As they’d traveled farther from the Nine Mountains, the terrain smoothed and opened up into flat grasslands. The long blades of grass swayed stiffly in the breeze, filling the air with a dry rasp. No rain meant firm ground perfect for walking, but it also meant limited water. And that led to more problems.
Kerrick clutched the reins tighter. The horse shifted under him but remained in place. Ryne had made it sound so easy. Take half his army and drive the tribes back to the wildlands. He hadn’t mentioned the squabbles between personnel, the logistics of feeding everyone and digging latrines in hard sun-cooked earth while fighting off hungry packs of ufas—the living kind, thank the forest.
One of his majors rode toward him. Probably to suggest they stop for the night. Ryne had given him four companies with four majors who bickered worse than Kerrick and his brother. They handled most of the day-to-day drudgery but needed him to make all the key decisions and to mediate all their disagreements. Most of the time Kerrick asked General Zamiel his opinion and the general had quickly turned into his primary adviser.
Each major also rode a horse. Kerrick had argued with Ryne against bringing horses. Too noisy. However, he had to admit they made communication between him and the majors easier and faster.
“Prince Kerrick,” Major Sondra called. “The scouts have returned.”
Finally. He spurred his mount and followed the major to the front of the column. Half his squad had been sent to collect information on the tribes right after Ryne had received the news of the attack. They had been trained by Kerrick, and he’d picked the best for the mission, but he’d worried over their lack of experience.
He spotted the scouts walking their sweaty horses. Counting heads, Kerrick felt a moment of relief. All four had survived. They appeared tired. Dust coated their fatigues and hair.
As soon as he dismounted, Sergeant Jave and the others snapped to attention.
“Relax, gentlemen,” Kerrick said, then caught his mistake. “Sorry, Cerise.”
She waved off his apology. Once she had realized he treated everyone in his squad the same, she had stopped correcting him.
“Report,” he said to Jave.
The sergeant opened his mouth but then closed it as if uncertain where to start.
“Most important first.”
“Yes, sir. We confirmed that the tribes have invaded Krakowa, and we have ascertained there are approximately twelve hundred camped around the city’s boundaries.”
Hell. “All warriors?”
“No, sir. It appeared to be the entire tribe, including children.”
Interesting. “Did you see any survivors?”
“Yes. Three days after we left Prince Ryne’s, we encountered a number of refugees, traveling south.”
“Did you talk to them?”
“Yes. The fleeing citizens told us they had a few hours’ warning so they left with what they could carry before the tribes reached the city. We didn’t see anyone else after the fifth day.”
Not a surprise. “What about within the city? Are there survivors there?”
“We were unable to pierce their outer encampments. But we did loop around them. And, sir...” Jave hesitated.
“Go on.”
“There are more tribes arriving. We spotted a line of campfires stretching to the north.”
Kerrick kept his emotions in check even though fear washed through him. His army was already outnumbered. “Anything else?”
“Yes. When we returned for our horses, we saw evidence that a large force had passed through the forest south of Krakowa.”
“More refugees?” He hoped.
“No. We caught up to them. The tribes are spreading south, heading this way.”
Kerrick cursed. What about “most important first” hadn’t the sergeant understood? He pressed his balled fists against his thighs to prevent him from shaking the man. After he had lost his temper and hit Avry, he had vowed never to do it again. To anyone. Well, except the enemy. And Tohon. It would be pure joy to feel his fist connect with that man’s jaw. But that was a fight for another day.
“How many are coming?” Kerrick asked.
“About a thousand. And they’re all warriors.”
“How far away are they?”
“Right now, they’re about a day from Krakowa. They’re moving slowly, as if feeling their way. I’d say about six to eight miles a day. The woods are pretty thick.”
“Horses?”
“No.”
Finally, one bit of good news. Kerrick calculated the distance and amount of time his army needed to travel in order to meet up with the advancing tribes in the forest that stretched about fifty miles south of the city. Once the warriors reached the grass plains, then Kerrick’s smaller force had no chance of stopping them.
With this ungainly group, even if they doubled their speed and increased the number of hours marching, it would be impossible. However, if he split the army into four units, traveling independently, it just might work.
Kerrick called a stop for the night and met with Zamiel and the majors. For once, they all agreed with his plan. They would split the supplies four ways. Two companies would travel wide into flanking positions. The other two would head straight north. Kerrick would scout ahead with his squad and send runners back to each unit to report the tribes’ location and a point of engagement.
In the morning, it didn’t take long to organize the companies, but there were issues with the division of supplies. Kerrick ordered General Zamiel to handle it. He could be counted on to remain impartial and fair.
He was going over a few last-minute instructions with his majors when Cerise arrived. She waited until he finished before approaching him.
“Problem?” he asked.
“Yes. We found...something in the supply wagons.”
“Just spit it out. It can’t be any worse than the news you brought me yesterday.”
“Uh...” Cerise gestured.
Sergeant Jave dragged two struggling figures closer. Danny and Zila stopped fighting when they met Kerrick’s gaze.
“I stand corrected,” he said.
CHAPTER 9
“You can’t go alone,” Ryne said, sounding rather annoyingly like Kerrick. “There’ve been reports of clashes with Tohon’s troops to the southwest.”
“I don’t want anyone to see me get swallowed by a giant lily. That’ll set off too many questions that I’d like to avoid answering,” I said.
We sat on opposite sides of his conference table inside his tent. I had Dagger Company’s squads practicing the silent training in the forest and had left Sergeant Odd in charge of the afternoon sessions. His Odd Squad trained as much as possible. They were determined to improve in order to jackknife the jumping jacks. With an evil gleam in his eyes, Odd had called it a little payback.
“Then take a few soldiers you can trust,” Ryne said.
From his post by the entrance, Quain snorted with derision and muttered, “That rules out everyone here.”
I ignored him. “Belen left yesterday with Ursan and the jacks.” They were hunting the dead. A shiver brushed my spine.
“What about your lieutenant and a couple of the other sergeants in your platoon?” Ryne asked.
I considered confiding in Thea, Wynn and Liv. Thea already knew enough to guess, and my roommates had suspected I wasn’t quite what I’d claimed from the beginning. “All right. I’ll talk to my LT.”
“The sooner the better,” he said. “It would be best if you returned before Belen.”
“You’re that confident he’ll succeed?”
“He hasn’t failed me or Kerrick yet.”
Or me. I rubbed my stomach. He had stayed between me and the mercs long enough for Kerrick and the others to get into position, sacrificing his life to save me from capture.
“Why should I be back first?” I asked.
“Once Estrid sees the truth of Tohon’s depravity, one of three things will happen. She’ll either order it decapitated immediately,
claiming it’s a one-of-a-kind abomination, or she’ll cover it up, ordering Ursan to keep it quiet until she can determine exactly what it is, or she’ll be smart and involve her top military aides right away and prepare her army for what they’ll be facing.”
“Doesn’t she trust your word?”
“No.” He smiled. “And she shouldn’t.”
“I’m not going to ask.” Pushing from the table, I stood. “I’ll report back when I’m leaving.”
Ryne stopped me when I reached the flaps.
“There’s a fourth possibility,” he called.
Turning, I waited.
He stared at the wall of the tent as if he could see through the fabric.
“And?”
“That Tohon learns of Belen’s mission and launches his attack before we have a chance to find a way to stop his dead.”
* * *
I found Thea conferring with another lieutenant outside Major Granvil’s tent. When she finished, she gestured for me to join her as she headed to the training area.
“Problem?” she asked.
“Do you know the true nature of Ursan and Belen’s mission?” I asked.
She gave me a slight nod, looking not at all surprised by my question. “Sergeant Ursan has kept me informed.”
“About everything?”
Keeping her voice pitched low, she said, “Yes, Avry. About everything.”
Suddenly a few things made sense. Estrid had known about the assassination attempt beforehand. But her failure to warn Ryne meant she either didn’t want to tip her hand to Jael, or she didn’t trust Ryne. Or both.
I decided it would be best for me to stay out of the political intrigue and focus on my own tasks. At least I didn’t have to explain as much to Thea. Taking a deep breath, I made my request.
She remained quiet for so long, I worried she hadn’t understood how important this mission was.
“I know you don’t believe they exist, but—”
“That’s not it,” she said. “Wynn and Liv are too chatty. They can’t be trusted to keep such juicy gossip to themselves. I think it should be me, you and Sergeant Saul.”
“Saul? But he hardly says a word.”
“Exactly.” She paused when we reached the training area. “When do you want to leave?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“What about the silent training?”
“Sergeant Odd can cover for me.”
“Have you cleared this with Major Granvil?”
Oops. I’d forgotten he needed to be informed. “Uh... Not yet.”
“I’ll take care of it. Find Saul, explain to him what we plan to do. Then both of you meet me in my tent right after supper. We’ll finalize the details of our mission.”
Thea hadn’t wasted any time in taking charge.
“Lieutenant, I’m happy to follow orders while we’re en route, but once we find the Lilys—”
“Then they’re all yours, Sergeant.” She waved me off.
I waited until Saul and his squad had finished with their hand-to-hand-combat drills before approaching him. While his soldiers returned to their tents, he stood next to the water barrel. Removing his shirt, he poured water over his head and upper body, washing away the sweat and dirt. His long lean muscles were the source of his wiry strength. He also had the fastest reflexes of all the sergeants in Thea’s platoon, even though he was the oldest at—my guess—close to forty.
Toweling off, he met my gaze. His light blue eyes studied me with mild curiosity. He gestured, prompting me to explain. I filled him in about the search for Peace Lilys. If he found the task strange or odd, he didn’t show it.
“We’re to meet with the LT after supper,” I said.
“All right,” Saul said.
I couldn’t resist asking, “Aren’t you curious why we’re going?”
“I’m to protect you. Correct?”
“Basically.”
“That’s all I need.” He smiled.
* * *
Later in the lieutenant’s tent, Saul surprised us both by unfolding a map of the area. Despite his apparent lack of interest, he had brought the locations of all the Lilys surrounding Estrid’s army and Zabin.
“This is a classified document. Did you steal this from Major Piran?” Thea asked Saul.
“I borrowed it, sir.”
“Isn’t this vital information?” I asked.
“The location of the ones in Vyg are the most important,” Thea said. “And every one of our patrols has memorized them all by now.”
I examined the map. “This will speed things up considerably.”
“We had to make a series of maps as we marched across Pomyt. We lost too many scouts to the Death Lilys,” Thea said. She tapped one of the red marks. “Although this doesn’t tell us if it’s a Peace or Death Lily or how many of them are there.”
“That’s fine. We’ll figure it out once we get there.”
“We?” Saul asked.
Both he and Thea looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. “I’ll figure it out. Okay?”
“Better,” Thea agreed.
After we finalized our plans, Saul and I left. He headed to our fire.
When I didn’t follow him, he stopped. “Coming?”
“I’ll be there in a bit. I’ve a few things to do.”
He nodded and continued. Saul was going to be an easy traveling companion. Ursan would have questioned me, demanding to know what things, or just following me. In this case, it wasn’t any of his business. I’d put if off too long. I needed to finally do what I’d come here to do.
* * *
I watched Jael’s tent. It didn’t take long for Noelle to leave, running an errand for the general. Following her, I waited for the opportunity to confront her. She kept busy, fetching officers, delivering orders and bringing a tray of food. Every third or fourth time, she’d remain inside the tent longer than a few minutes.
About to give up for the night, I caught movement near the entrance. Noelle headed back to the mess tent. This time she took the food in the opposite direction. I scrambled to keep up as she wove through the camp. Then she slipped between tents, disappearing from view. Dashing after her, I entered the same gap and stopped. The opening led to a secluded spot behind a row of officers’ quarters. Moonlight illuminated the space.
Noelle plopped on the ground as if exhausted. I debated. Should I wait until she finished eating? Or approach her now?
“Why are you following me, Sergeant Irina?” she asked.
My heart swelled a bit with pride—she could spot a tail. I stepped from the shadows. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but you’re always so busy.”
Noelle speared a piece of meat with her fork. “The general’s preparing for war. It’s not a good time for idle chatter.” Her tone implied this wasn’t a good time either.
Too bad. “And once Tohon attacks, it’s not going to get any better.”
“You have five minutes.” She scraped her teeth on the fork’s tines.
The metallic screech cut right through me as it had the thousand times when we were growing up. I shuddered.
Setting her tray aside, she surged to her feet. “I should have known. You’d never sacrifice your life for another. You’re incapable of bravery.”
So much for the happy reunion. I had expected this to be difficult, but there had been a tiny bit of hope that she’d forgiven me.
She gestured to my uniform. “And you’ve been hiding in plain sight. Neat trick. Did you do that when Mom and Allyn were sick? Spying on us until they died? Waiting until I left town before making your presence known to the neighbors?”
“No. I explained it all—”
“In your letter, I know. It doesn’t matter. As soon as you learned about the plague, you should have come straight home to check on us. Family first, Avry.”
“You’re right. I messed up, Noelle. I made a horrible, selfish mistake. I’m sorry.”
She crossed her arms. “Sorry doesn’t cu
t it.”
“Then what can I do to atone for my actions?”
“Contract the plague and die a horrible, painful death.” Her tone was nasty.
“Done that. What’s next?”
“You’re such a liar.” Noelle swept past me.
I grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face me. “I have never lied to you.”
She pointed to the stripes on my sleeve. “What do you call this, Sergeant? I’d say impersonating a soldier is lying.”
“I meant the real you, Noelle. Not Jael’s lackey. I’ve never deceived my little shadow.”
Yanking her wrist from my grip, she said, “That person is long gone. She died during the plague. A good thing, too. She was weak and pathetic, begging for help, crying nonstop for days, letting the street rats take advantage of her, hoping to find a friendly...anything. She learned that in order to survive, she needed to kill her old self. To become the complete opposite. And I don’t fall for anyone’s tricks.” She gestured to me. “Besides, I’m going to tell Jael about you. So you should run as far away from here as fast as possible.”
“Not going to happen. I’m done running and hiding. When I return from my mission, everyone will know who I am.”
“Then Jael will kill you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. And I’m not afraid of her.” Which was true. After Tohon, no one scared me.
Noelle failed to look convinced.
“What else can I do?” I asked.
“Leave me alone.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll kill you.” She pulled a dagger from her belt and brandished it. “I call this my little shadow. It kept me alive more than once.”
“You’ll have to hit a vital organ or a major artery,” I warned. “Otherwise I’ll heal.”
“I’ve treated the blade with a fast-acting poison.”
More impressed than frightened, I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet. When she lunged, I twisted to the side and caught her wrist, trapping her arm against my body. My fingers touched her skin.
“Noelle, stop.”
“Or what? You’ll hurt me?”
“I can.”
“But you won’t because you’re trying to make amends,” she mocked.