They hadn’t liked Hercules, and Rhona was lumped in there too.
The talking was over.
“Thank you for telling me more about Murphy. I know it doesn’t mean much, but I wish I’d had the chance to know him better. To every account, he was an incredible person.”
“He was,” the brother said hoarsely.
“If you ever want to know more—maybe see pictures—just let us know,” the youngest sister surprised me by saying.
I smiled at her. “I’ll do that.”
The father approached as the family began to leave. He took my hands, leaning in. “No matter why Ragna and my son left the valley, I can assure you that Murphy intended to return to you both. He was leaving at 2:00 p.m. once their group returned from rock-climbing. There was nothing he wouldn’t have done for that beautiful, kind woman. And though he never told us of a child, I have no doubt he felt the same love for you, regardless of who your blood father might have been.”
This was all so fucked up. I’d hated Murphy for most of my life, then felt so hopeful after piecing together the timeline of his death. Now I just felt bitter that his death robbed my life of much-needed security. He’d left a blatant hole in this family’s lives—and mine.
I’d filled that hole with anger for twenty-one years.
I wanted Murphy to be my father again. Then Rhona would be head steward, and everything would be fine.
Mum would still be my mum.
Rhona lingered in my periphery, arms crossed. She was either oblivious to the Frey’s dislike or uncaring.
Probably the latter.
“Thank you.” I hugged the man’s middle tight and whispered, “Who went rock-climbing with Murphy and Hercules that day?”
He moved his mouth close to my ear. “One other steward.”
“Who?” I breathed.
“Pascal.”
5
I winced as another flag went up.
“That’s six hundred,” Pascal murmured.
From the high observation tower in the middle of Lake Thana, I watched the annihilation of our tribe in Water. The playing field was on a part of the lake tucked behind the hill where Herc’s will was read.
“Six hundred and one,” she said.
Ugh. Embarrassing.
You came here to learn. But still. Bet Sascha was having a fucking laugh over this. And his pack. Cheeks burning, I studied the surface below. The water was clear and with the calm evening, visibility was easy.
The Luthers used rope against us to great effect in this grid. My stewards had oxygen tanks, and the Luthers—stronger and faster swimmers—merely trussed up our players, safe in the knowledge they could breathe for the duration of the game.
Cliffs lined a small part of the lake’s perimeter. The stewards stationed there were safe, and they could fire at any werewolves within range. Of which there’d been a paltry number.
Problem one: The cliff couldn’t fit one thousand stewards. The battle had to occur in the water. Our weakness there in comparison to the Luthers was undeniable. The equipment needed to give us much-needed speed was horrendously expensive.
Herc had a Water savings account. I’d traced the equipment bought over the last two years. He didn’t choose Water because he wanted some defence when they eventually came here again, but that shit was costly.
Problem two: Our method of communication didn’t work here. Once my stewards slipped under the surface, they were on their own, so our plan couldn’t be adapted.
“Six hundred and two,” Pascal said.
She murmured, “Six hundred and three,” a second later.
Fuckers.
We were literally sitting ducks. I could see the Luthers converging on groups of us but had no way to warn my units.
The werewolves moved from one area of the lake to another with clear direction. They’d altered in response to our strategy too. Sascha had to be guiding them somehow. The wolves could talk underwater. There was no way they could be in sync otherwise, but we’d put frequency generators underwater that should block their ability to hear.
A puzzle.
That I intended to solve.
“Do they always do the same thing?” I asked Pascal, who was frantically tapping on her tablet.
Looking at her, a person would never guess this woman knew far more than she let on. Pascal had known about the will change. She’d been there when Murphy died.
My grandson was an expert rock-climber, Margaret had said.
That’s why the Freys hadn’t liked Herc. They believed he killed Murphy. Even for stealing me, his eldest daughter, could Herc have done such a thing?
Sure, I’d seen him attempt to kill a werewolf. He was capable of the act against a Luther, but not against humans.
And even if he was, Murphy was Herc’s best chance of finding me again. Yet he’d never shown up on our doorstep. Herc never found out where Mum and I were.
If his plans were to find me, why kill Murphy before getting information?
Nope.
The Frey’s need to blame someone was understandable, but I didn’t swallow that Herc killed Murphy.
“Yes,” Pascal answered. “Always. It’s effective.”
She alone knew what really happened that day.
People had a sad habit of dying before answering my questions, but I had to handle this matter delicately. She was our marshal and part of the head team. Pascal held power in our tribe.
Being new around here, I couldn’t risk alienating her.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I hummed. That was exactly the mentality that nearly lost us Sandstone. When one side held a grid for decades, they got lax. Sascha included.
I could figure this out. I just had to think outside the box and do some digging on how the Luthers were communicating.
Boom.
The final cannon blasted through the sky.
“Can’t say I’m sorry that’s over.” I blew out a breath.
She arched a brow. “Not the greatest morale booster.”
Agreed. Still… “It was important for me to see that.” Maybe we could have won Timber and had the choice of grid again, plus the extra income too. That path didn’t help us long-term when we had to come up against Water to win.
For most of the last ten years, the two sides had fought nearly exclusively over Timber. Something had to change.
Pascal slipped her tablet into a waterproof sleeve. “I go with the Luther marshal to check the final tally now. I’ll meet you back on shore.”
I heard the approaching boat. “Okay. See you soon.”
Clipping on my binoculars, I zipped my jacket against the slight chill in the air now that summer was leaving the valley. Only the tiniest sliver of the moon was visible in the night sky, and the sight gave me cheer. The wolves would stick to their lands for the next four or five days during the new moon.
Roderick said they were always a bit sluggish the following week. Hopefully they’d be thrown off their game.
Gripping the ladder, I started down, vision buckling and warping.
Note to self: take vertigo meds before Water next time.
I closed my eyes, blocking out the water below, and felt for the next rung.
Bang.
The observation tower shook, and I gasped, my foot slipping from the rung. I clung to the ladder with both hands and scrambled for a foot hold.