Son of Corse (The Raven Chronicles Book 2) by KateMarie Collins

from buttoning her dress, Arwenna saw the doubt on Joss’ face.  She smiled and leaned in to his welcoming embrace.  “I know it’s going to be hard to do, Joss.  We both want her back.”
                  Joss’ arms tightened around her.  The tender kiss on the top of her head made her close her eyes.  “I think you’re right, Arwenna.  I don’t like it much.  I’m going to be very scared for you during this whole thing, but I’d rather be scared now than later.”  She felt his arms shift and looked up at him.  “Please promise me, though, that you’re not going to do anything really foolish out of spite.  No purposefully putting yourself in danger to prove your theory that you’re not the target, ok?”  His voice was stern.
                  She smiled at him.  “I promise.  Though I want the same promise from you not to get between me and those three.  I’m going to do whatever I feel I must to get our daughter back safely.  And I don’t want to have to argue with you about it when the time comes.”
                  “I can’t speak for the others , but I won’t fight you.  Barek will object enough for everyone.” 
                  Sighing heavily, Arwenna replied “True enough.  Perhaps I’ll put a silence spell on his armor and wait until I need him quiet before I trigger it.”  Joss’ face broke into a huge grin at her suggestion.  Laughing, they left the tent.
                  The bright morning light reflected off the sparse grassland surrounding them.  A quick glance let Arwenna know everyone else was long since awake.  Mialee kept herself separate from the others, her hair hiding her face as she packed up her tent.  Even after talking about what had happened to her, Arwenna could tell her friend wasn’t as ready to forgive herself as they were.
                  Barek and Hugh were loading down the pack mules.  Y’Dürkie poured water over the fire, dousing the flames.  The steam rose from the hissing coals, obscuring her for a moment.  Arwenna’s eyes caught the faintest green outline to Y’Dürkie’s form.  The idea that Hauk and Tiren were somehow connected dwelled for a moment on her mind before she shook the thought out of her head.  Trying to figure out just how they were all chosen for the things they had done tended to make her head spin. 
                  Arwenna snatched the end of a loaf of bread out of the pack as Joss secured it to one of the pack animals. It didn’t take long before they were all back on their horses and riding towards the line of peaks to the North.

Chapter Six
    T wo weeks later, the dark shadows of the mountains kept the warmth of the sun at bay.  They’d reached the foothills at last.  A small but expensive inn sat nestled at the start of the caravan route.  The attached corral and stables were full of horses.  Voices could be heard coming from the common room.  Crowded or not, Arwenna was going in there.  It wasn’t necessarily rooms they would be looking for.  Depending on which way the caravan was heading, however, might give them the chance at some useful information.
                  A massive fireplace dominated one wall of the inn.  Arwenna and the rest jostled their way through the crowded room to a table on the far side.  It was a small, well used wooden table that barely sat the six of them.  Mialee smiled, her green eyes full of curiosity.  “I’ll be back in a bit” she whispered to Arwenna before melting away into the mass of people in the room. 
                  Y’Dürkie watched Mialee leave with a raised eyebrow.  “She’s gathering information. We’ve been traveling too long not to let her listen into conversations.” Arwenna muttered under her breath. 
                  A surly and bored looking woman walked up to their table.  “We ain’t got no rooms if that’s what