The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  I glanced to the east. Luard had sent Beswick away with his guards sometime in the night, presumably sensing that his prisoner might not see the light of day if he stuck around much longer. But the prince himself had stayed to help.

  "I'm just thankful we didn't lose everyone." Jax glanced over his shoulder to where another small figure curled into a ball next to a grave. "She's tough, but…this is a lot."

  I squeezed his shoulder and left him, walking along the edge of the graves. Elisha was silently crying, looking at a grave as if it held her best friend. It probably did.

  "Hey," I said, kneeling in front of her. "You shouldn't stay here long, okay? Go back to camp and eat something."

  "I shouldn't have left," she whispered. "I shoulda stayed and died with them."

  "And what would that have done?" I asked, taking her hands. "We'd be burying you. At least now you can stay and fight." I squeezed. "Remember what Celia taught us. Better to survive than to die, even if it is honorably."

  She nodded.

  "You did a good thing," I said. "The Mother wanted you to survive."

  "That's what N-Nicolasa said," Elisha whispered, wiping her eyes. "She said my story wasn't finished. What do you think that means?"

  "It means…" I reached into my back pocket, where I'd stashed the black mask Aline had given me back in Galdon. "It means that you're ready for this."

  She took it with wide eyes. "But this is…"

  "I need you to be strong. You're officially in The Veil's army now. That means…we mourn the dead, but we can't stay here forever." I stood and held out my hand. "We have to keep fighting and keep living. For them."

  She took my hand and came to her feet, stepping forward into my arms and pressing her wet face against my shoulder.

  "I just miss her so much," she said.

  "Why don't you tell me about her?" I said, turning to walk her out.

  I brought Elisha back to camp and took her to Luard to feed and put to bed with the rest of the remaining children. He'd stepped up to keep watch over them while Katarine and Beata recovered from their shock and grief, and for that, I was thankful.

  "I wondered where you'd run off to," he said to Elisha as I walked her up. "Go on and get some rest."

  She nodded, offering me one final half-smile, then ducked inside the tent.

  "Poor thing," Luard whispered. "Was she out by the graves?"

  I nodded. "It's going to take a while, I think. How are the others?"

  "They're resilient little buggers, I'll tell you that." His eyes warmed, giving me some hope. "I think if anyone's going to pull us back from this grief, it's them. I can't be sad when they're running around."

  "They don't know what happened?" I asked.

  "Bea seems to have shielded them from most of it," he said. "She's… well, she's doing as well as can be expected. And I don't think Kat's let her have a moment alone since they were reunited."

  One small mercy. "Tomorrow, we'll reconvene the Council, whatever's left of it. I think forcing people back into normalcy will help. We have to decide what to do next."

  "I agree," Luard said. "Any ideas?"

  I could honestly say I didn't have any. My focus these past few days (had it been days?) had been in maintaining, in keeping everyone afloat as we navigated this dark and stormy river of grief. Ilara seemed a long way away.

  "Don't forget to mourn, too," Luard said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing the side of my head. "Even the strongest of us need to break once in a while." He paused. "Speaking of, I haven't seen Felix in a while. You may want to make sure he's all right."

  I canvassed the camp, but no one had seen Felix all day. I returned to the graveyard and found it void of anyone except ghosts.

  Walking back toward our new camp, I came to the fork, but instead of continuing straight, I took a left, headed to the one place where I hadn't yet said my goodbyes. There were still bloodstains on the ground, and I could still see every life that had ended there. I paused once where Locke had given his life, praying to the Mother. There was an odd feeling to the air, like someone had desecrated a church. In my soul, I knew nothing would ever be the same in this place again.

  A figure stood in the center of camp—Felix.

  "I don't know how I'm going to tell his mother," Felix whispered as I came up beside him. But there was more than the grief of his lost cousin—Jorad had been one of Felix's cadets. Felix had spent years with them, training them, molding them. Knowing and caring for them. The same way Jorad had grown to care for his cadets.

  "She'll be proud to know he died protecting his wards," I said. "As am I."

  The longer we stood there, the more something itched in the back of my mind. Perhaps it was the Mother's hand on my shoulder, or the need to formally say goodbye to the camp. But I walked to one of the dead bonfires near the kitchen and ignited a torch.

  The warm glow cast a shadow on Felix's face, and he followed my lead, finding another torch setting it aflame. Together, we lit every building in the place, the flames and embers rising up toward the open night sky. I prayed to the Mother as I caught fire to Nicolasa's home and walked through her green garden. The scent of flowers and herbs drew tears to my eyes, and I could almost hear her voice whispering that it was all right. This was the way it had to be.

  As the buildings burned, I walked to the back of the camp, to Celia's hut. I left the torch in a holder outside, amused at how afraid of this door I'd once been.

  "Brynn?" Felix asked, holding his torch. "We should go."

  I nodded and pressed my hand to the desk, offering one final prayer of gratitude to the woman who'd sat at it. And as I exited, I took the torch and lit the thatched roof. It caught fire quickly then spread to the back wall. Calmly, I left the torch on the front desk and returned to Felix, taking his hand.

  We said nothing because there was nothing more to be said. At least that night.

  Chapter 56

  In truth, I waited a week before convening my Council. The sheer numbers in the camp meant things moved slower. Joella had put Beswick's former bodyguards into soldier training, having them jog around the perimeter, learn how to fight honorably, and serve meals. It was oddly reminiscent of Jorad, although the bodyguards were less disciplined than the young cadets had been. The rest of the soldiers segmented themselves into groups and continued to train, if only to burn off their energy. Slowly, smiles returned to some faces, although there were still echoes of loss admits the laughter.

  One early morning, as the fog rolled over the green fields, I asked my Council to join me in the main tent. Beata arrived arm-in-arm with Katarine and Luard came right after. I hugged them together, lingering for a while with Beata.

  "We'll be all right," Katarine said, putting on a brave face. "We have each other."

  All Beata could do was nod and wipe away tears. But that she'd come at all was a good sign.

  Felix was the next to arrive, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead from putting the soldiers through their paces. With him was Aline, who seemed nervous to have been asked to join us at all.

  "Nonsense," I said, when she protested. "You were in the city. You know what's on the ground. I need your expertise."

  She flushed and sat next to Felix.

  The tent flap opened and Jax stormed in, his eyes lit up with unbridled fury. "This asshole says he was invited." He thumbed behind him to where Ignacio stood, stripped of his former bluster. I almost felt bad for him.

  Almost.

  "Let him in," I said with a nod.

  "You don't sit near me," Jax snapped, taking a spot on the other side of Luard. Ignacio sat as close to the door as possible.

  "First," I said, placing my hands on the table that had been moved inside for me, "I just want to say…" I'd had words prepared for this moment, but somehow, they escaped me. "That bitch is gonna burn for this."

  There was a weak attempt at smiles and nods, but everyone was too tired to conjure any fury. Except Jax, who just scoffed.
>
  "I've been thinking a lot about the next move," I said. "How we want to tackle Ilara. So I asked Aline to come talk to us about Ilara's forces." I looked at her. "Anything you can tell us would be helpful."

  She cleared her throat and stood with her hands behind her back. "At last count, there's close to three hundred in the city. But as we all know, she's got the upper hand in more than just people. The city itself has a wide range of natural defenses, from the river to the mouth of the bay. It'll be difficult to move a large number of people inside without her knowing."

  I nodded. "Has anyone ever successfully taken Forcadel?"

  "No," Katarine said. "Not until Ilara. And I doubt we'll be able to replicate what she did."

  With a sigh, I sat in my chair, running my hand over my chin. Just because it hadn't been done before didn't mean I couldn't figure a way. But my mind was spent, and sitting here strategizing was the last thing I wanted to do.

  "What if we work backward," I said, forcing myself to sit upright. "What do we have to do to get the Severians out of Forcadel?"

  "Kill Ilara," Felix said. "She's the one giving the orders."

  "And if we kill her, the Severians will just…leave?" I asked.

  "She certainly hasn't built a strong succession line," Katarine said. "But I don't think so. The land they come from is harsh and unforgiving and they might not want to return. Not to mention, we still don't know what she's doing in the east."

  "Ignacio," I said, looking at Beswick's second. "Anything to add?"

  He cleared his throat. "No. All I know is that she was building schools and libraries. She was very interested in moving supplies there. Beswick said he'd arrange it."

  "So it could be nothing," Luard said to me.

  "If anything, it's helping cement Ilara as a goddess to her people," Katarine said. "If we make a move on her without accounting for their perceptions, we risk them turning against us as well. And there may be more of them than us at this point."

  "Which goes back to the impossibility of moving an army big enough to defeat her into the city," Luard said. "And we're back to where we started."

  "It's not impossible if Ilara did it," I said.

  "She's not…" Katarine cleared her throat. "She's a bit more perceptive than you were. She would see trickery coming from a mile away."

  I glanced at her, the wheels in my head finally turning. "But you said she didn't always make the most strategic decisions, right?"

  "Yes, but she'll always do the thing that keeps her in power."

  "Will she, though?" Felix asked. "Making the citizens of Forcadel angry with her edicts and curfews didn't sway her."

  "But the citizenry didn't do much, and she was confident in her own forces," Katarine said. "She's not going to let us do to her what she did to us."

  "But what if she did?" I said slowly.

  Katarine shook her head. "I don't see how that's possible. She has the upper hand."

  "What if she doesn't have the upper hand? What if she only thinks she does?"

  "I don't follow?" Katarine said.

  "It's just something that Beswick said to me," I said, rubbing my chin. "She would've let everyone live as long as he brought me back to her unscathed. And Katarine, you said she told Coyle the same thing. Why would she want me alive?"

  "So she can kill you herself," Felix said.

  "You told me Ilara delights in showing people she's won," I said to Katarine. "If she has me in her possession, she'd be able to parade me around the city and brag to the world that she's bested me. She'll think she's won. And while she's gloating—"

  "We move into position," Katarine finished slowly.

  "No way," Felix said with a bit of a laugh. "You can't possibly think that's a smart idea, Kat."

  "Actually…" Katarine said softly. "It might not be the worst. Brynna's correct that Ilara seems to have some odd fascination with her. I don't believe she would kill Brynna—at least not right away."

  "But how does that help us move an army inside the kingdom?" Felix asked. "She has all the odds in her favor—soldiers, defenses, funds. Forcadel itself."

  "And we have Brynna," Luard said. "I'd say the odds are evenly stacked."

  "We have enough soldiers to split up," I said. "If we come in through different directions—the north, the south, and on the rivers, we might just be able to manage it."

  "But is Ilara really going to believe that Brynna would allow herself to get caught?" Felix asked.

  "What she did just now was heinous," I said. "She murdered innocent children. It would be reasonable that after something like that, I'd make a mistake. It's happened before."

  "And what's to say you aren't making one now?" Felix said.

  "Because I trust Katarine's judgment," I said. "If she believes Ilara won't execute me on sight, then I believe her."

  "She will, eventually," Katarine said. "But not until she's done with you."

  "Then you four will have to make sure things are ready before that time comes," I said, unfurling a map of the four countries. "Felix will take half the soldiers, including the new recruits, and join the soldiers already in Neveri. Ammon promised me a hundred troops and five ships. You go make sure he keeps his word then help them get into the city." I turned to my right. "Aline, I want you to go with Felix and help him. You know the city inside and out now. You'll need to share your knowledge."

  She nodded, her eyes still red-rimmed from crying. "I'll do Jorad proud."

  "Kat, you and Joella go with Luard to Niemen." I nodded toward them. "We'll gladly take whatever forces Niemen's willing to provide."

  "You have my word," Luard said.

  "Ignacio," I said. "Are you with us on this?"

  He rose to his feet, then bowed. "Whatever you need, Your Majesty."

  "You'll do as I told you before," I said. "You are now the new Beswick. Make sure you keep good notes about who we owe money to when this is all over. If you can continue your alliance with Ilara, so be it." I paused. "I'm sending a babysitter along to make sure you don't screw me. He'll have orders to kill you otherwise."

  Ignacio nodded, pale.

  "Jax," I said softly. "If you're up for it, I'd like you to lead the vigilante army. Pick up where Aline and Elisha left off. Except this time, you're going to be causing trouble for Ilara, not Beswick. You're going to be my eyes and ears on the ground. And…hopefully, get messages to me in the castle if Ignacio can't."

  He nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

  "But we have no idea how to get our forces from Skorsa and Neveri into position," Katarine said. "If we were to pull this off, it would be quite an achievement."

  "Then aren't I so lucky that I have Niemen's best minds behind it," I said, standing. "All this time, people have been telling me I need to delegate. So I'm delegating. I'll go in and be the distraction. You four come save my ass."

  "Brynna…" Felix started.

  "Look, I'd be leaning on you guys anyway for the military know-how. So let's cut out the middleman," I said. "I'm giving you full control of my army and the ability to make strategic decisions as you see fit. However you can get them into position…that's what you'll do."

  I waited for more arguments, more discussion. Instead, they merely looked nervously at one another, as if they were waiting for the other to be the first to argue.

  Jax stared me down. Then, to my utter surprise, he pressed his fist to his left breast and bowed. Ignacio followed suit, then Aline and Felix. Beata, even, broke from her reverie and bowed. Katarine and Luard rose more slowly, neither one of them saying anything.

  "I need unanimous consent," I said quietly.

  "I don't like the thought of sending you into the lion's den alone," Luard said. "But if there's anyone in this world who could come out without a scratch, it's you." He pressed his fist to his chest and nodded. "I'm in."

  Katarine stared at me, her blue eyes rimmed red and her cheeks pale. "If Ilara finds out what we're doing, she could use you as leverage."

&nbs
p; "She didn't when you were there."

  "That's because I made her believe we hadn't been in contact," Katarine said. "And that you didn't care about me."

  "Then I'll just have to tell her that you and I haven't crossed paths," I said with a grin.

  Katarine crossed the room and took my hands. "I'm not losing you, Brynna-Larissa. So you damned well better become a better liar in the next few days." She bowed her head. "I'm in."

  Chapter 57

  I was to set off the next evening. The troops would be told that I'd gone to Forcadel on a spying mission, made a mistake, and that they would be continuing under the direction of Felix and Katarine once word came to them that I'd been taken.

  "I leave it to your discretion what to tell the vigilante army," I said.

  "Veil army," Jax said with a look. "Heard you say that to Elisha. I like the sound of it."

  "Thank you," I said, holding out my hand. "There's no one I trust more to handle this mission than you."

  He took my hand and shook it. "Don't take any unnecessary risks in there. If the opportunity comes to get a message out, take it, but don't—"

  "I got it," I said with a nod. "Back in Forcadel, there's an archive directly across the street from the castle. In the archivist's office, underneath the desk, you'll find a complete map of the castle. There are some Ilara knows about, but others, including the one behind the barracks, she doesn't." I licked my lips. "It's supposed to be a state secret only seen by the royal family."

  "Then I'll just assume you've given me a dukedom," he said, flashing me a devilish grin. "I told you I'd get paid one way or another."

  "What is? Where are you going? Can I come?" Elisha popped up next to us, wearing the black mask I'd given her.

  I gave Jax a nod and put my arm around Elisha, walking her away from him. "Listen, I'm going on a little mission for a while. But I need you to get your things ready to go."

  "Back to Forcadel," she said, puffing out her chest. "With Jax. I heard you."