Warrior's Dawn (Fire and Tears) Read Online Free Page A

we have a slightly different destination to reach than you assumed.”
    “Are you willing to tell me where we’re going before we cross the border? I had planned for us taking at least two days to reach the Citadel. But now… You should have shared this information with me earlier.”
    “The council didn’t need to know this much detail. I knew we’d have time to discuss it once inside Noman’s Land.”
    “You have a very roundabout way of bringing it up. So…”
    “So, the List fortress is located five city blocks behind the Citadel, at the very center of their territory. The building is nondescript, maintains no outward guards—though there are guards inside—and has a vaguely disused look about it. That part is thanks to some elf glamour.”
    “The traitors help the Sorcerers disguise their true center of power? Isn’t that a risk for the Sorcerers?”
    He rolled his eyes. “The others never bothered to find out what they were hiding with the glamour. They assumed the Sorcerers were testing their skills. Idiots.” He spit out the last through a half snarl.
    “The same idiots you joined with willingly,” she pointed out. “What does that make you?”
    “The biggest fool of them all,” he answered without hesitation. Her eyes narrowed, and he knew she’d ask more. Somehow with this woman he kept slipping into a topic he had no intention of discussing. To stave off her curiosity, he returned to their original topic. “Now then, our direction is still generally the same as before. But we’ll have to get past the Citadel. And it, along with the surrounding area, is heavily guarded and patrolled. Only partly for show.”
    Her gaze turned inward again as she considered their options. He watched her thinking, unable to look away even if he’d wanted to. The play of concentration across her face, the way her brow creased and her full lips flattened into a line, continued to fascinate him, holding his attention more thoroughly even than the full bounty of her breasts or the sexy flare of her hips.
    Finally, she said, “If we attempt to go too far out of our way to bypass the Citadel, this mission could take at least a week. The longer we’re in their territory, the better chance we have of being captured.”
    “And there’s no way to circumvent the Citadel without running into minion patrols. Not unless we attempt to go outside the city limits and sneak back in. But they guard those well with spells as well as minions. I understand the edges of the city in their territory are even more heavily monitored now.”
    “After the two elves who came to deliver those special arrows got through? But how would you know about their patrols if you’ve been in our prison?”
    “Not all of you Sinnale are immune to my charms,” he said with a slight chuckle. In fact, very few humans could resist his particular talent when he really tried. But the king and queen had ensured the magic mixed into the bars of his cage provided some protection for the Sinnale. Fortunately, he’d always found a handsome face and a ready ear went a long way on their own. “Information is always available to someone willing to…chat.”
    “One of my people told you the city limits were being more heavily monitored. Who?”
    He shook his head. “Ah-ah. I could hardly betray that very kind person’s confidence by revealing they’d spoken with me.”
    She narrowed her eyes as if she intended to say more so he held up a hand. “But back to the topic. Moving outside the city limits and then back in again won’t prevent us from encountering patrols and protection spells. Any attempt to get around the center of the minion movements will be a waste of time.”
    She sighed. “I was afraid of that. Well, then. We take my original route, hide in the places I’d planned for. Once near the Citadel, we’ll have to gather information, watch patrol movements. This will still take at least an extra day or two. But not as long as a week. Unless