A/N: Here it is! :D
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Following Kel
"'We're following Kel?' asked Dom eagerly…Raoul looked at Dom, who shrugged. 'I had to use the latrine,' he explained. 'I overheard Connac and Hevlor in there.'
'As long as I've been soldiering, you'd think I'd know how fast word gets around,' Raoul commented ruefully. 'Tell them.'
'The rest of the Haven burial detail got here safe,' Dom told the men. 'They managed to lose Kel, though.' He looked at Raoul. 'She went after her refugees, didn't she?'
Raoul nodded. 'Alone. I need volunteers-' Every man's hand went up. Raoul smiled grimly. 'Very well…'"
-Tamora Pierce, Lady Knight
Kel wondered what the hell she was doing for about the thousandth time that day. What was she thinking, going after the refugees alone? Not only was the thought unthinkable, but it was also ridiculous. She would be going into enemy territory, where Scanrans roamed freely and were ready to attack anyone on their roads. And she was one lone knight.
And even if she somehow did make it back alive, she would probably face the charges of treason for disobeying orders. Kel called herself all forms of stupid she could think of. But not for one second did she consider turning around. She felt responsible for her people, and by the gods she was going to try and save them or die trying. Looking at the odds, she knew one was probably more likely than the other to occur, but she didn't care. She had to at least try. She had to try to change the odds in her favor, as Raoul had so often told her.
She wondered what Raoul would think when he learned of her disappearance. She wondered what Lord Wyldon would think. More, she wondered what Dom would think. She foolishly wished that he could be with her- and a few other soldiers for that matter. But no, this was her own idiotic mission. Praying for someone else to be with her, risking their own lives for the sake of her crazy ideas, was a selfish thought. So instead she prayed to the Goddess to keep her and her refugees safe…
Dom couldn't believe it when they heard of Haven's attack. His squad and another had accompanied Raoul to Fort Mastiff where they heard more news about it. Kel, his cousin, Lord Wyldon and a few squads had already left for Haven when they had arrived. However, Tobe was left behind to recover and both Raoul and Dom had sought him out quickly.
Both men asked the boy many questions about what he had seen of the attack. Tobe was still a little shook up and they were both gentle with their questions, stopping when they felt he no longer wanted to talk about it. When Raoul moved on to talk someone else, Dom stayed behind with the boy. He put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Lady didn't wanna leave us in the first place," Tobe told him after a few minutes of silence. "But we all insisted she trust us, an' she couldn't not leave then. She didn't wanna go…"
Dom patted the boy's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "You did the right thing, she did have to go," he told him gently, "and Kel knew that too. And even if Kel would have been there, those Scanrans still would have attacked."
The boy nodded his head, showing that he understood. "And you did a brave thing, coming here all the way from Haven to get help, Tobe. I probably would have ended up in Carthak instead if I didn't follow the roads," Dom told him to try and lighten his mood.
He was rewarded with a small smile. "I had Lady's sparrows to lead the way," Tobe told him shyly.
Dom grinned, "Well then thank Mithros for Lady Kel's sparrows and your riding skills no doubt. I know you've made Kel proud, Tobe."
Again, the shy smile. Dom gave him a warm, friendly smile in return. "Now then," he told the boy, "why don't you show me the magnificent mount that carried you on such an adventure?"
Immediately Tobe nodded, and then started off toward the stables. Dom knew the boy loved horses from the time he was at Haven, and he knew he could count on that to get the boy's mind off of Haven for at least a little while. While the boy showed him the horse and tended to it, Dom's thoughts turned to Kel and the people of Haven. He knew she felt responsible for them. He knew how much she must be hurting…He wished he could be there to comfort her.
Wyldon, Neal, and a couple of squads returned to Mastiff without Kel. She was left behind with Connac and Hevlor's squads to come back to Mastiff when they had finished burying the people. They were informed that the soldiers of the camp accounted for most of the dead. In fact, most of the refugees were not even to be found, and that only left one explanation- they had been captured.
The whole thing didn't sit right with Dom. Kel's people had been captured by Scanrans. Kel knew this. And yet Kel would be returning to Mastiff? It didn't seem quite right…
And his fears were fulfilled when Connac and Hevlor's squads returned to Mastiff soon after Wyldon and the others- without Kel, as Dom immediately noticed. He was on the practice courts at the time, but he watched as Raoul questioned the two soldiers, no doubt asking the same question. Where was Kel?
Apparently receiving an answer, he watched as Raoul stormed toward headquarters, no doubt on his way to see Lord Wyldon. The sight of seeing Raoul in such a state of anger immediately got Dom thinking. Wanting to find out what had made his knight commander so mad, Dom left the practice courts and followed Connac and Hevlor, both on their way to the latrine building.
Dom listened as the two men talked.
"We had our orders, what could we do?" said the man named Hevlor.
"Well we should've known sommat was up. A noise in the woods? Then ordering us to go on? We should've found out what was goin' on," said Connac.
Dom frowned. What was going on?
"But she ordered us to go on," Hevlor repeated. "We can't disobey orders."
"Well she did, didn't she? She was ordered t' return here with us, but is she here? We should've known better. Now our hides are about t' be had, and it's entirely our faults. I wish we could've offered her our company instead of letting her go off on her own…"
Realization dawned on Dom. Kel had gone off after her refugees, he was sure of it. That's why she wasn't with them, and that's why Raoul was so angry. Connac was right. They should have known. And Wyldon should've as well- the reason why Raoul was storming into headquarters, of that Dom was certain. Dom knew Kel would never let her people stay Scanran prisoners, especially knowing what would most likely become of them- killing machines. Kel would do everything she could not to allow it- including risking her own life.
Dom's stomach twisted at the thought. She was out there on her own. Risking her life on her own. Now, more than ever, he wished he could be beside her; fighting alongside her, risking his own life alongside her. He suddenly felt useless where he was. But unlike Raoul, he wasn't angry. He was almost sick to his stomach because he was so anxious and worried, but he wasn't angry. Deep down, he knew all along that she wouldn't be returning to Mastiff, and even now it didn't surprise him that she had gone after the refugees.
As he returned to the practice courts, however, he was starting to wonder how in the name of Mithros he was going to get Raoul to let him go after her. He wondered what Raoul would do if he told him that he cared for Kel in more than friendly terms. But he would reveal his feelings in a heartbeat if meant getting to follow her.
Dom had barely resumed practicing when he spotted Raoul across the fort. Dom was about to signal to his knight commander that he needed to have a word with him, but was surprised when Raoul was the one who hand-signaled him first. He asked Dom to gather his men as well and meet him in the stables.
When they had all finally gathered inside, Dom couldn't help but feel hopeful. And when Raoul started to explain the reason for their gathering, Dom couldn't refrain from asking if they were going after Kel.
After getting over his surprise after Dom's explanation of how he had found out already, Raoul had Dom explain what he had heard about Kel.
And when he later asked for volunteers, consent was unanimous. They were going off to help Kel.
A/N: Well, they're off! In the next chapter they'll join Kel! Should be fun! :D