I asked Redwar if I could tell Valeria and Derrek about Daxton's secret.  He said that Valeria already knew, and I was free to tell Derrek if I wanted.  

I found it ironic that Derrek had been so quick to pinpoint and label Redwar as Ravagerian, but he had yet to catch on to Daxton.  I knew his reaction would be the same as mine, and I hoped I could convince him not raise a fuss about it.  But I couldn't afford to not tell him, he needed to be aware of the potential snake in our midst.  

After Ladine and Axe had finished drinking, we tied them back up and went to grab the other two horses.  

I let Redwar handle Celestial.  I didn't want to accidently do something wrong with such a magnificent animal.  Although it was clear he was high strung, he was also very well behaved.  And attached to his owner, it seemed, as he nickered low at Simran as we passed him.  

It was then that I remembered the question that had been plaguing me, but I hadn't been able to ask Redwar just yet.

"Redwar?"  

"Hmm?"  

"Why...  Why didn't you let me run Corban through?"  

Now that I'd had several days been removed from the situation, I was unsure of myself.  Unsure of why I had been so eager to kill someone, even if it was my enemy.

Redwar looked over at me, quietly gauging my face and emotions.  "Are you sorry that I did?"  

I bit my lip.  "I...  I don't know.  I despise him, he ruined my life and all the hopes I had for it.  But I'm disturbed that I was so eager to kill." 

"You mustn't hate him."  Redwar's voice was strong with conviction.

I gaped at him.  "Why not?  I have every reason to."  

He shook his head.  "Maybe you do have every just reason to, but there is a whole other host of reasons to forgive him."   

"Such as?"  I shot back with venom. 

"Such as that if you don't, you'll forever be his prisoner."

We'd reached the stream by now, and the horses lowered their heads to drink.

"What do you mean?"  

"You will be a prisoner to hating him.  You don't see it now but that hate will grow and embitter you."

"You haven't spent much time longing for what you lost, except for your family of course.  That's prevented a stronger hate from overcoming you till now.  But don't let Corban have a claim on you because of hate." 

I twirled a piece of Clover's gray mane, still not quite ready to admit he was right.  "What are the other reasons?"  

"It clouds your judgement.  It causes you to take unnecessary risk to yourself and others, you can't think well because of it.  It gives you a desire to kill, which inevitably leads to killing others."  

This I had experienced for myself.  

"Hatred is a bitter poison, Ravine.  Trust me, I know.  So please, don't hate Corban, don't let him live in your head.  He's too much of a worm for you to worry about anyway."  

I cracked a smile at the last sentence.  "Alright, I'll...  I'll try to forgive him."  

"Good.  Maybe you'll even find you can pity him one day."  

"Pity him?"  That seemed too far of a stretch for me.  

"Yes.  He was born into a very savage society.  He's still living in it.  If I had to guess, I think the Thathian children he played with were the closest thing he had to friends."  His jaw set in a tight line.  "Ravagers, while they have use for Corban's kind as spies, still hate the 'half breeds' as they call them." 

I winced.  "Ouch."  I hadn't thought about that, even thought Redwar had told me he himself was despised.

Redwar nodded.  "Yes.  But I still haven't answered your question.  I stopped you from killing him for two reason:  One being that you haven't killed a man yet, and I'd like to spare you from that for as long as possible."  

"But I have killed," I protested.  "Remember?  Just before attacking Corban-"  

"Yes," he interrupted.  "But you never had a chance to process through that.  The second time..."  He shook his head and went on.  

"The second reason is that if you killed him, your mother and father might be lost to us.  At least, we'd have to do a lot of searching before finding them."  

I wrinkled my brow.  "What?"

"Corban made them his personal slaves, correct?  If he is killed, his property will be sold off or inherited by someone else.  That includes his slaves.  On the other hand, if Corban is alive, it'll be that much easier to find them." 

"Oh."  I nodded.  "Alright, I see."

Redwar nodded. "Good."

Celestial raised his creamy white neck, ears pricked forward as he listened for something, but the stately picture was marred by the water dripping from his whiskers. I couldn't help but smile, despite my somber mood. "I've heard of the white King's Messenger horses, but I had never seen one until today."

Redwar stroked Celestial's neck. "I've only seen them twice before. They're fine creatures. Not sturdy like Ravagerian horses, but much faster, which is what the Messengers need. Besides, they only travel on roads most of the time, so they don't need to be so sturdy."

The horses had finished their drink, so we led them back to the camp.

The whole rest of the afternoon and evening I resisted the urge to stare openly at Daxton. I didn't know if he knew of my knowledge of his heritage, but either way, I didn't want to catch his attention. And he would notice if I stared.

But I did know who he was, and because of that, I spotted even more signs that he was Ravagerian. The way he would subtly scan the clearing, looking for threats and taking in information, which was something Redwar was teaching me. He had a sharp, cunning look engraved in the hard lines of his face, and I wondered how I hadn't noticed it before.

He also seemed attracted to the horses. Sometimes he'd start his whittling to go over to them. At first, I bristled, hating the idea of him being next to Axe. But I remembered that Ravagers prized their horses, and it was against their code of honor to harm a horse, even in battle it was something to be avoided.

After lunch, Derrek and I went off again to talk privately. I didn't waste any time in breaking the news to him that Daxton was a Ravagerian spy.

He exploded. Well, he exploded as much as he could without being obvious. "He's Ravager? Ravager! Why that little- We've got to take him before he betrays us." Derrek began to stand while laying a hand on his sword.

"No!" I grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the ground. "He'll see you coming and slip away just like that." I snapped my fingers. "We'd never be able to catch him."

I lowered my voice. "Besides, Redwar said he wanted him to stay."

Derrek's eyes bugged even wider, if that were possible. "He what?"

I glanced over at Daxton, who was whittling again, then back at Derrek. "He wants to try to convince Daxton to realize what he's doing. To stop before it's too late."

"And risk betrayal? I thought Redwar was smarter than that."

I bit my lip. "He understands the risk. He... he gave me the choice to let him travel with us or not."

"And you agreed to this?" Derrek's voice was a whispery shriek of disbelief.

"I've seen how Redwar struggles with his guilt. Even though he knows he's forgiven, those demons still torment him. I think it'd help him if he could stop someone from becoming what he was. And who am I to try to stop him?

"Besides, what's that saying? 'Keep you friends close, and your enemies closer'. We can keep a better eye on him if he's with us."

Derrek leaned back and set his jaw. For a moment, he looked so much like my father I nearly gasped. "I don't like it but... if you think it's okay, I can't see any reason not to."

I nodded numbly while staring at him.

He wrinkled his brow. "What?"

I shook myself. "It's... Well, for a moment there, you looked so much like father."

His face fell, and he looked like a crestfallen young boy again. "Oh."  

 AN:  Ah, now the chapter is finished!   What did you think of Redwar's reasons for not letting Ravine go through with killing Corban?  

Of course, part of the reason I had Redwar stop her was because I couldn't have my main villian dead that quickly, okay? XD