“They’re stronger than you think. They’ll be fine.”
Edward looked at Jasper’s earnest face as they sat together at the table in the dining hall at Sandhorne Stronghold.
“I know how strong my wife is, Jasper. It doesn't mean I worry any less for her well-being.”
Jasper put his hands up in a gesture of peace. “Fine. But making yourself worry over this is not going to keep you strong enough to help us get them back.”
Edward stood quickly enough that the bench scraped back half an inch. “Are you suggesting I’m weak?”
Jasper shook his head. “No, brother. Calm down.”
Edward stood for several seconds, staring down at his brother-in-law. He was itching for a fight, and Jasper seemed an easy target at the moment. Finally, he dropped heavily onto the seat. “It’s truly not you I’m angry with; it’s them. You just happen to be convenient.”
“I know this.” Jasper picked up his tankard. “I’ve been through many battles, and I don't think it gets any easier. I haven't ever lost sight of my wife, though, so I do know how you're feeling. It’s unsettling at the least.”
“They may be strong, and they may even be able to escape, but how the hell do they get away from sorcery? How do they come all the way back here alone? Go through that fucking forest without help?”
Jasper stared down at the table “I don't agree with the decision the chieftess made, but we abide by her word. It is law.”
Edward scoffed. “I need to go and find them. It’s not in my nature to just sit here and wait. How do you do it?”
“Not without difficulty. I suppose it’s too ingrained in me to follow orders.” He banged a fist on the table. “Dammit, Edward, it’s ridiculous.”
“What are you saying?” he murmured.
“I wouldn't go so far as to head out without permission, but we can at least ask for said permission.”
“Isn’t it better to ask forgiveness?”
“Not in this case. You won't receive forgiveness, you'll receive a beheading.”
Edward blanched. “But I can't keep going like this.”
“No, I don't think I can either. We need to have a plan in place, and if Mother is discussing her plans with Father but not sharing them with us, that's wrong.”
“So, we demand she discuss it with us?” Edward asked. Being new to the family, he wanted to defer to Jasper, but it was becoming increasingly difficult not to storm out of there and head off to Blackthorn alone.
“I suppose.”
They sat in silence for a few moments while those around them continued to eat.
“I hate this.” Edward threw down the bread he was not eating. “It’s not the same being in our chambers without her. It feels more like her bedroom than it ever did, even when it really was her domain and I was merely her attendant.”
“I have little doubt they'll find a way to escape, but you’re right about them not being able to get back on their own. Not to mention, it isn't fair to expect them to free themselves when we have an entire force of warriors at our disposal.”
“I say we find the chieftess and speak to her.”
“We stick together, show a united front.” Jasper nodded at this decision, finally standing and holding a hand out to his brother-in-law. They shook on it and headed in the direction of the war room.
They entered to find Esme and Renee with their heads bent over the map.
“Pardon us, Mother; Renee,” Jasper said.
They looked up, and Renee excused herself.
When she had closed the door behind her, Esme spoke. “What brings the two of you here?”
“We’re going to Blackthorn to rescue the kidnapped warriors,” Edward announced.
Esme narrowed her eyes. “You're what?”
Quickly, Jasper said, “To put it more delicately, we’d like your permission to form a war party and take them with us to Grimhold Castle. Even if the women can escape, they would have difficulties traversing Winter Forest without assistance.”
Esme looked from one man to the other. “This is what you think is best for not only yourselves, but the entirety of Korsväg? Because, you see, my decisions must be beneficial to all. One person is not above many.”
Edward narrowed his eyes and dug his finger into his chest. “My wife; your daughter. In my eyes, she is above all.”
“Edward—”
“I hear you, I do. You are my chieftess, and I mean no disrespect, but I am your son now. Isabella is my one and only priority, as I vowed it to be. Above my own life were the words I promised her in your presence. I cannot and will not go against my oath.”
“I have to agree with Edward, Mother. We speak of your own daughters. Allow us to gather whoever is willing and go to them.” Jasper glanced at Edward. “My vows to Alise were the same, and though I may be accustomed to this way of life moreso than my new brother, I cannot let her down.”
Esme sighed, turning away from them. “Go.”
“What—”
“Take all who are willing. I will remain with Demon-Hide and the sentinels to protect the keep in your absence. I fear they plan an attack while we search for the missing.”
“You might be right,” Jasper said to her back.
“Be careful,” was all she said.
Summarily dismissed, the two men left the room in search of their fellow warriors.
“We must have Rage-Scream to act as The Purifier, and that means Skull-Strike will come.”
Edward nodded at Jasper’s words. “Gore-Helm will come to help find Grave-Keeper.”
“We’ll ask them all. We need the numbers.”
They came to a stop in the great hall. “Where do we begin?”
Jasper spotted Skull-Strike near the fire and nodded his head in that direction. “We’ll ask Emmett and he can help spread the word. Not everyone is in the hall.”
They gathered almost every warrior. There were a couple who wanted to remain with their chieftess to defend the citadel should it come to that. They gathered around the hearth in the hall, discussing a strategy. Edward wanted to leave immediately, but he was outvoted. They would leave at first light to ease their way through the forest. Everyone needed to be fully rested to deal with them, anyway.
He knew it was the more prudent plan, but the agony of waiting was wearing on him. He needed to see her face for himself, to know she was not only safe, but able to make her way back home. He shuddered to think of them attempting that cursed trek without assistance from The Purifier or anyone else.
When they broke up the meeting, most of the remaining couples went off together to their rooms. Edward and Jasper remained with Aro and Tanja, and even his brother remained for a while.
“You should go and be with Katrina,” Edward told Garrett.
“I couldn't.” Garrett propped one foot on his opposite knee. “I want to be here for you, and she understands. She loves Isabella as if they were sisters. She is eager to set out, but knows she needs to rest for the night.”
“I want to rest, but I cannot do anything but stare at the ceiling when I lie there without her.”
“I don’t think I could deal with it if Katrina were missing, brother. You’re a stronger man than me.”
Edward snorted. “No, I don’t think I am. I’ve handled this all wrong.”
Garrett leaned forward. “Going toe to toe with the chieftess?”
“I could have been in serious trouble for that.”
“That’s my point; you did it despite the risks.”
Edward remained silent for a time. He wanted to be strong for his wife, and confronting his mother-in-law had felt like the right thing to do. If it got him what he wanted, and he was able to get to his wife, he’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
“I think I want to sleep outside tonight,” Edward said to no one in particular.
A few of the warriors left in the hall nodded. They got up, heading outside to spread out blankets as pallets. Edward settled on his back, his arms folded under his head, and stared at the black night sky. He found a few constellations and a million other points of light, but their beauty remained diminished.
He would find her. He would fight alone for her freedom if it came to that. With all the training they’d done, he knew he could hold his own. He wasn't the best warrior, but he was no pissant either. He pictured the men who’d come onto the battlefield at the last minute to take the warriors. They were fearsome—there weren’t many other words for it—and he didn't like the idea of Isabella being in the same company as them. He hoped she was giving them hell.
He didn't sleep, as he knew he wouldn't. At the first hint of sunlight over the horizon, Edward was up and back in the keep to grab his pack. He’d filled it the night before with everything he could need over the next several days. There was nothing that would stand in his way now.
The others rose and got ready quickly, everyone meeting at the stables. The wolves were brought out once more, and each man and woman mounted their horses. They rode out together in no particular order, and Edward wondered if it was because they were without the chieftess and her consort, or if it was simply because they were an incomplete unit.
They rode hard in the direction of the forest, and this time Edward was eager to get through and to the other side for entirely different reasons. The last time, he’d had premonitions of the battle going awry, and he’d been correct. This time, he had no visions; he remained single-minded in his quest to get to Blackthorn.
The nightmares swirled around them almost immediately, as though they, too, sensed something was different. Edward paid them no attention, focusing instead on the words Rosalie repeated as The Purifier. The hair on the back of his neck rose despite his efforts to ignore them, and he figured it was part of their powers. They must be trying to get through in any way they could, but he would not allow it.
Rogue-Blood was especially careful to look straight ahead and not deviate from the path. Surely she had learned her lesson the last time, and Stone-Stride held her hand the entire way through the forest. They reached the portion which dipped low, and Edward recalled thinking about how it resembled an old lake. It was an apt description, and he supposed that even this land might once have been fertile before these soulless creatures had come to claim it.
When they reached No Man’s Land, Edward was not the only one keen to stay in motion. A few of the warriors wanted to rest, but those who insisted on pressing forward outnumbered them. They had a planned stop on the edge of the city of Blackthorn where they would regroup. Anything else was a waste of time.
They kept to the skeletal trees, seeking as much cover as they could find. When they reached a portion where they had no choice but to ride out in the open, they kept their eyes peeled for anyone sent to scout. They couldn't risk being caught before they’d made it far enough to hide.
They reached the outskirts of the town near dusk and kept to the very edges of the woods which surrounded the walled city. They dismounted, sitting on logs or the ground, and each pulled food and drink from their bags.
The plan was solid, but it would never hurt to go over it once more. They used sticks to draw the plan of attack into the dirt at their feet, and Edward pictured it in his mind’s eye. He and the others were going to have to sneak in with the merchants and find the dungeons, then find the best way to break in to the cells. They weren’t positive which buildings held the dungeons, and there were plenty of choices. The city was not as loud or as busy as the one from whence he came, a sign of their failing prosperity. It might be harder than they’d thought to sneak in if there were so few merchants and farmers. It mattered not; they would implement their plan or die trying.
No matter what else happened, Edward wasn’t going to spend one more night without his mate.
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