Chapter 10 - The Raid
After fifteen minutes of rummaging through the cluttered pile of paperwork on Robin's desk to find the document that had to be signed by a greedy blacksmith named Dave concerning the new shipment of chimes, Maeve finally found the precious piece of paper he was looking for, hidden away in the back of a disordered drawer.
Robin had excused the chaos in his office by blaming it on the fact that he always stepped in and out so quickly that he often only had time to drop things on his desk with no time to classify anything. When Maeve had asked him why no one could catalogue and organize the mess for him while he was busy, Robin had answered that he preferred to do things his own way, and that he didn't like it when people snooped around his things. Maeve couldn't blame him for that. She probably would feel the same way. Still, it was a wonder he could find anything at all on his desk.
They were finally on their way back to the courtyard, with Robin leading her down the spiraling staircase and then back into the impressive dome-shaped Council room, when they were intercepted by a duo of elderly men in light brownish robes.
"Robin!" one of them called out from across the large empty assembly, behind the railing on the opposite side of the room.
Robin stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of his name echoing off the granite walls, and with the way his shoulders tensed under his blue shirt, Maeve could cleary detect his stifled groan of weariness as he reluctantly back-tracked in his steps and circled around the railing to meet the two men in the center of the council, right in front of the elevated semi-circle table that stood overlooking the lines of benches.
Maeve hesitantly followed after him but then stopped at the end of the railing, deciding to remain under the balcony to watch the little interlude from afar, instead of stepping under the wide glassed-dome and directly meet the curious duo. Robin would probably dismiss the men quickly anyway, since he was in quite a hurry to have the new shipment of chimes delivered before dawn, whatever purpose they were supposed to serve during the trek. Besides, she was tired of constantly being introduced to new people. She hadn't quite adapted to her new environment yet and meeting strangers every other hour was dizzying.
The two men were wearing light brownish robes, with one side flipped over the other on the front and fixed with a large dark brown leather belt. Matching that specific color, the rims around their collars and around their sleeves were decorated with strange silver symbols that curved and twisted at regular intervals. There was not a single weapon on the men yet Maeve could sense strong magic emanating from them; good, powerful magic. It dawned on her that these two men must be the wizards assigned to protect and watch over Southampton like Robin had informed her of earlier. Perhaps they could provide her with some answers...
Watching them with growing interest, her feet itching to step forward and ask all the questions that were suddenly roaring inside her head like a windstorm, she noted the specks of white in their tousled hair, the vigorous sparks of strength and youth shining in their eyes, and the kindness and warmth engraved in the nobility of their features. The two elders also looked quite out of breath as they finally reached Robin in the middle of the assembly.
"Finally! We've been looking all over for you!" one of them exclaimed as he waved his hand in the air to indicate the maze of passageways and halls and corridors branching everywhere in the Council.
"We heard you found-" the other man began but his voice trailed off abruptly when his gaze settled on Maeve over Robin's shoulder, his entire face freezing as he stared at her wide-eyed. "Dear spirits…"
The other man ducked his head past Robin to follow his companion's gaze and his mouth gaped open as well. "By the stars, it is true..." he whispered in utter bewilderment.
Shoulders sinking down heavily, Robin turned around to face her quite unwillingly, meeting her gaze with a wordless, pleading apology. He then extended his arm towards her, grudginly presenting her for the umpteenth time this morning. "Wizard Adam, Wizard George, this is Maeve Kalleeryen."
Half-reluctantly, briefly searching Robin's eyes, Maeve took a step forward and was instantly met with kind, warm smiles from the wizards as they worked past their initial stupor and seemed to ease back into their natural, humble countenance, but not without the persistent glaze of wonder in their eyes.
"My Lady, it is a pleasure to meet you," Wizard George beamed at her with a small bow of his head while Wizard Adam, nesting his hands in the opposite sleeves of his robes, did the same.
"And I you," Maeve returned their smiles politely, wondering once again where this ludicrous bewilderment about her presence was coming from.
"You have no idea how good it is to have you back in Kalladrell again," Wizard Adam said with great relief. "Your return is a spark of light in the middle of this gathering darkness. It was about time Wizard Galen found you and sent you home."
"Galen?" Maeve frowned in puzzlement at the unfamiliar name. "You must be mistaking me for somebody else, sir. I don't know anyone by that name and I'm afraid I've never been to Kalladrell before." She tossed Robin a puzzled glance which he briefly returned before pressingly addressing the wizards again.
"We need to talk," he stepped in and gave the men a pointed look that clearly warned them to back off before they went too far.
But Wizards George, somewhat stunned by her denial, didn't comply and pressed again instead. "Are you sure?" he asked almost alarmingly, fixing his gaze on her. "You've never heard the name before?"
"I'm afraid not," Maeve shook her head again in negation, wondering just who this mystery man they were talking about could be.
Wizard George shared a troubled look with his companion. "But if Galen didn't send her here, then it must have been-"
"But that's impossible," Wizards Adam cut him off squarely. "He couldn't have sent her here after what happened to him."
Growing quietly agitated by the minute, Robin stepped in again. "Alright, listen, we're kind of in a hurry so-"
"Wait," Maeve cut him off, suddenly very interested in the wizards' exchange, alarm bells ringing in her head like a thundering choir. "Are you talking about Master Dim-Dim?"
The entire Council room seemed to freeze in place, the name she had just spoken out loud echoing off the walls like a mighty lightening strike, and she was shocked to see an immediate spark of recognition in the men's eyes.
"It cannot be…" Wizard Adam stared at her, the color draining from his face. "He's the one who sent you here?"
Maeve took an eager step forward. "You know him?" she asked, completely stunned. "You know Master Dim-Dim?"
"Of course, we know him," Wizard George declared almost grumpily. "Every wizard in Kalladrell knows him."
"Especially after what he did," Wizard Adam added sourly. "Galen must be furious."
"We really should be going now," Robin gently grabbed her arm to tug her along but Maeve stubbornly shrugged him off, her thoughts in a wild uproar at the notion that Dim-Dim was well known throughout the entire island which was something he had clearly, and intentionally, failed to mention to her.
"What are you talking about? What did Dim-Dim do? Who is this Galen?" she asked, her curiosity burning stronger with every question while she ignored Robin's restless pacing beside her as he seemed to be as shocked as she was about the turn of events.
The two wizards opened their mouths to speak but then caught Robin's raptor gaze that warned them to shut up sooner rather than later. Maeve sent him a withering look in return but to no effect; Robin literally looked like he was silently begging the wizards not to address the matter any further, a request the stunned duo finally seemed to heed, much to Maeve's dissatisfaction.
An uncomfortable silence settled in the grand domed room then, weighting between the four of them for a moment, until the wizards finally attempted to dismiss her concerns with cautious words.
"Perhaps now is not the best time to address such complicated matters," Wizard George kindly offered. "It's all boring political quarrels really, and from such a long time ago. I'm sure there's no need to trouble you with such things at the moment."
"Try me," Maeve insisted firmly, eyeing the three men in the room mistrustfully, and knowing fully well that Robin was trying to limit the amount of answers the wizards could provide her.
Wizard Adam cleared his throat awkwardly. "Our friends in the Central Council in Erindale will be much better suited to answer all your questions, my dear, provided you reach the city in prime condition, safe and sound and in one piece."
This time the wizards leveled their sharp gazes on Robin, silently burdening him with the importance of her safety, which had Maeve yet again furrowing her brow in confusion as to why she should need such protection, to reach a city that wasn't even part of Dim-Dim's mission in the first place.
Robin stopped pacing at once under the stares of the mighty wizards, his back straightening and his raptor blue eyes turning solemn. "She will cross the Blind Mountains unharmed, sir. You have my word."
"We do not doubt your word, General," Wizard Adam replied amiably, although a crease of concern formed on his forehead nonetheless. "But the woods are growing rather treacherous and unpredictable nowadays; perhaps the situation calls for a travel vial-"
"A travel vial?" Maeve huffed, nearly barking out a laugh. "I'm not using those things again anytime soon."
"You've used one before?" Wizard George blinked at her.
"It's how I got here," Maeve replied with a nod, and a bitter taste in her mouth. "It dropped me off miles off course and three weeks late."
"There must have been a slight defect in-"
"Exactly. I'm not using one again," Maeve cut him off firmly before he could drawl on with an explanation she had no need nor desire to hear.
"I can assure you she will be safe, sir," Robin stepped in once more, repeating his vow again with unwavering conviction to sooth the wizards' worry.
But Maeve was not the least bit impressed by this assurance of protection. Robin's commanding presence and strenght might make her feel safe, but being repeatedly and deliberately kept in the dark was a nasty stain on that feeling of security. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
"Alright," she declared harshly, leveling a square look at the three men standing before her. "Someone is going to tell me what the hell is going on, and that someone better start talking right now."
Robin and the two wizards watched her quietly, awkwardly sharing sideway glances between each other as if juggling with an imaginary ball until someone would be brave enough to flung it back to her so she could catch it.
But the ball was never thrown. Instead, when Robin finally dared to look straight at her, it was with a pair of clear blue eyes reflecting an empathic and sheepish glow.
"Will you excuse us for a moment?" he asked the wizards calmly, his voice low and resonant. "I'll be back shortly."
"Of course," Wizard George reverently bowed his head, a subtle slack of relief visible in his slouching shoulders as he retreated.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, my Lady," Wizard Adam quickly beamed and dipped his head as well before following his companion.
"Now, wait a minute-" Maeve's lips parted, sharp words lining up on her tongue to protest that she wasn't done with her questions, but Robin firmly grabbed her arm to steer her away from the Council room.
At that moment, right then, one could have heard her patience snap in two like the crack of a whip.
Before Robin could even take a step, she roughly yanked her arm out of his grasp, her eyes flaring and her anger sparking in her blood like blazing embers.
"What in the Wikken Hells do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him like an angry snake, struggling to control her rising temper as he stepped back to give her some space.
He raised his hand in a pacifying manner, a vain attempt to calm her down as he spoke with a dejected sigh. "Trust me, you do not want to deal with wizards right now."
"Maybe I do!" Maeve snapped back with venom, her voice rising as the confusion swelled inside her once again about his cryptic behaviour to keep her away from the truth. "Since you're so unwilling to give me the answers that I want, they looked more than happy to provide them in your stead!"
"We don't have time!" Robin argued back, his own temper suddenly flaring in the depth of his blue eyes. "We're leaving tomorrow at dawn and right now the ramifications of your presence here in Kalladrell are not subjects we have the luxury to address!"
"So they do know what's going on!" Maeve observed sharply, pointing across the room to where the wizards had disappeared, and then back at him. "And you know, too!"
"I don't!" Robin snapped loudly, matching her rising voice, but he quickly shut his eyes close and heaved a sigh to gather his composure. Lips pressing together in a tight line, he turned his gaze away with a regretful shake of his head. "I do know some things..." he corrected himself softly, unable to look at her as the shadow of shame and the weight of duties fell over his brooding features. "The wizards know a lot more, that's for sure, but all of that doesn't change the fact that it's a long, complicated story with details we don't have time to delve into right now. Please."
Maeve maintained her hot glare on him, appraising the honesty in his eyes and the quiet plead in his deep voice, but she stubbornly refused to give in just yet. "Do you know my mentor, too? And this Galen guy?"
"No, I don't. I'm no wizard," Robin admitted, holding her gaze with genuine sincerity. "And I swear I had no idea your mentor would actually have connections here in Kalladrell. All I know is that we don't have time to address all these issues now. Please."
At his repeated appeal, Maeve pressed her lips together angrily and looked away, swallowing up angry retorts, and torn between stepping right past him to get the answers she wanted, or just letting it go again. What on earth was so complicated with the situation that they couldn't cope with it right now? "This is ridiculous..." she sighed dejectedly. How many times were they going to have this bloody conversation, turning around in cirle with her seeking answers and him refusing her again and again?
"Please," he pleaded again calmly, echoing her thoughts as he risked a step closer to her. "I'm just trying to make things easier for you, and for the rest of us for that matter. Our main concern right now is the crossing of the Blind Mountains and the safety of the three hundred men, women and children I've got out there." He pointed to the end of the room, beyond which lay the soldiers' compound where all those people were about to risk their lives to aid their companions in the ruins of Denwood. "You'll get your answers, I promise. But not now. Please."
With a half-glare, Maeve brought her gaze back to him, to his beautiful blue eyes silently pleading her to trust him again, her fiery resolve once again sliced in two by his infuriating honorable motives and his devotion to the safety of his people. Her heart trashed in her chest as she tried to hang on to her own problems, the mission Dim-Dim had entrusted her with. She felt like a lion abruptly locked in a cage, roaring and clawing between the emprisoning bars, a pointless fight until someone opened the door.
She cursed Dim-Dim silently, infuriated that he would choose to withold so much information from her and simply toss her into this far away world so ill-prepared. Damn him. What was it everyone refused to tell her? What was so inconvenient about it? What was so dangerous about it?
"When?" she demanded coldly, eyes sharp as steel.
Robin held her unyielding gaze, quietly considering his answer before he spoke carefully. "When we reach Denwood, I'll tell you everything I know," he declared calmly. "You have my word."
Silence stretched on again, a cloud of dark smoke invisibly hanging between them and loaded with everything left unsaid as she appraised him and his offer.
A month. She would get her answers in a month, after they crossed the treacherous Blind Mountains and she hopefully met Jacob before it was too late. Wasn't that the whole point of her journey here anyway? To find Dim-Dim's friend and protect him before some dark prophecy could be set into motion?
"Fine," Maeve reluctantly agreed, exhaling through her nose in frustration. Perhaps it was simply best if she stuck to the original plan without straying off the road, regardless of the intriguing bits of secrets that sprouted in her way to lure her deeper off course.
Out the corner of her eye, she watched as Robin let out the breath he had been quietly holding, his shoulders slacking in grateful relief as the thick tension between them slowly began to ebb away once more.
Then, as if sensing her desire to focus on something other than all the mysteries of her presence in Kalladrell and her mentor's mysterious secret agenda, he expertly changed the subject with encouraging words. "The villager who came from Denwood to seek our aid, his name is Robert Thomet. Maybe he knows about the man you're trying to help. He should be somewhere in the courtyard if you wish to speak with him."
Still angry at being brushed off so easily, Maeve uncrossed her arms, shifting on her feet, and tried to consider the alternative he was offering her. Considering Dim-Dim had sent her here specifically to save his prophet friend, who may not even have survived the raid, perhaps this Robert Thomet could shed some light on the odds of his survival.
"I guess it's worth a shot," she answered with another long sigh, only momentarily throwing a resentful look over Robin's shoulder to glance at the two wizards standing at the far end of the domed council and waiting for him so they could 'talk' about the whole situation.
Robin forced a sheepish smile. "Thank you," he said lowly, holding her gaze with noble sincerity. "I'll see you in a couple of hours." And with that he detached himself from her and walked back over to the duo of awaiting wizards.
Maeve watched him leave with quiet bitterness, something dark and foul rising within her as she thought about everything that had happened since this morning, every step she had taken on the soil of this distant island uncovering a series of mysteries she hadn't even the slightest grasp on. She suddenly felt the urge to scream at the top of her lungs, to relieve the overwhelming tension that had rooted itself in every fiber of her body, but she reined in the impulse and instead turned on her heels to head out of the Council room and make her way back to the courtyard, the afternoon sun blinding her as she pushed open one of the mighty oak doors.
While soldiers and volunteers were still intensely training at sword fighting, archery and hand combat, the courtyard now housed two wagons stationed near the left portcullis, where crates and sacks and barrels were being unloaded. She figured it was the last of the food provisions Simon had mentioned earlier.
As she descended the two large flights of marble stairs, she spotted the blond-haired captain amongst the women and the other volunteers who were helping to sort and divide everything into smaller sets so that everyone could carry something during the trip.
When she neared the little inventorying group, Simon's face lit up when he saw her. "Maeve!" He smiled genuinely, but then a frown creased his brow as he searched over her shoulders. "Where's Robin?"
"With Wizards George and Adam," Maeve replied, working hard to hide the bitterness in her voice. "Then he has to pay a visit to Dave for the chimes. He said he would be back in a few hours."
"Oh, I see," Simon nodded, hauling a crate out of the wagon and setting it on the ground next to the others. "Well, is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"
Maeve tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, going straight to the point. "I'm looking for the villager from Denwood; Robert Thomet?"
"Yes, I saw him just a few moments ago." After placing a basket of apples with the other crates of fruits, Simon motioned for a young lad to take his place by the wagon to unload the rest of the provisions, and then joined her side. "Follow me."
As the army's captain led her through the crowd of training soldiers and volunteers, Maeve caught sight of Leisa teaching a bunch of men the rudiments of hand combat, just like she'd been doing the first time she saw her. Her braids were whipping the air around her as she deflected all their attempts to bring her down. Watching the feline Radakeel in action almost brought a wince to Maeve's face as she remembered all too well the sickening pain her dreadful Sleyans had inflicted upon her earlier that day.
At the edge of the courtyard to the right, Simon pointed to a group of men practicing their archery skills, shooting arrows in round targets and dummies made out of hay. "See the tall, rugged-looking man with the black beard? That's him. Robert Thomet."
Following where he was pointing with his finger, Maeve spotted the man he was talking about, a tall archer in his fifties, his broad shoulders and heavy frame quite difficult to miss. "Thank you," Maeve smiled, grateful for Simon's help.
"Anytime," Simon returned her smile in kind, slightly dipping his head in reverence before going back to the wagons near the portcullis at the other end of the courtyard.
After silently standing to the side and watching the archers practice their aim for a few minutes, all the while observing that Robert Thomet was not only a strongly built man with a solid bulk but also a remarkable shooter, Maeve finally stepped up to him when his quiver was empty.
"Robert?"
The dark-bearded man turned his head at the sound of his name. When he saw her, he immediately bowed his head in deference, his voice deep and strong. "My Lady."
Unsettled by his mark of respect for her, Maeve quickly gathered her composure with a warm smile. "My name is Maeve. I was wondering if I could ask you a question, about the raid and the people in your village."
When Robert lifted his head up again to look at her, Maeve noted that his right cheek sported a deep, slowly healing scar, which he had most likely gotten during the raid. "Of course. Anything, my Lady. But there aren't much of them still alive." Sadness filled his deep green eyes, blending with a smoldering anger right beneath the surface as he walked to the columns surrounding the courtyard on the side, to a nearby bench in the shadows. The spot was protected from the harsh afternoon sun and offered a little bit of quiet from the military training all around. He leaned his bow on the side of the bench and took his gourd for a sip of water.
With her heart silently breaking, Maeve could only imagine what this man had gone through in the past few weeks, what with the horrible raid his village had suffered from and then his perilous trip around the rocky bay to reach Southampton. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Did you lose members of your family?"
Sitting down heavily on the small stone bench, Robert clenched his jaw firmly, a veil of deep sorrow and painful grief falling on his hard features. "My wife. They raped her before my eyes," he revealed, his voice harsh and dark with the heavy burden of awful memories. "I killed as many of them as I could, but I was too late."
Maeve's heart sank at his words, horror seeping into her soul as she hesitantly sat down next to him. "I'm so sorry."
Robert silently accepted her sympathy but the darkness in his eyes didn't go away. "If I ever get my hands on those bastards I will skin them alive and make them scream for days on end until their blood accounts for all the people they savagely slaughtered," he declared vehemently, vengeance echoing in his voice like deep resonating bells calling for death as he quietly relived the horrors of the raid that had destroyed his village. "It was Cassidy, Simon's wife, who saw them first from the beach, their black sails on the horizon, like dozens upon dozens of small dots coming closer and closer on the dark waves. She ran back to the village with her crying daughter and we sounded the alarm immediately, panic and terror exploding in our midst for we had heard of the carnage these men had done here in Southampton a few months ago. Everyone began to flee to safety as fast as they could but by that time the wind had already sped the Blood Raiders' progress considerably, and we could hear them howling and growling like demons from the Wikken Hells as they landed on our shores, their black sails billowing in the wind like death itself. Our people were still gathering children in the streets to barricade themselves in their homes and their cellars, or escaping to the forest and the hills to hide, when they flooded our village like ants, an army of dogs dressed in hides and black leather armors with deadly tattoos darkening their features as they screamed and waved their battle-axes in the air. They hacked down everything that moved in their way, grabbing children and slitting their throats or snapping their necks, hauling women by the hair to collect them in the village's main square, pulling our elders from their houses and mauling them to death with clubs. Our men tried to fight them back but we were outnumbered twenty to one, and simple pitchforks are useless against an army of swords and brutal force. Our homes were burning, our cattle were being slaughtered and our women were being raped. I tried to fight my way through the ocean of destruction to get to my wife like all the other men but they wouldn't let us. They gathered us in the main square so we could watch it all instead. And then he came." Robert paused, his brow drawing down darkly over his green eyes as he seemed to watch the scene all over again on the ground in front of them, and with her eyes wet with tears, Maeve suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. "Commander Sarkin is how they addressed him I think, with his short, pale blond hair all neatly parted on the side as if the man was on his way to a fancy military banquet, with his leather armor all polished and gleaming. He just stood there, watching us all as we bled and died on the ground. I'll never forget the eyes of the bastard; a blue so pale they looked frozen like ice, and twice as cold. He just watched us as the carnage and the raping went on and on and on. Until he snapped his fingers. Then the Raiders brought one of the women to him, it was the baker's daughter, she was just a girl, barely sixteen years old. Her dress was already half ripped off her body and she was bleeding and crying. They threw her at his feet and he looked down at her as she trembled, the way you assess a piece of meat before buying it, and the most horrible smile appeared on his cold face. 'Don't cry' he said. 'I want to hear you scream'."
Maeve felt the hair at the back of her neck prickle as she listened to the nightmarish story, watching Robert's face as he was still lost in the terrible events.
"He signaled a random Raider to come forward and the brute knelt down by her side. I thought he was going to rape and kill her, but instead, at Sarkin's command, he took her hand and broke all her fingers one by one, bending them back at the joints. The girl screamed. We could hear the bones popping in her hands. Then he broke her wrists, her elbows, each time bending everything in the wrong direction while Sarkin pointed at the joints he wanted him to snap. He broke every bone in that young girl's body, and when he was done with her she looked like a ragged doll on the ground, all torn and broken and covered in blood and mud. I can still hear her scream inside my head…her bones popping one by one…" Robert's voice trailed off, heavy and haunted, and all Maeve could do was stare at him wordlessly through her blurry vision, horrified by the tale of such sick torture.
"Sarkin never once touched her. He just stood there and watched as that Raider did his bidding. Then he just walked away," Robert said blankly. "The bastard just strolled in our streets and contemplated the work of his men. I was on my knees in the main square and my wife was being raped in front of my eyes and I could do nothing about it. A blade at my throat and my head held back so I couldn't look away, I was helpless. The only thing I could do was memorize the face of the Raider who was holding her down, that monstrous half-tattooed face with a scar right under his left eyebrow, running to his temple. When he was finally done with her, he looked me straight in the eyes, grabbed her hair and roughly pressed his mouth to hers to kiss her. I was shaking with rage but I couldn't move. And then he killed her; brought his dagger to her throat and slit it open. With that wild terror shining in her beautiful eyes, the last thing she saw was me."
Maeve felt a tear run down her cheek as Robert quietly clenched his jaw and fisted his hands on his thighs, the muscles flexing in his arms as if he wanted to punch something out of sheer fury.
"When they finally released me, I ran to her and cradled her in my arms, but it was too late. She was gone," Robert whispered painfully. He paused for a moment, swallowing hard to compose himself. "I went into a fit of blind fury. I got to my feet and snapped the neck of the first Raider I saw, I took his sword before he even hit the ground and I cut as many of them down as I could, spilling their blood at my feet as I desperately searched for the scarred-face Raider so I could kill him with my bare hands. But one of them bastards rammed the pommel of his battle-axe in my face and I collapsed. But I still managed to see what was going on. They threw a few torches in the last houses nearby, stole most of our food and provisions, kicked a few of our men down and captured the youngest, and then Commander Sarkin called them off and they all left, just like that, not even bothering to kill the last of us."
Robert shook his head grimly and gritted his teeth. "I may be alive today but I am no survivor. I didn't earn my life by defeating any of those dogs. They simply decided to let us live, to let us endure the pain they were leaving behind in their wake."
Maeve tried to blink her tears away and gather her composure, but surfacing from the tale of the terrible raid was much harder than she thought it would be. "I'm so sorry, Robert." It was all she managed to whisper as she looked at the broken man beside her.
After a moment, after the misty memories of his nightmare slowly faded away, Robert straightened up on the bench and cleared his throat. "Forgive me, my Lady. I didn't mean to drag you down with me into this horrific tale."
Maeve shook her head softly. "Don't worry about me," she reassured him gently, her mind drifting back to Eire so many years ago. "I know exactly what you went through."
Robert turned to look at her, intrigued, but Maeve quickly offered him a small smile before he could ask her what she meant.
He seemed to get the message and fell silent for a moment, before finally speaking up again. "What was it you wished to ask me?"
Maeve blinked, suddenly remembering why she was sitting here with this man, listening to the story of an awful raid. She nodded and took a deep breath, putting her mind back to the matter at hand. "I was wondering if you knew anyone by the name of Jacob by any chance. He's-"
"The prophet?" Robert asked right away.
"Yes!" Maeve's hopes flared up inside her chest.
"Of course, I know him," Robert confirmed. "Everyone knew Jacob. The old geezer…"
"Knew?" Maeve faltered, her throat going dry as she swallowed hard. "He's dead?"
Robert shook his head sadly. "I don't know, my Lady. He was hurt pretty badly during the raid. When I left he was lying on a litter, dosing in and out of consciousness. I'm sorry."
Maeve felt her shoulders sink at his words, her hopes suddenly shattering. If Jacob had been severely injured during the attack and if he was in such a poor condition three weeks ago, chances were he was almost certainly dead by now, which meant she had failed Master Dim-Dim in her mission to save his friend.
She swallowed hard but before her composure could slip, Maeve gritted her teeth, forced a smile and stood up. "Thank you, Robert. I hope Kalladrell can show justice to these murderers."
Robert stood up beside her, his large stature vibrating with the need for revenge while fire burned in his deep green eyes. "I'm looking forward to it, my Lady.