"I don't think assassination missions are a part of the job for a court mage."

"How do you know?"

"You're an advisor, not..." Her point was cut off by the sight of Kit breaking away from Solomon. The stubborn look on his face had only intensified; Solomon, meanwhile, was standing where Kit had left him and pinching the bridge of his nose. "...you're not a soldier."

Bo didn't protest; he had noticed it, too, and was too distracted by the interaction to defend himself. His brow creased with worry as he looked between the two of them. "What's that all about, do you think?" he asked.

"Probably Solomon trying to talk Kit out of going because he's worried about what might happen to him." To be fair, Kit might be physically invulnerable, but a conflict like this would cause its own problems—one of those being that any number of people might find out about Kit's abilities, and that could end poorly for him. "Do you think I should ask?"

"Do you really want to say something to him right now?" Bo said.

"I mean, yes, I'm just not sure how he'll handle it."

"Well, I can..." Bo froze when Solomon abruptly straightened up and started walking towards them. "Ah, Solomon, are you..."

Solomon walked by without even looking at them.