“What will happen if you go back alone and your ships have sailed on because they saw the destruction of the town from a distance?” Max countered. “They’re not stupid, Britt. You’ve trained them well. When they come back, they’ll scout the town out before they land. When they see that Grandwood’s been overrun with goblins, orc or kurr, whichever survived, your crew will move on.”
“Exactly, they’ll come back looking for me,” Britt responded.
“Would they risk coming ashore to find you if they knew the place has been overrun?” Kirsten asked.
“I guess it would depend on how many ships they have and how many warriors they brought,” Britt said. Kirsten could hear the hesitation in her voice. “I want to continue on with all of you, but I’m their Captain, which means I have an obligation to them.”
“The Chief of your people, Red, let the whole warrior clan abandon you in Grandwood! You don’t owe your loyalty to him anymore. Red wanted you out, so he left you marooned under Merglan’s rule,” Max pleaded.
“I may not owe my allegiance to my leader, but I owe more than that to my crew. I can’t just let them fall into the trap at Grandwood or continue searching for me without any word.”
“But surely they wouldn’t go ashore if they saw the destruction that has occurred?” Max said.
“I don’t know what they’d do. Like I said, it depends on whether they have enough ships.”
“Think about it, Britt,” Max urged. “Red’s in charge. The other clan leaders were okay with him following in his father’s footsteps. Do you think he would allow a force large enough to take on the orcs, kurr and goblins depart the Islands if he knew they were coming to rescue you?”
Kirsten saw Britt clench her jaw as Max spoke. “No!” the Rollo woman shouted. “He won’t! He and the other clan leaders hate me for being a woman and challenging their beliefs. But that doesn’t mean my men won’t come back for me. I have to warn them.” Kirsten had to remind herself she wasn’t strong enough to chase after her as Britt stormed across the room and out the front door, slamming it behind her.
“Britt!” Max called after her. “Britt, wait!” he shouted and Kirsten felt a touch of jealousy at how passionately he called after her.
Thomas sat up straight, looking to Bo and Kirsten as Max closed the door behind him. “Should we be going after them?” he asked.
Bo shook his head, “No. I think this is something they need to figure out.”
Kirsten put the empty plate down on the side table, “I hope she comes back. I don’t want that to be our final goodbye.”
Max stepped off the front porch of Solomon’s tree house, ducked under a low branch, and located Britt as she broke into a run. “Britt, wait up! Britt!” he called after her as he ran to catch up. “Hold on! Can we just talk about this?!”
He saw her speed increase when she realized he was chasing her. Max grunted in frustration as she disappeared up a small hill and into the trees. The evening darkness didn’t help him keep an eye on her. He slowed as he reached the top of the rise. Looking in all directions for any sign of movement, Max cursed at himself for driving her away.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Britt!” He waited several moments for a response before trying again. “Britt!” he shouted even more loudly. Five times he called her name with no response. Britt had disappeared, running toward a town full of enemies, unarmed and alone. Max groaned and kicked at the base of a nearby tree. His groan turned to a moan as he bashed his toe. As he hunched gripping at his throbbing foot, he thought he could hear a faint sob to his left. His heart leapt, Britt.
Max rushed toward the sound, knocking and thrashing through the brushy undergrowth. He came to a halt several moments later. Looking at the base of a large oak tree, several yards ahead, he saw Britt sitting against the base of the tree. Her midnight hands cupped her face. Max slowed as he approached her.
He sat down next to her, wrapping his forearms around his knees and gripping his wrists, then said in low, quiet voice, “I’m sorry, Britt. I didn’t mean what I said about your people.”
Lowering her hands, she sniffled and wrapped her arms around her knees as Max had. She turned, looking away from Max as she spoke, “Don’t lie to me. You meant what you said, and I know it’s true.” She cleared her throat, trying to force herself to stop crying.
“Britt, I,” Max started, but she cut him off.
“You’re right. Red wouldn’t allow my crew to bring anyone to my cause. Hell, he probably wouldn’t even let my crew return to the islands after coming back for me.” Britt turned to look at Max, her dark checks shimmering with tears. “I’m just worried that I’m going to get my crew killed trying to find me in that place.”
Max let go of his wrist and put his right arm around her, pulling her into him. “I know,” he said. “But they’re smart and you’ve trained them better than that. When they return to the waters near Grandwood, they’re going to spend days observing activities onshore because you warned them how dangerous it was there. They won’t just storm the shores blind.”
“But if they come to shore and that barrier is still up, they’ll be trapped.”
“Once they see the enemy patrolling, they’ll keep their distance. They might even sail south, thinking we’ve moved on,” Max said hopefully.
“How can I warn them that we’re not there?” Britt asked, palms up.
“What about a falcon?” Max said, remembering the last time he was in Brookside.
“To carry a message?” Britt asked, sounding more hopeful.
Max nodded, leaning away so they could look at each other face-to-face, “Yeah, Red and his cronies did that when we were here last time. That’s how they got word to the ships coming from the islands that our ship had sunk and we were traveling on foot.” Max spoke faster as he saw the hope in her eyes.
“Yes,” Britt said, sitting up straight now. “That could work. I’ll send a falcon and if it doesn’t reach them sailing across the ocean to Grandwood, it will reach the Rollo Islands. That way someone will know what’s happened here in Westland. If the other leaders find out, then Red will have no choice but to come to our aid.”
Max smiled. He loved seeing her confidence, she was so determined and full of drive. As he stared into her eyes, he barely noticed how close they’d become until she kissed him. Her lips met his as they had once before on that night atop Highborn Bay. In that moment, all of his thoughts melted away.
She pulled back and said, “Come on; I’ve got to find a falcon.”
Max sat half-dazed from their kiss. He shook himself back to reality and stood up, hustling to join Britt, who was already headed back toward the trail. Catching up to her, he heard her ask, “Which way to town?”
Max reached out, grabbed her by the hand, and said, “Hold on, you’re going the wrong way.”
Britt stopped, turning into Max.
“We need to tell Bo and the others about what we’re going to do. We shouldn’t just walk into an occupied town without a backup plan,” Max said, staring into Britt’s brown eyes.
“You’re right,” she said stepping into Max, placing her hand on his chest. “We should come up with a plan.”
Max moved his arm around the small of her back, holding her close. His eyes searched hers, taking in their radiance. He didn’t have to lean far before Britt met him with another kiss, this one lasting longer than before. They stood locked in each other’s embrace until Britt leaned away and he could stare at her with dreamy eyes.
Laughing, Britt continued to let him hold her close.
